Call of the Wild Chapters 3-7
Choose a quote below and explain how it relates to the story.
"An oath from Perrault, the resounding impact of a club upon a bony frame, and a shrill yelp of pain, heralded the breaking forth of pandemonium. The camp was suddenly discovered to be alive with skulking furry forms--starving huskies, four or five score of them, who had scented the camp from some Indian village. They had crept in while Buck and Spitz were fighting, and when the two men sprang among them with stout clubs they showed their teeth and fought back." Chpt. 3
"The driver went about his work, and he called to Buck when he was ready to put him in his old place in front of Dave...Buck was in open revolt. He wanted, not to escape a clubbing, but to have the leadership. It was his by right. He had earned it, and he would not be content with less." Chpt. 4
"He remembered the man in the red sweater, the death of Curly, the great fight with Spitz and the good things he had eaten or would like to eat. He was not homesick. The Sunland was very dim and distant, and such memories had no power over him. Far more potent were the memories of his heredity that gave things he had never seen before a seeming familiarity; the instincts (which were but the memories of his ancestors become habits) which had lapsed in later days, and still later, in him, quickened and became alive again. " Chpt. 4
"There was no power of recuperation left, no reserve strength to call upon. It had been all used, the last least bit of it. Every muscle, every fiber, every cell, was tired, dead tired. And there was reason for it. In less than five months they had traveled twenty-five hundred miles, during the last eighteen hundred of which they had but five days' rest." Chpt. 5
"They were perambulating skeletons. There were seven all together, including him. In their very great misery they had become insensible to the bite of the lash or the bruise of the club...when the club or whip fell upon them, the spark fluttered feebly up, and they tottered to their feet and staggered on."Chpt. 5
"Those who were looking on heard what was neither bark nor yelp, but a something which is best described as a roar, and `they saw Buck's body rise up in the air as he left the floor for Burton's throat...Buck loosed his teeth from the flesh of the arm and drove in again for the throat. This time the man succeeded only in partly blocking, and his throat was torn open...[Buck's] reputation was made, and from that day his name spread through every camp in Alaska." Chpt. 6
"But especially he loved to run in the dim twilight of the summer midnights, listening to the subdued and sleepy murmurs of the forest, reading signs and sounds as a man may read a book, and seeking for the mysterious something that called -- called, waking or sleeping, at all times, for him to come.”Chpt. 7
"'Never was there such a dog,' said John Thornton one day, as the partners watched Buck marching out of camp." Chpt. 7
“His cunning was wolf cunning, and wild cunning; his intelligence, shepherd intelligence and St. Bernard intelligence; and all this, plus an experience gained in the fiercest of schools, made him as formidable a creature as any that roamed the wild.” Chpt. 7
"The Yeehats tell of a Ghost Dog that runs at the head of the pack. They are afraid of this Ghost Dog, for it has cunning greater than they, stealing from their camps in the fierce winters, robbing their traps, slaying their dogs, and defying their bravest hunters." Chpt. 7
ReplyDelete“His cunning was wolf cunning, and wild cunning; his intelligence, shepherd intelligence and St. Bernard intelligence; and all this, plus an experience gained in the fiercest of schools, made him as formidable a creature as any that roamed the wild.” Chpt. 7
Just prior to this quote author Jack London, is telling us about Bucks sudden and severe longing to be out in the wild(Call of The Wild). London describes to us Buck’s bloodlonging and his growing pride in himself, his growth in stature, and the gleam of his coat. This except is describing not only describing Bucks physical appearance though.
When listing off the breeds seen in this quote what usually first comes to the forefront of our minds is just that, the breeds. The author is giving us a little more context as to what Buck looks like physicaly. Just before this quote we are told “From his St. Bernard father he had inherited his size and weight, but it was his Shepard mother that had given shap to his size and weight.”Chpt 7 and just after this quote we hear more about our protagonist “Quickly as a husky could leap to defend from attack or to attack, he could leap twice as quickly,”Chpt7 But when actually looking at all of these quotes, and specifically the first one it becomes obvious that the different breeds spoken about have a deeper meaning, their attributes and character.
From the cunningness of his wolf lineage to the intelligence of his parents Jack London is using the breeds to give us, the readers, a more vivid image of Buck physically, but also giving us a clearer idea of his character.
Is it possible for there to be a deeper symbolism in the breeds besides the ones given in the first quote by London?
~M
Woah, I never even thought about that! The greater population of North American Timber wolves lived in the area the story is taking place in. And the domestic dogs would have come from wolves, so now we have Buck both physically and symbolically "belonging" more than his peers. By being a mix (of somehow all favorable traits) he is "undoing" the domestication that caused the breeds to be separated.
DeleteI agree with you that the Bucks breading has a greater meaning. Because of his breading, he is far larger than most of the dogs and even the wolfs that are found in the woods. I think the symbol of his breading is shown more by the fact that his breading resulted in a very large Buck. Throughout the book, London goes back to Bucks size and how he has advantages because of it. I think the symbol is actually found in Bucks mass, but that the breading just help us find it and gives it a broader meaning.
