An Analysis of Buck in The Call of the Wild

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1、对野性的呼唤中巴克形象的分析An Analysis of Buck in The Call of the WildAbstract: Jack London is one of the outstanding writers in 20th century. He is renowned both in modern American literature and even the world literature. The Call of the Wild is one of the most famous works which is about a dog and a wolf in w

2、orld literature. It tells us a story that a dog (Buck) was doted on human then sold to traders as a shepherd dog. And then he become a leading dog Finally he is assimilated to be a wolf in the call of the wolves. During the modeling of the Buck image, the writer put the Bucks human nature into wild

3、nature. While its wild nature is embodied in the human nature, and the human nature and the wild nature were both existed in Buck. Eventually, the wild nature overcame the human nature, and Buck metamorphosed from a dog into a wolf. The writer revealed the essence of the intriguing against each othe

4、r and cruel scrambling in human beings in that real society by metaphorizing the ruin of the wild world “human nature” and recrudescence of the “wild nature”. This essay discusses the authors viewpoints and philosophy of his life by analyzing Bucks character changing.Key words: Buck; Jack London; wo

5、lf-changing; survival of the fittest; human nature; wild nature摘 要：杰克伦敦是20世纪初美国极富盛名的作家，在现代美国文坛和世界文坛都享有崇高的位。他的野性的呼唤讲述了一只名叫巴克的狗经历了被人宠爱，被人贩卖作为一只拉雪橇犬至成为一只领头狗，最后在狼群的叫声中逐渐被同化为一只狼的过程。作者在巴克形象的塑造中，将巴克的人性寓于兽性中，其兽性中又体现着人性，人性和兽性在巴克身上争斗，最终兽性占据了统治地位，巴克蜕变成一只狼。作者通过喻写动物世界中的“人性”的沦丧和“野性”的复发，来揭示当时人类社会人与人之间勾心斗角于残酷争夺的本质。

6、本文将通过巴克形象转变的塑造来反映作者对现实“文明社会”的看法以及自己的人生哲学。关键词：巴克；杰克伦敦; 狼变；适者生存；人性；野性ContentsI. Introduction.1II. Background Information.1III.The Survival of the Fittest Theory.2 A. The definition of survival of the fittest theory.2 B. Survival of the fittest theory in The Call of the Wild.2. The Super dog Image of B

7、uck.4. The Analysis of the Return of Buck.5A. The Return requite the little kindness with everything you can.5 B. The Rupturegone for the wilderness.6. HesitationStruggle in the Civilized Society.6 .DiscoveringThe Thinking to the Real Society.7.The Transition of Jack Londons World View and Life Phil

8、osophy .8 A. Love and hope.8 B. Environmental determinism.9.Conclusion.9Works Cited.10 . IntroductionJack London, an illegitimate child born in San Francisco in 1876 and reared in poverty across the bay in Oakland, California, had become the highest-paid, most widely read, and best-known writer in A

9、merica by the time he was thirty-seven years old. In part, London achieved such tremendous popularity because he was the quintessential America adventurer, a westerner living in a country that culturally thrived on and was identified with expiration of unknown territory. He lived an adventurous life

10、 and then used events from his own life as fodder for his profession as a writer. The publication that first brought Jack London worldwide fame and continues to be his best-known work is a short novel whose main character is a Yukon sled dog named Buck. That work, begun in December 1902 and publishe

11、d in 1903, was entitled The Call of the Wild. Like Louisa May Alcotts Little Women and Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird, Jack Londons The Call of the Wild is one of those books that is usually encountered in youth and has a profound, lifelong effect on its readers. It has been called an adventure s

12、tory, a romance, a realistic nature story, a dog story, a historical or cultural treatise, and an allegory or myth. It holds special appeal for those who know the wilderness. It also appeals to those who yearn for a special kind of freedom that can only be found outside of societys constraints. The

13、adventure in its readers responds to the novel whether the unknown land they would explore is an icy wilderness near the Arctic Circle or some compelling psychological and mythic frontier within human beings themselves (Wang Qinling 65). . Background InformationThe Call of the Wild tells us a dog(bu

14、ck)was doted on human then sold to traders as a shepherd dog looking for gold in the far North and in the call of the wolves changed as a wolf. The Gold Rush in the Yukon and Alaska has prompted the need for big, strong dogs who will be able to pull sleds over icy trails. Buck, a large animal living

