Jack London, the author of The Call of the Wild, was a well known journalist, novelist, and explorationist born in the mid nineteenth Century. He began his writing career in the late 1890’s after his experience out west during the Gold Rush. Though the gold rush did not make London rich, it gave him ample material to write about. The Gold Rush was a short period of time in America’s history; during this time almost three hundred thousand gold thirsty men traveled to California trying to strike it rich. Originally published in 1903, soon after the Gold Rush, The Call of the Wild, is one of his novels that formed from his experiences out west. Spending so much time in the wild, Jack London witnessed the struggle for survival and exalted beings …show more content…
First off, in Darwin’s Origin of the Species, he says, “Hence, as more individuals are produced than can possibly survive, there must in every case be a struggle for existence, either one individual with another of the same species, or with the individuals of distinct species” (Darwin III). In this portion of Darwin’s piece he is expressing his belief of how struggle for existence can originate from conflicts between one individual and a distinct species. For example, in The Call of the Wild, Buck encounters a man, “the man in the red sweater”. Buck falls under the domain of “the man in the red sweater”, an aggressive man, one of the many men that Buck is treated badly by before he is saved by John Thornton. This man clubs Buck when he does not obey, and Buck not being used to this type of treatment takes time to adjust. He eventually learns that if he does not obey this distinct species, a human, he will be punished. London writes about Buck and says, “He was beaten (he knew that); but he was not broken. He saw, once for all, that he stood no chance against a man with a club. He had learned his lesson, and in all his after life he never forgot it. That club was a revelation. It was his introduction to the reign of primitive law” (London 10). Here London is speaking about Buck. He says that Buck has now learned that he has no chance against a man with a club. Additionally he says that he has learned his lesson to obey a man with a club in order to protect himself. This is showing how there is a conflict between man and dog, one and a distinct species; this creates a struggle for existence for Buck yet he overcomes this struggle and grows from his mistakes and
Jon Krakauer, fascinated by a young man in April 1992 who hitchhiked to Alaska and lived alone in the wild for four months before his decomposed body was discovered, writes the story of Christopher McCandless, in his national bestseller: Into the Wild. McCandless was always a unique and intelligent boy who saw the world differently. Into the Wild explores all aspects of McCandless’s life in order to better understand the reason why a smart, social boy, from an upper class family would put himself in extraordinary peril by living off the land in the Alaskan Bush. McCandless represents the true tragic hero that Aristotle defined. Krakauer depicts McCandless as a tragic hero by detailing his unique and perhaps flawed views on society, his final demise in the Alaskan Bush, and his recognition of the truth, to reveal that pure happiness requires sharing it with others.
“Into the Wild” is a thought-provoking yet tragic film that depicts Sean Penn’s adaptation of the nonfiction novel by Jon Krakauer. The film portrays the gruesome fate of Christopher Johnson McCandless, a brave, charming, and troubled 22-year-old college graduate who set out into the natural world on a path of self-discovery and true happiness. In the beginning of the film Chris McCandless is introduced as a dreamer. His literary heroes included transcendentalists Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Jack London. The thinking behind McCandless’ rash decision stems from his anger with his parents for the lies and infidelities he witnessed as a child. Another contribution included his affinity for nature as it symbolized freedom and his desire to escape civilization. Following in the footsteps of his heroes, McCandless donated his $24,000 funding for law school to charity, gave away all of his material possessions, and left his family and friends with vague letters of his whereabouts. For 2 years, Chris adopted an alias as Alexander
The novella The Call of the Wild is a story of Buck overcoming challenges while being thrown into the real world and learning new traits like persistence and resilience. Protagonist Buck is a colossal St Bernards cross Scotch shepherd dog, transforms from a humble house dog and then eventually returns to a primordial state as a best of the wild. Along the way he is faced with an endless array of challenges. London achieves this by portraying Buck’s change in character in a manner that explores and incorporates diverse motifs.
Jack London uses the idea of Darwinism in White Fang and in Call of the Wild. According to Charles Darwin, this is the theory of survival of the fittest. Jack uses this theory throughout both of these books, thus gives the reader a good idea of what is going to happen in the book, and how it is going to pan out. Buck started out as a tame dog and ate whatever the judge had fed him, then later started eating wild food and ate whatever was on the trail. The eating habits of White Fang had really changed from the time he was a pup to his final destination with Weeden Scott in California.
Into the Wild by John Krakauer is a rare book in which its author freely admits his bias within the first few pages. “I won't claim to be an impartial biographer,” states Krakauer in the author’s note, and indeed he is not. Although it is not revealed in the author's note whether Krakauer's bias will be positive or negative, it can be easily inferred. Krakauer's explanation of his obsession with McCandless's story makes it evident that Into the Wild was written to persuade the reader to view him as the author does; as remarkably intelligent, driven, and spirited. This differs greatly from the opinion many people hold that McCandless was a simply a foolhardy kid in way over his head. Some even go as far as saying that his recklessness was due to an apparent death-wish. Krakauer uses a combination of ethos, logos and pathos throughout his rendition of McCandless’s story to dispute these negative outlooks while also giving readers new to this enigmatic adventure a proper introduction.
