The Call of the Wild

The primary conflict in The Call of the Wild centers on Buck being thrown into the wilds of the Arctic. The challenges he faces, and the lessons he learns, showcase the characteristics necessary to survive and thrive in the wild. Buck hardly has time to bask in the sun in the idyllic Santa Clara Valley before he’s sold by Manuel’s gambling-addicted farmhand in Chapter 1. From that point on, every moment presents a new struggle for Buck. He’s caged, beaten, attacked, and forced to pull a sled, all while being in the cold and unforgiving North. In Chapter 2, Buck can’t even sleep because of the cold, and he finds respite only after Billee shows him how to make shelter. Often, London uses the setting—the wilderness—to give the narrative more drama, associating the natural world with intense hardship. Because of the hostile environment they find themselves in, other characters Buck meets are cruel and unforgiving. Spitz only cares for himself, and countless wild huskies attack Buck’s camp with no remorse. Given the natural world Buck has come to know, he accepts this behavior as necessary to survive:

He had lessoned from Spitz, and from the chief fighting dogs of the police and mail, and knew there was no middle course. He must master or be mastered; while to show mercy was a weakness. Mercy did not exist in the primordial life. It was misunderstood for fear, and such misunderstandings made for death. Kill or be killed, eat or be eaten, was the law; and this mandate, down out of the depths of Time, he obeyed (33).

To survive, Buck allows himself to change. He fights Spitz to the death, disciplines other dogs when he becomes leader, and mercilessly kills members of the Yeehat tribe. Throughout the entire story, the natural world challenges Buck, and he proves himself capable of rising to the challenge. His willingness to be violent and merciless to survive highlights nature’s indifference to the morals and rules constructed in civilization. To survive in the wild, Buck abandons the way he conducted himself on Judge Miller’s estate.

Although Buck becomes lethal and assertive to survive, London develops the nuance of his theme to demonstrate that embracing life in the wild isn’t only about violence. Buck develops many friendly relationships with dogs and humans while still becoming more attuned to the natural world. After defeating Spitz, Buck doesn’t mimic his behavior. He’s tough on his team, but he doesn’t lash out at them, and he never kills, like Spitz did Curly. Even when Dolly succumbs to madness, Buck flees from her rather than attack, showing he respects her and doesn’t believe in mindless killing. In the final chapters, Buck helps John several times, helping John win money and saving his life from a rushing river. Helping John puts strain on Buck, and Buck is capable of surviving without John, but even the wilder version of Buck has empathy and love for other living things. After John’s death, Buck loses any sense of obligation to the civilized world and embraces the wild completely. Still, he isn’t alone, finding a pack of wolves to be part of. By practicing restraint and comradery during The Call of the Wild, Buck shows that living in the natural world is a balancing act. Sometimes, survival is about killing or being killed. Other times, survival means supporting the other living things around you.