The Wild Themes

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In the novel, The Call of the Wild we see a swathe of themes that permeate through it's writing and atmosphere. There is the mantra of survival of the fittest, the acquisition of skill, and the difference between the wilderness and civilization. However, the strongest point we see that shines and peaks through all the others is the regression to our instincts. This refers to how due to our surroundings how we will inevitably turn back into uncivilized animals. This is apparent in the main character, Buck. One of the factors that contributes to this theme is how Buck is taken from his lush and luxurious life and savagely shown the new order of things in his life. He choked or beaten for any transgressions, he would be denied food, he would …show more content…

To eat, he had to work. He had to run all day and all night if he were to survive and not be savagely beaten. It was up to him bringing his body to the brink of exhaustion that allowed him to continue forward. His mind was shattered on a an alter where his own ancestral memory laid. There was no room for thoughts about nap time, or when he'd get a walk with his owner. His thoughts laid bare with plans of how he would secure his food form the other dogs, how he would fight to keep his spot to sleep, and how he would temper his mind to withstand the unforgiving cold and the viciously long trips through the snow and dirt day in and day out. The commonality of these circumstances that leads his mind to regress is the harsh realities he is forced to face. When all we are subject to worry about is where we will eat, sleep, and how to avoid being mauled or killed then our minds will only consider this. There would be no time to think about friendship, courtship, or recreation. Our mind would be subject to the will of our bodies. The most integral theme to consider in The Call of the Wild is the affect the wilderness has on our deep laden primal urges and instincts. It causes to triumph in survival, to become tested by our environment, and ultimately show us what we all will always be:

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