15、 in the home of Judge Miller in Santa Clara, California, is exactly what the explorers want. He is an animal with human-like tendencies, intelligence, strength and dignity. Thus far he has enjoyed his civilized life with the occasional nature stroll or hunting trip. Manuel, a gardeners helper with a

16、 penchant for gambling and a need for money, manages to kidnap Buck and sell him on the black market. He is given to a saloon-keeper and transported via train to the Northland. Through a series of different “masters”, Buck learns to survive “the law of club and fang” by using his instincts and cunni

17、ng. After the death of his final and friendliest master, John Thornton, who is killed by Indians, Buck succumbs to the call of wild, severs all ties with civilization, and runs free with a wolf pack. . The “Survival of the Fittest” TheoryA. The definition of “survival of the fittest” Natural selecti

18、on conceived of as a struggle for life in which only those organisms that best adapted to existing conditions are able to survive and reproduce (Mechalith Millennium 2007).Survival of the fittest is a phrase which is shorthand for a concept relating to competition for survival or predominance. Origi

19、nally applied by Herbert Spencer in his Principles of Biology of 1864, Spencer drew parallels to his ideas of economics with Charles Darwins theories of evolution by what Darwin termed natural selection (Mechalith Millennium 2007).So, we may get the conclusion that the “Survival of the fittest” theo

20、ry in this novel suggests that the best, strongest and fittest will survive in the natural selection and various competitions; while the weak, inferior and the relatively “unfitted” will be eliminated. The limit resources and fierce competition determined that not everyone in the competition will su

21、rvive. On the one hand, they are selected by the nature. On the other hand, they play a role of selecting the others. They kill or are killed. So, in order to survive, the competitors have to struggle against the hash environments and compete with each other. They have to remain alert; they have to

22、be tough and merciless; they have to conquer everything that lay ahead. B. Survival of the fittest theory in The Call of the WildThe story begins in the fall of 1897, at the time of the Klondike Gold Rush. Buck is a large, one-hundred and forty pounds dog who lived on a ranch owned by Judge Miller i

23、n Santa Clara, California, some forty miles south of San Francisco. Buck was four years old and had an enjoyable life. Unlike others, he was like a king who lords it over all the other creatures, and was treated with respect by everyone.His life there was very orderly and civilized. He was like a “s

24、ated aristocrat”; he was compared to a country gentleman and a lordsince he is lord over all the other animals on the ranch (London 3). In this civilized life, wild impulses are tamed. Buck enjoyed comfort and privilege. He did not have to fight for anything; all his needs were provided for. He had

25、not had to earn his position; like an aristocrat, he was born to it.However, this situation did not last long. He was betrayed by one of the judges servants, who was addicted to gambling and had to pay the debts. Therefore he sold buck to the northerners who were going to rush for gold in the northw

26、est part of the United States. Since then, Buck experienced a lot of hardships that he had never thought of: the coldness of the north, the cruel treatment of the dog-dealers and gold-rushers, the fight and compete with other greedy sled dogs, the strike of hunger and threat of the harsh environment

27、s.The sharp contrast between Bucks life in Judge Millers and the north world forces Buck to survive as the fittest. “The law of club and fang” is the first rule that Buck learned. The following two paragraphs is a vivid description of Bucks learning to adapt to a different world:Buck jumped at the m

28、an，sixty kilos of anger，his mouth wide open ready to bite the mans neckJust before his teeth touched the skin，the man hit him with the club A last time he jumped，and this time，when the man knocked him down，Buck did not moveBuck was beaten (he knew that) but he was not broken He had learnt that a man

29、 with a club was stronger than himEvery day he saw more dogs arrive， and each dog was beaten by the fat manBuck understood that a man with a club must be obeyed，although he did not have to be a friend. (Jack London 40)So “the law of club and fang” is the first rule Buck learned. He gradually realize

30、d the reality that a dog should never fight against a man with a club at his hand. Of course the lesson was not learned in a pleasant way. At first, he was stubborn and not willing to change. He believed his brute strength and was governed by his anger. After being beaten by the red man for so many

31、times, he began to accept his misfortune of bad fate. The first lesson costs Buck a lot: he was nearly beaten to death. But Buck did not give in the battle. He only compromised with the difficult situation. He did not regard the man as his friend or master, but enemy. And he covered the anger and ha

