The Life of Jack London Writers sometimes use experiences from their life in their writings. Jack London, for example, used many of his life experiences in his books and novels. London’s life leads him to believe in Naturalism, and this is evident as a theme in The Call of the Wild. John Chaney, also known as Jack London was born to Flora Wellman and W. H. Chaney, on January 12, 1876 in San Francisco, California (de Koster13, 15). However, London had no relationship with his biological father (de Koster14). When London was born, his mother, Flora, was too weak to nurse him so she enlisted a woman named Virginia Daphne Prentiss to care for him (de Koster15). Flora remarried a man named John London when Jack was one (Beauchamp 3). Even though …show more content…
In The Call of the Wild, London used his theme of naturalism to reflect his experiences (Buckwalter66). Naturalism is the idea that everything can be explained by observing it in nature (66). In this novel, the Protagonist, Buck, is taken from his home and forced to work as a sled dog in the Klondike Gold Rush (66). In order to stay alive Buck out grows his civilized old ways and learns how to live in the cold climate (67). Infect, London shows Buck becoming More independent through Naturalism (67). For instance, in this novel, Buck starts at the bottom and has to work his way to the top. Buck uses the,” Law of Club and Fang,” to do this (Napierkowski and Stanley47). “The Law of Club,” is whoever is physically the strongest in charge and “The Law of Fang,” is if you are on the ground during a fight you will not survive (46-47). Towards the end of this novel Buck almost becomes completely independent until he meets John Thornton, who resurrects some of Buck’s moral and loving nature (46). Infect when Thornton takes in Buck, he develops a bond that he has never felt before (46). However, when Thornton dies Buck loses all moral nature (46). This leads him to become completely independent and free to answer The Call of the Wild
The novel, The Call of the Wild, follows a four-year-old mixed Saint Bernard and Scottish shepherd, named Buck. In the beginning of the story, Buck lives in the home of Judge Miller, located at Santa Clara Valley, California. In Santa Clara, Buck lives a luxurious life. At the time of the story, gold is discovered in the North. With this discovery, the value of large dogs like Buck escalated dramatically. The dog’s value was due most to their ability to haul heavy sleds through the abundant snow. Unfortunately, Judge Miller’s servant, Manuel steals Buck to sell him to a band of dog-nappers to pay for his accumulating gambling debts. The ring of thieves that bought Buck is gaining a secure banking by trading the dog to northern executives. Buck, who has had an easy life so far, does not adapt well to the terrain as the other canines do. Buck does not easily tolerate the confinement and mistreatment of his new authority. Buck’s gains the misconception, which then is an aide that any man with a club is a dominator and must be obeyed.
The Call of the Wild, by Jack London, is a classic piece of American literature. The novel follows the life of a dog named Buck as his world changes and in turn forces him to become an entirely new dog. Cruel circumstances require Buck to lose his carefree attitude and somewhat peaceful outlook on life. Love then enters his life and causes him to see life through new eyes. In the end, however, he must choose between the master he loves or the wildness he belongs in.
The Call of the Wild, on the surface, is a story about Buck, a four- year old dog that is part Shepherd and part St. Bernard. More importantly, it is a naturalistic tale about the survival of the fittest in nature. Throughout the novel, Buck proves that he is fit and can endure the law of the club, the law of the fang, and the laws of nature.
Do the events and trials a writer goes through effectively make their writing style change? Both Jack London and E. E. Cummings were literary giants for their own times. Both had different life events, grew up in different settings, and had different influences in their lives, but how much of a difference does that make? Londons Call of the wild is regarded as one of the best naturalist writings that not only was a big hit for naturalists, but for every generation afterwards. Cummings The Enormous room, shows the crucial punishment of a soldier who is confined into a room in a concentration camp in La-Ferte mace, normandy. Cummings book is based off of his real life time experience in a concenctration camp in which he endured many difficult conditions. What life, and era events caused these two well known writers to write these stories?
He became the twelfth child of his father, for through his first marriage he had eleven children. Jack London’s family was stricken by poverty. His father had many trades, however worked mainly in truck gardening(McCracken 370). After Jack’s graduation from grammar school, which he attended in Oakland, Jack read many novels, mainly ones about romance, travel, and adventure.
Throughout the novella London uses various figurative language techniques to portray Buck’s gain of knowledge of the wild. From the beginning of the novella Buck’s life is easy and calm, then when he is forced to become a sled dog he is disorientated and is confused to what is happening. He progressively learns more things about the real world and starts to understand it. At the start of the novella London shows that at Judge Miller’s house he is the king and he is the one in charge. This is show when London writes “And over this great demesne Buck ruled.”. Lat...
The main driving element in William Morris’s life has been the nature around him and the houses he lived in. The most prominent influence was the Kelmscott Manor. Therefore, I chose to go with Kelmscott Manor’s layout plan that exhibits the “inspirational garden “ that led to most of his design decisions, a map that depicts the pockets in the manor and how Morris was inspired by it. In addition to this, an original drawing of the Kelmscott Manor’s exterior that depicts how the manor amalgamated within the garden. To reinforce this, I picked a watercolor of the Kelmscott Manor and a photo that captivates the various perspectives of the garden in the manor. Moving on to his designs that interprets his love for nature I picked up the very first of his wallpaper design of the trellis that has a very naturalistic touch to it with the vines which seemed to be an extension of the “inspiration garden” on to the paper. Also chose one of the wallpapers he designed during the middle of his lifetime and one of his last designs as well. The underlying concept behind picking those was to outline the consistency in his design concept throughout his life. William Morris was a poet , whose poetry and compositions were also inspired by nature, and to depict his poetry in form of naturalism concept I picked a stance from one of his compositions that talks about forest, flora and fauna which directly ties to his underlying concept. Also the compositions he wrote always had engraved borders which was ...