Jack London has written a classic short story in the 1908 version of "To Build a Fire." This is the classic story of man fighting nature. In most genres (e.g. movies, novels, short stories) the main character comes out on top, however unlikely that is. Jack London takes literary naturalism and shows the reader how unmerciful nature is. Much like Stephen Crane in "The Open Boat," in which the one of the characters dies, London doesn't buy into that "has to have a good ending" contrivance. Through analysis of two London's letters (to R.W. Gilder and Cloudesly Johns) these two versions of "To Build a Fire" come alive with new meaning. Although there are many differences on the surface, both stories use his philosophy as expressed to Johns and both teach a moral lesson, one which will not soon be forgotten: "Never travel alone."
Jack London whose birth name is John Griffin was known for his fiction adventurous novels. Although he was a sailor, gold prospector, rancher and served his country in the Army he still have yet served the time in the wilderness of Alaska. Jack London wrote ‘’The Call of the Wild’’ as if he lived it before. His words jump at you so viciously you had no choice to swallow, savor, and meditate on your life just like Chris McCandless. In the book ways of reading page 429 the dark knight of the soul by Richard E. Miller said that Jon Krakauer wrote about how Jack London actually persuade Chris McCandless that he could possibly escape the bonds of the corporatized world and reach a space of greater calm.
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.
Being civilized and being wild are two different ways to live that have many differences. Being civilized means that the people around you have a home, have food to eat, have a job, and that there is a developed society around you. On the other hand, being wild would mean that you would have to find your own food, find your own home, and fight for yourself. In the story, Call of the Wild, the main character Buck was a civilized dog living in a civilized place and then became a wild dog living in a wild place. The author, Jack London stated that “Buck quickly lost the fastidiousness that characterized his old life.” This showed that Buck quickly lost his ways of being civilized and started to adapt to the wild. To
Jack London is the name you can hear everywhere, his writing appealed to millions of people all around the world. London was an American novelist and short-story writer, who wrote passionately about questions of life and death, surviving. The writer had a lot of adventures, experienced the life at sea, or in Alaska, or in the fields and factories of California, all of these influenced his writing style. Jack London descended from the family of his mother Flora and astrologer and journalist William Chaney. The writer has got his education by himself and with help of a librarian Ina Coolbrith - he has a passion to read books at public libraries. Later in life, Jack finally graduated from high school in Oakland. Jack London's work carrier was so variable, he has been a laborer, factory worker, and oyster pirate on the San Francisco Bay, member of the California Fish Patrol, sailor, railroad hob, and gold prospector. Yes, gold prospecting was the big part of his life, when the young writer with his brother-in-law sailed to join the Klondike Gold Rush where he would set his first successful stories. Jack London was a hard-worker, he tried never miss his early morning 1,000-word writing stint, what helped him to write over fifty books between 1900 and 1916. In addition to it, he corresponded with his readers, and made huge researches for improving his writing style, what is, obviously, genius. The consequences of such a hard work became the fact that Jack London had become the best selling, highest paid and most popular American author of his time. Many authors and social advocates have been inspired by Jack London’s heartfelt prose, and readers travel and experience so much through his books.
Inspiring many, Jack London, was one of the first famous journalists. A rough and tumble man, who was never meant to grow old, his spirited stories of adventure and excitement entranced America, and later, the rest of the world. From California to Korea, these stories were inspired by nothing less than his own adventures. Starting at the age of 14, Jack roamed the earth in the undertaking of a lifetime: an earthly education. But, who truly was Jack London and how did these adventures inspire tales such as, Call of The Wild and White Fang?
The Primordial Beast The German-language writer of novels, Franz Kafka, once stated “Isolation is a way to know ourselves.”. The book The Call Of The Wild is a novel written by Jack London, an american novelist, journalist, and social activist. The novel takes place in California and Alaska where a dog, named Buck, is separated from his culture of being around and loyal to men and is forced to travel north and become a sled dog. In The Call Of The Wild, Buck is introduced to a desolate world of freezing temperatures and isolation that affects him by reviving the primitive character inside him, conveying the theme that harsh conditions force individuals to adapt and develop essential characters. Buck is exposed to a frozen land full of isolation
This novel absolutely shows Darwin’s law since the wolves and dogs have to kill to stay alive. If they come across the wrong dog, they are dead. This novel says that Buck, the main character, feels the instincts of his ancestors coursing through his blood and that his instincts are embodied and put in his dreams as a man sitting next to a fire (London, 1979). Buck is a great example of Darwin’s law as he goes from a lazy housedog to a leader of a wolf pack (London, 1979). Buck shows that the instincts he inherited was not learned because he instantly knew how to deal with the moose.
Jack London brings man versus nature discussion into his story. The environment, however doesn't play against him for say, but does warn him from the very beginning. The audience can conclude that just like “the man” everyone is alone in the world - fighting for ourselves and the things we wish to acquire. The character created by London is isolated from the universe and fooli...
Jack London was an American man of many talents, which included being an author, journalist and a social activist, despite being minimally educated. Nonetheless, he was undoubtedly most recognized for his short stories and novels that fixated on the harsh, cold climates that Mother Nature crafted. London focused on a deeper level of the wild and the literary devices in his work are littered throughout every one of his novels and short stories, including The Call of the Wild, White Fang, as well as “To Build a Fire.”