32、te in himself in order to survive. “The law of club and fang”, which is a typical symbol of “survival of the fittest” theory, is fully explained here.“He was sounding the deeps of his nature, and of the parts of his nature that were deeper than he, going back into the womb of Time.” (Jack London 132

33、) As a leader of the dogs, Buck feels the first calling of his primordial nature in the chasing of the rabbit. He is gradually dominated by the primordial nature lies in himself, which helps him to survive and live better in the harsh northlands.Facing the sharp contrast, Buck did not give up. He qu

34、ickly adapted himself to the new environments by acknowledging new rules. The law of club and fang is one of the first rules Buck learned, the interpretation of the laws that govern the new life he is leading. It is a ruthless, Darwinian world of the survival of the fittest, a total contrast to what

35、 he has known in his first four years of his life. There is no room here for kindness and love, or morality. The death of Curly shows him that just as he has learned a new relationship between man and dog, here in the north there is a new relationship between dog and dog. He learned to dig hole in t

36、he snow; he learned to master the pulling skills at a fast speed; he learned to steal foods without being noticed; he learned to fight and kill. The survival of the fittest lies not only in the ability of learning, but also in the genes born in nature. Buck is blessed with fine genes and strong phys

37、ical conditions. The call of the wild guided him in his pursuit and struggle. The Super dog Image of BuckBuck is a super dog, not only with the super innate capacity that surpasses every normal dog, but also with the excessive emotion, loyalty and love. Moreover, Buck is capable of knowing whats goi

38、ng on in humans mind. He can understands his masters kindness and fulfill his duty. Even when he is in the Judges house, he frequently keeps company with the Judges daughter when she is taking a walk. And when he is dragging a sled in the middle of winter, he knows that Franois is behind his back wa

39、tching him, so he think it is wiser being submissive than doing some thing stupid.Buck is more than a reader of human thoughts, being a dog itself, he is also a dog thoughts reader. Curlys dead make him know the law of the wild :“He had never seen dogs fight as these wolfish creatures fought, and hi

40、s first experience taught him an unforgettable lesson”. Buck is open to other dogs kindness and treats them back with kindness. Spotting good-tempered Joe sleeping in a snow cave, he immediately learns to make his own hole in the snow he can sleep in:“Skeet was a little Irish setter who early made f

41、iends with Buck, who, in a dying condition, was unable to resent her first advances. She had the doctor trait which some dogs possess; and as a mother cat washes her kittens, so she washed and cleaned Bucks wounds”. One of the most moving parts of Bucks super-dog image is his loyalty and affection.

42、Thornton dropped water :“Buck had sprung in on the instant; and at the end of three hundred yards, amid a mad swirl of water, he overhauled Thornton”. The Analysis of the Return of BuckA. The Return requite the little kindness with everything you canBuck falls wildly in love with John Thornton, who

43、immediately recognizes that Buck is one of a kind. Under Johns influence, comforted by his two other dogs Skeet and Nig, Buck begins to heal. He accomplishes a number of miraculous things for John, saving his life twice and winning a bet that allows him to pay off all his debts. He does not forget h

44、is visions of the primitive world, but he is happy at Johns side. Along with Hans and Pete, Johns partners, the dogs go on an expedition for a lost mine. The work on the trail, the daily hunting, are absolutely delightful for Buck. Though they dont find the mind, they do find gold, and so there is n

45、o more work for the dogs to do. Buck ruminates once more on the call that he hears nightly in the forest. Eventually he starts to sleep away from the camp. He embraces his instincts and wild tendencies, killing his own food and watching out for himself. Buck meets a wolf who befriends him and is qui

46、te sad when he returns to the camp. This pattern continues, until one day Buck returns to the camp to find everyone killed by the Yeehats, a Native American tribe. He flies into a rage at the death of beloved John, and kills all the men who do not run away from him. There is no more tie to mankind,

47、so Buck returns to the forest and remains with a pack of wolves. Each year he visits to the valley where John Thornton died, mourning his lost, dearest friend. Compared to the ugly image of human being in the fiction, Buck, a dog he is, was full of passion and knowledge of right and wrong. Thornton

48、saved his life and treated him like his own child. As repayment, he risked his life to pull drowning Thornton out of water. He repayed his master with all the love and passion far more than being bestowed upon himself. He was reluctant to keep Thornton away from his eyesight long after his recovery

