Call Of The Wild Character Analysis Essay

London’s novella Call of the Wild tells the story of Buck’s transformation from a domesticated pet on a vast Santa Clara Valley estate to the primal killer he becomes in the bitter regions of the Klondike wilderness. London delivers Buck’s journey in a plot consisting of only three simple, but major, events and uses settings and narration to tell the story in a way that allows a reader to easily become invested in Buck’s character from the viewpoint of a loyal and lovable pet, as well as, that of a creature returning to his primal roots and ancestry.
Each setting element is relevant to Buck’s life journey, influencing his personality and character evolution depending on the environment he is introduced to. At the book’s beginning, on the estate in Santa Clara Valley, London describes Buck as “--king over all creeping, crawling, flying things of Judge Miller’s place, humans included,” living a comfortable life, being prideful and confident in himself and trusting in the men he knows. Although the introduction to Buck’s life is only a brief excerpt from his story, London establishes the background and manner of living for Buck so descriptively it is easy to …show more content…
London uses the motif to shatter Buck’s existence of civil domestication from the moment the rope is placed around his neck and is handed to the stranger. Choked into unconsciousness, it the first taste of the shock and suffering Buck experiences through his own beatings or witnessed acts of violence, with the death of Curly being the first act of savage violence displayed by not human strangers, but other dogs. “So that was the way. No fair play. Once down, that was the end of you,” is the realization Buck comes to when he watches Curly torn to pieces. London sets what can only be imagined as an intimidating and frightening scene for the dogs when describing the death of Curly, or even more so, Buck’s fight to the death with