Summary of The Call of the Wild by Jack London

Description

The Call of the Wild turned Jack London into an overnight literary success and secured him a place among the greats of world literature. While London’s publisher was concerned that his gritty adventure story was “too true to nature” for the reading public, he was proved wrong. The first print run of 10,000 copies sold out immediately. The novel about a dog who returns to his primordial roots in the extreme, unyielding environment of the Klondike Gold Rush still draws readers young and old. Scientific debates of its time, as well as London’s political convictions, influenced The Call of the Wild heavily, leading to a wealth of possible readings and interpretations. Yet when it comes down to it, the strength and continued appeal of the book lie in its gripping adventure, which transports readers to the beautiful, unforgiving wilderness of the American North. And while many film adaptations focus on the theme of the dog as man’s faithful companion, the original is so much more than that: It is a compelling story of survival and a celebration of untamed nature.

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Sujets

• Classics
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: GetAbstract AG
• Date de parution: 24 avril 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 2
• EAN13: 9798887270746
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Call of the Wild
Jack London•First edition: New York 1903

Novel
Naturalism

Take-Aways The Call of the Wild is one of America’s best-known novels and, alongside White Fang , one of Jack London’s most popular stories. Buck is a content, family dog in California until a farmhand steals him and sells him off to work in the Klondike wilderness as a sled dog. There, he regresses to a primordial state, and only his love for the adventurer John Thornton keeps him in the world of men, before he finally joins a pack of wolves. The novel is set at the turn of the 19th century, when the Klondike Gold Rush drew thousands of prospectors hoping to get rich. London based the detailed descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness and life in the rough environment of the Klondike gold rush on his own experience – he went there with his brother-in-law in his early twenties. The story follows the thematic pattern of the hero myth – from the call to adventure to transformation and finally apotheosis.  London has an exceptional talent for poignant descriptions of people’s and animals’ behaviors and for evoking the hostile but beautiful wilderness of the North. There are numerous film adaptations of The Call of the Wild , with the latest one expected at the end of 2019.  London wrote the story in just one month, starting in December 1902 and finishing in January 1903.  London had a fascination with Darwinist theories. “Never was there such a dog.”

What It’s About
The Call of the Wild turned Jack London into an overnight literary success and secured him a place among the greats of world literature. While London’s publisher was concerned that his gritty adventure story was “too true to nature” for the reading public, he was proved wrong. The first print run of 10,000 copies sold out immediately. The novel about a dog who returns to his primordial roots in the extreme, unyielding environment of the Klondike Gold Rush still draws readers young and old. Scientific debates of its time, as well as London’s political convictions, influenced The Call of the Wild heavily, leading to a wealth of possible readings and interpretations. Yet when it comes down to it, the strength and continued appeal of the book lie in its gripping adventure, which transports readers to the beautiful, unforgiving wilderness of the American North. And while many film adaptations focus on the theme of the dog as man’s faithful companion, the original is so much more than that: It is a compelling story of survival and a celebration of untamed nature.

Summary
A Life of Leisure
At the beginning of the 19th century, four-year-old mongrel  Buck , a mix of Scotch shepherd dog and St. Bernard, lives on the sprawling farm of the Judge in Santa Clara Valley, California. He freely roams around the farm, plays with the younger children and grandchildren, and accompanies the older ones on their hunts. He spends his evenings lying in front of the fire at the Judge’s feet. There are several other dogs on the farm, but Buck feels superior to them and mostly ignores them. He may be domesticated, but he isn’t a house dog.
Stolen in the Night
The Judge’s gardener Manuel is desperate for money to pay off his gambling debts. One evening, as the Judge is at a meeting, he puts a rope around Buck’s neck and leads him off the farm in order to sell him. Buck doesn’t suspect anything untoward at first and thinks they are just going for a stroll.
“Buck did not read the newspapers, or he would have known that trouble was brewing.”
When Manuel hands him over to a stranger, he starts growling, but the stranger just pulls the rope and chokes Buck. He continues to fight until he loses consciousness.