Buck Into The Inferior Dog example essay topic

Title: The Call of the Wild Author: Jack London Type of book: Fiction Date Completed: September 12, 2001 Summary: The novel, The Call of the Wild, follows a four-year-old mixed Saint Bernard and Scottish shepherd, named Buck. In the beginning of the story, Buck lives in the home of Judge Miller, located at Santa Clara Valley, California. In Santa Clara, Buck lives a luxurious life. At the time of the story, gold is discovered in the North. With this discovery, the value of large dogs like Buck escalated dramatically. The dog's value was due most to their ability to haul heavy sleds through the abundant snow.

Unfortunately, Judge Miller's servant, Manuel steals Buck to sell him to a band of dog-nappers to pay for his accumulating gambling debts. The ring of thieves that bought Buck is gaining a secure banking by trading the dog to northern executives. Buck, who has had an easy life so far, does not adapt well to the terrain as the other canines do. Buck does not easily tolerate the confinement and mistreatment of his new authority.

Buck's gains the misconception, which then is an aide that any man with a club is a dominator and must be obeyed. After an expedition into the North Buck discovers his new location and temporary home. Once arrived buck rapidly accommodates to his new environment. Buck masters many skills that are mandatory to survive in his new habitat.

Buck discovers that he can rely on his animal instinct and basic intellect to acquire the essentials to exist in the tundra. One of the most significant concepts learned by Buck is that while being attacked his must take an offense to survive. Another essential concept Buck grasps is that he must be at constant alert and that his size makes him inferior to others. Buck's quick adaptations assist in his survival. Following being starved for numerous days, Buck's original instinct to kill and eat raw meat is revived within. During this occasion, Buck is opposed against Spitz, the vigorous, dynamic, hierarch of the sled team.

Buck and Spitz have a couple of battles against each other; however, the fight in Buck makes the outcome victorious on Buck's behalf. Buck then becomes conductor of the sled team. This rank of authority makes the superiority of Buck even more prominent. During this rank, Buck attains the admiration of his current masters, Perrault and Francois, who challenge Buck for quite sometime. Buck's next master is a Scottish man who delivers mail to the northern communities.

Grievously, the Scottish man strains the dogs and sets them on a level of difficulty incomprehensible to the dog's previous endurance. With these conditions most of the pack scatters to the outlying wilderness. Buck, on the other hand, outlasts the treatment. Buck's next change of superiors is to three novice explorers. Charles, Hal and Mercedes, the current masters, have no experience in disciplining the dogs or even guiding a dog sled through the tundra. In result to their asinine judgement, the dog's provisions supply runs out before the trip meets midpoint.

In this occurrence Buck is enlightened and sees no reason to put effort forth in continuing. Noticing the lack of effort, the masters severely beat Buck. Buck quickly disbands his group. Coincidentally later Charles, Hal, and Mercedes fall through thin ice and drown, loosing their own lives, in addition to the lives of the canines.

Buck encounters a new human, John Thornton, who is healing from frostbite. John Thornton nurtures Buck back to health. Buck takes John Thornton as his new master; however, unlike his previous masters Buck cherishes and respects Thornton. On one occasion, an inebriated man attacks John. Buck responds and exterminates the man.

On another occasion, Thornton is caught in the fore of rapids. Once again, Buck rescues his master. Later, Thornton gambles that Buck can pull a thousand pound sled. Buck actually succeeds in the feat, moving the sled a hundred yards. With the currency gained by Thornton's gambling, Thornton plans an expedition into the wilderness in search of a legendary gold mind. During this time, Buck often sneaks into the environment and stalks wild prey, runs with the wolves, or catches salmon.

After one such adventure, Buck returns to camp only to discover that Yee hat Indians had murdered John Thornton. Buck revenges his master and annihilates many of the Yee hats. After John Thornton death, Buck is unbound to the loyalty to his master. Buck hears his "call to the wild" and joins a pack of wild wolves, thus, ending the story. Discussion: Originally, Buck lived in the Santa Clara Valley, on Judge Miller's property.

He was the ruler of his own domain, uncontested by any other local dogs. He was a mix between a St. Bernard and a Scotch Shepherd dog. He weighed one hundred and forty pounds, and he carried every one with utmost pride. Buck had everything he could want. Little did he know, he would soon have it all taken away from him. One night, Buck was taken away from his home.

This would be the beginning of a new, cruel life for Buck. On his excursion to wherever he was going, Buck's pride was severely damaged, if not completely wiped out by men who used tools to restrain him. No matter how many times Buck tried to lunge, he would just be choked into submission at the end. Buck would learn one of the two most important laws that a dog could know in the Klondike: The law of club is quite simple, if there is a man with a club; a dog would be better off not to challenge the man. Buck learned this law after the man who had the club beat he. Buck was sold off to a man who put him in a harness connected to many other dogs.

Buck was inexperienced and inept at first, but eventually, he learned the way of trace and trail. Buck had to learn many things if he was to survive in this fatal land. He had to learn to sleep under the snow, and to eat his food as fast as possible so as not to have it stolen. Buck begins to go through a metamorphosis. He transforms from house dog to a more primitive, savage version of his former self. It was as if hundreds of years of knowledge, learned by his ancestors, were dug up and brought out through metamorphosis.

Buck proceeded to lose all the fat in his body and replace it with muscle. Buck was no longer Judge Miller's pet; he was a machine of survival and triumph. Most of Buck's peers died because of their inability to conform. Buck was born to lead the team. However Spitz, the team leader stood in his way. Spitz was a proven champion in confrontation and was crafty and witty.

It was clear that he and Buck would not conspire together. When dogs have confrontation in the Klondike, only one survives. This was because of a law called fang. The law of Fang tells that, when two dogs fight and one is knocked to the ground the rest of the spectators will instantly pounce on the downed dog. All of these unspoken rules had turned Buck into the inferior dog to ever roam the Klondike. Buck did eventually fight Spitz and send him to his death.

After all, of the transformations and cruelty he had been through, you would suspect that Buck would never be able to trust another human. Buck finally found a man he could trust, John Thornton. Buck loved him with all his life. Buck put the utmost respect and loyalty towards the man. After being with this man for quite some time, Buck started to hear a call from far away. This call was the call of the wild.

He had a will to go off and be with other dogs. He felt the urge to be free from man and catch his own food. One day, Buck finally left for good. He was excepted by a pack of wolves that treated him like a wolf himself.

The transformation was complete. Buck had changed from a dog, to a beast of nature.