In the book The Call of the Wild by Jack London, the protagonist known as Buck experiences
a hard lesson that was needed to be practiced in order to survive the Klondike Gold Rush of the late
1800’s. He encountered many struggles such as mad dogs and harsh Alaskan winters; however, he is
just a mixed dog living a harsh Husky life.
Buck is a mix of St. Bernard and Scotch Shepherd. He was stolen by a landscaper name
Manuel. He was then enclosed into a miniature sized box where he barely had any room to move
around for two days. Afterward the harsh physical and emotionalstruggles begin with his first owner.
The main characters are comprised of Buck, John Thornton and Spitz, Buck being the protagonist.
Although at times he seemed desperate, Buck always seemed to somehow achieve the upper hand
against his conflicts. One example of a brutal antagonist was his associate Spitz. He was the top “dog”
around the job, but when Buck came into the picture he needed to devise a way to eliminate him from
the crew. This reminds me of a time when I went to honor and all the trumpet players wanted to receive
first chair, but one guy ensured his seat by playing higher and harder notes than the rest of the section.
This reminds of Buck and how he was challenged by Spitz; however, I did not become victor. This
conflict stands out because it secured Buck’s place as the alpha male of the pack. This would aan
extremely huge factor in the resolution of the book.Degollado 2
Although this book was quite limited in pages, the content and the was wording was in great
depth. This feat was quite enjoyable and I would highly recommend it. I especially enjoyed that it was
told using mostly Buck’s feelings and thoughts even though it it was told through an omniscient third
person point of view. The development of the character was quite original as well because of buck went
from a house dog who allowed young ones to ride him to a ferocious animal who wasn’t afraid to kill.
This book was very well written.