Important aspects of naturalism are the ideas that people are essentially animals responding to their basic urges without rational thought, and the insignificance of man to others and nature. In The Jungle, Sinclair portrays Jurgis as a man slowly changing into animal as well as a man whose actions are irrelevant to the rest of the corrupt capitalist world of Chicago in order to show the reader the naturalist ideas of the struggles between man and society.
In The Call of the Wild, Buck has a theoretical relationship with a man like no other relationship. The man, John Thornton, is a real outdoorsy, diligent man that knows how to treat fierceful canines right. John Thornton is Buck’s ideal master, and they never let each other out of their site (117). For example, when Buck hears his ancestors and other keen, primordial, primitive wolves howling for him to join the pack, at first, the dog simply denies it and stays at John Thornton’s camp near the mouth of the White River. Why would Buck not want to join his wolf friends? It is because Buck has the most unrealistic relationship and such love for just a man, meaning he would stay inside of his comfort zone with John Thornton, rather than joining the call of wildness (115). Having the evidence of Buck not joining his wolf friends and staying with a man proves Jack London is a nature faker due to his bogus writings of a
To define one's purpose is at the very least human nature and at the very most the meaning of life. Humans seek the significance of existence and try to define it in many ways. There are thousands of religions and countless seminars to help people discover the point of human existence. The idea that we may all be irrelevant in the grand scheme of life or to the universe is not a popular position. In his short story "The Open Boat" Stephen Crane shows a universe that is unconcerned with the struggles of four men within a small boat lost at sea. Through the characters' experiences Crane shows the human struggle to survive as viewed in a naturalistic perspective as opposed to other prevalent 19th Century concepts.
John Burroughs accused Jack London for being a ‘’Nature Faker’’. Some Critics even said London animal hero’s are men in fur. There is an article about writers like him that was asked can any writer create a believable and compelling nonhuman character without being a nature faker? Why might Jack London have chosen to attempt this difficult technical feat and what is he trying to communicate to readers through his portrayal of Buck? Richard E. Miller called Jon Krakauer’s critique of London vehemence. Krakauer’s fury was for authors whose life and words don’t line up. Since Mc...
Jack London wrote the novel The Call of the Wild; it was also his first success (Feast). The Call of the Wild is an exciting beast fable which dramatizes the unforgiving harshness of existence but shows that suffering can lead to heroic self-awareness (Buckner). London was big on the philosophical idea of Naturalism. As well as having links with literary naturalism, "The Call of the Wild is also a mythical book informed throughout with such traditional myths as the Myth of the Hero." Although Buck is always a dog throughout the story, his predicament is highly relevant to the human condition in a novel beginning with concise patterns of description and moving toward an increasingly lyrical style (Williams). The protagonist of The Call of the Wild is a dog named Buck. He's part German Sheppard and half Saint Bernard, he's labeled the "hero" of the story. The story takes place primarily in the Klondike region of Alaska except for in the first chapter it takes place in the Santa Clara Valley of California. The story is centrally focused around Buck; if it wasn't for him not having any speaking parts the reader would think he was a human because of the personality traits he possesses. In this paper we will discuss traits such as Buck's ability to adapt, Buck's bravery, his mental and physical strength, his loyalty and love and his instinct of the wild.
Jack London was not Jack London at first. His real name was John Griffith Chaney, or just Johnny. The future writer was born on January 12, 1876, at 615 Third Street, San Francisco, California. Jack London was raised in a family of his mother Flora, who was a spiritualist, and his stepfather John London, who loved him a lot. John London felt sorry for Jack, because he was a partially disabled Civil War veteran and Jack had to do all work. It is believed that Jack was the illegitimate son of Williams Chaney, an itinerant astrologer and journalist. London’s parents’ may be described as rather homely American family.
In Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer explores the human fascination with the purpose of life and nature. Krakauer documents the life and death of Chris McCandless, a young man that embarked on an Odyssey in the Alaskan wilderness. Like many people, McCandless believed that he could give his life meaning by pursuing a relationship with nature. He also believed that rejecting human relationships, abandoning his materialistic ways, and purchasing a book about wildlife would strengthen his relationship with nature. However, after spending several months enduring the extreme conditions of the Alaskan wilderness, McCandless’ beliefs begin to work against him. He then accepts that he needs humans, cannot escape materialism, and can never fully understand how nature functions. Most importantly, he realizes that human relationships are more valuable than infinite solitude. McCandless’ gradual change of heart demonstrates that exploring the wilderness is a transformative experience. Krakauer uses the life and death of Chris McCandless to convey that humans need to explore nature in order to discover the meaning of life.
The law of club and fang applies to all creatures. Both man and animal are lured by the attractive forces of their ancestry. It is up to them to decide if they are willing to submit to the call and embrace their primitive nature. The Call of the Wild enlightens readers with a story about a dog who yields to said call and renounces his domesticated ways. Jack London juxtaposes the events in The Call of the Wild with those in his life by creating characters that are indicative of mankind, and incorporating the themes of heredity and the influence of the environment on both man and animal and double meanings of places and characters in the novel.