49、from illness. Sometimes in the night he would go out in the pith dark and coldness, against irresistible sleepiness, to check if Thornton was alright. “Buck can do everything for Thornton as long as there is an order from his master”. For Thornton, Buck was hardworking and unafraid of even death. Th

50、ere was a time when Thornton thoughtlessly ordered Buck to jump off the cliff as a test for his loyalty, Buck, without a second thought, was ready to die for his master. Another example, Buck risked his life three times jumping into the turbulence of the relentless river to save Thorntons life when

51、he was drowning, during which Buck broke three ribs and heavily injured. Later on, Thornton betted on Buck with others that he can pull a frozen sled loaded one thousand pound. In five minutes Buck won for Thornton one thousand and six hundred pound as he pulled the sled, with all his strength, two

52、hundred yards. To Buck, Thornton was the only one who can own him. Nothing were the others. Thornton was the only one he favored, the only link between him and the human race.B. The Rupturegone for the wildernessHowever, this one and only link was cut off by human themselves when Thornton was killed

53、 by local natives when he went into gold rush. The death of Thornton generated the absolute departure of Buck from human society and drove Buck back to the wilderness when he was hesitating between the mothernature and human race. Human society was never fair to him. Twice he had gotten love and war

54、mth and twice he was ruthlessly taken from it. He hated this society. As a resistance and rebellion against human race, to the wilderness he escaped. The return to the wilderness helped him shake off the yoke of human race and break away from the abysm of pain. Frozen and snowy though, it was at lea

55、st free, much better than the struggle and floundering under the yoke. Buck had chosen freedom. . HesitationStruggle in the Civilized SocietyJack London did not make Buck out of nothing. The miserable life of Buck reflects the authors own adversity. Jack London was a bastard. As a reflection, he mad

56、e Buck the crossbreed of Scotland shepherd and Saint Bernard. Abandoned by his rightful father before he was born, he was grateful and sympathetic toward his step father who had been through a lot in his miserable life, just as Buck was grateful to Thornton.Jack London was born in an impoverished fa

57、mily. Misfortunes drove him into the arena of life before he was grown-up. When he was ten, he sold newspapers in the street; when fourteen, he worked in a factory as a child labor; a oyster thief in San Francisco; then he went to Japan on a ship and be a sailor there for a year and more. At the end

58、 of the nineteenth century, a severe economic crisis stroke America. As one of the strikers, he roamed nationwide, more than one time being arrested by the authority as hoboes and punished to drudgery. The miserable life impinges on him with real and thorough knowledge of mercilessness and ruthlessn

59、ess toward the so called “civilization”. Struggling on the refuse dumping site of “civilization” and the very bottom of the society, he was indignant at the relentless competition of capitalism. Those bitter he realized in his life was fully and truthfully transplanted into the artistic image. Disco

60、veringThe Thinking to the Real SocietyThe complexity of Buck reflects the diversity of philosophical thought during that time. When he lived in peaceful environment, Buck was gentle, finding no trouble, never committing stealth and never bullying the weak. However, after he was kidnapped and sold to

61、 the North Pole, he abandoned the traditional moral principle and regarded this principle no good and harmful. “Under the club and fang, those who think about this would be fools; those who comply to this would not success.” In order to survive, one can do anything. Under this idea, Buck becomes cun

62、ning and cruel, and then he changes from a dog into a wolf. Additionally, to justify the theory of “evil is humanity”, Jake London describes the characters of people as ugly appearance and poor personality. The things they did were not as satisfied as what dogs did. In Bucks eyes, four dog-sellers a

63、re the devils who brought misery, “their faces are ugly, manners are bad, and hair looks like grasses.” They often chase him outside of the cage by a stick. Even when in the train, some post officers chase Buck by not giving him water to drink. From these facts, we can see that this disgusting aspec

64、t only exist in human. There is also a family that Jack London does hate; they are a couple plus a little nose. They own “the gentle of south”, but often get into trouble because of lacking knowledge and ability, as well as patience, “they often feel pain, pain in their mussel, as a result, the dirty words are heard usually, the first to the last”(Zhu Xinguang 1995). However, what we cannot understand is these unable and complains people are very cru）el to animals, “Hal has a theory that is only used to other people, that is, a pe