Delete"The driver went about his work, and he called to Buck when he was ready to put him in his old place in front of Dave...Buck was in open revolt. He wanted, not to escape a clubbing, but to have the leadership. It was his by right. He had earned it, and he would not be content with less." Chpt. 4
ReplyDeleteThis is a major turning point in the story; Buck asserts his own will, despite the the consequences of crossing his human masters. From this point on in the story Buck has taken control, where previously he bided his time. He once again exhibits non canine thought processes here in feeling that he earned his place. I believe this is the first time in the story when a human changes his mind to give Buck what he wants. In a way, he is a leader of both the dogs and men now. I wonder what parallel (if there is one) the author intended here.
When thinking about the idea that Buck is the leader of both men and dog I started thinking of other examples in the book and I could not find one... Wait once he is bought by the two men and the lady. I think what you are addressing is that this is the start of Buck being his own master? Telling both dog and man what he will and will not do. Because from this point on we see him choosing what he will and will not do. Taking fate into his own hands. But before he starts making his own choices we see Buck learned. We see even in this example that Buck learned the right distance to stay away from a man with a club. Even in the last chapter of the book when Buck killed his first human, he realized that they were weak. They found their strength in making guns, clubs, and arrows. Buck learned to be his own master while having the brains to survive.
DeleteI love that thought, of Buck being a leader of both dogs and men. This implication is remarkable when looking at the rest of the story.
ReplyDelete~M
"He remembered the man in the red sweater, the death of Curly, the great fight with Spitz and the good things he had eaten or would like to eat. He was not homesick. The Sunland was very dim and distant, and such memories had no power over him. Far more potent were the memories of his heredity that gave things he had never seen before a seeming familiarity; the instincts (which were but the memories of his ancestors become habits) which had lapsed in later days, and still later, in him, quickened and became alive again. " Chpt. 4
ReplyDeleteBefore Buck went to Alaska we don't know if he had to work for his position. All we know is that he has it. Once he goes to Alaska he must work for everything. Nothing is given to him, even life he works to keep. Right before this passage Buck kills the lead dog in a fight. Which happens more often than you would think. In Bucks mind, he crushed the weaker dog and because of that, he should be the lead dog. After he put in all that work he was not going to go back to his former postion. This can go back survival of the fittest idea. Buck is the fittest and because of that, he should get the lead position.
It actually never crossed my mind before now that we don't know whether Buck had worked for his position, or anything at that matter before he was stolen and taken to Alaska. The fact that buck changed so much is remarkable! The thought process and time London put into making this character come to life is incredible!
Delete"They were perambulating skeletons. There were seven all together, including him. In their very great misery they had become insensible to the bite of the lash or the bruise of the club...when the club or whip fell upon them, the spark fluttered feebly up, and they tottered to their feet and staggered on."Chpt. 5
ReplyDeleteThis quote can be related back to when Buck was beaten by the man in the red sweater when Buck decided to never have his spirit crushed even when he might be bruised and scratched on the outside. Here they were starved to the point where they were weak and could barely walk, so weak that even the lash of the whip could not arouse them. Their "master" (was he really their master when they only moved when they wanted to move?) continued to beat them, not knowing that the last of their strength was gone. Could you relate this that to someone who has been hurt so many times that when someone ways one more harmful thing you see no reaction show up on their face.?
This idea has some sad implications, especially when you take what Dani said in relating it to human emotion. There are a lot of times when it seems as though people become callus to the world around them due to the extent of damage done to them both emotionally and physically. It is very possible that a lot of the ideas London brings up in this story are ones that he had seen in his everyday life and in society around him.
Delete"An oath from Perrault, the resounding impact of a club upon a bony frame, and a shrill yelp of pain, heralded the breaking forth of pandemonium. The camp was suddenly discovered to be alive with skulking furry forms--starving huskies, four or five score of them, who had scented the camp from some Indian village. They had crept in while Buck and Spitz were fighting, and when the two men sprang among them with stout clubs they showed their teeth and fought back." Chpt. 3
ReplyDeleteWhile you might have just glanced over this part, it is one of the most important parts of the book. In this one night, Buck experiences an open revolt against the law of club and fang, and because of it, he is eventually able to reach the climax of the story: Responding to the call of the wild. Buck saw that, even though the men of the camp had clubs, the huskies continued to fight for the food of the camp. It is the perfect transition between respect for man to equal, or possibly even better, than man. Before the attack, Buck had a respect for the law of club and fang; When he disobeyed the man in the red sweater, he quickly learned that pain and suffering would follow, if the law was not obeyed. But when he saw the these huskies were willing to disobey the law of club and fang for food, his perspective on man slowly began to change. There are to ways to look at this change. The first is that the law of club and fang is important, but not when it comes into contrast with the law of instinct. The dogs needed the food, so they defied the law of club and fang due to their instinctual need for food, and they are willing to go through what ever they must in order to achieve their instinctual goal. This is similar to Buck through the development of the story. He eventually is willing to lose John Thornton to answer the call his nature. If you have anything to add, or you disagree with me, let me know.
This is a really interesting point. I had missed this part and why it's important, thanks for posting it. Do you think there is a third "law" here? As Buck moves into a less and less civilized state it almost seems like the rules of the game change. Club and fang seems to apply for power hierarchies trying to coexist, while the instinctive behavior stems from the most basic needs. What rules did Buck live by before getting sold?
ReplyDeleteGreat job on the Call of the Wild discussions!
ReplyDelete