Compare And Contrast Call Of The Wild And War Brothers

Similar moments in both The Call of the Wild and War Brothers taught the protagonist a valuable lesson about being strong in order to survive. For both Buck and Jacob, it’s kill or be killed. Buck quickly learns this lesson after being thrust into this situation with several new ferocious dogs. At this point, “They were camped near the log store, where she, in her friendly way, made advances to a husky dog the size of a full-grown wolf, though not half so large as she. There was no warning, only a leap in like a flash, a metallic clip of teeth, a leap out equally swift, and Curly’s face was ripped open from eye to jaw” (London 10). This suggests that despite Curly’s obvious attempt to be kind and welcoming, she was brutally murdered for letting

He knows he is not there to make friends and keeps his guard up at all times. This instance with Buck is incredibly similar to another instance with Jacob from War Brothers. Jacob is in complete shock when his friend Adam is so weak from his injuries that he collapses. He watches as members of the L.R.A. tell three of his former classmates to pick up sticks and beat their friend to death. When Jacob’s friend, Tony, refuses, some of the members pick him up and threaten to cut his arm off by saying, “‘Would you prefer a long-sleeved shirt or a short-sleeved shirt? If you would like a long-sleeved shirt, I will take off your hand… but if you would like a short-sleeved shirt, I will take off your arm” (McKay 49). Tony, fearing for both his limb and his life, is forced to kill his friend. Jacob is permanently affected by this. He now truly understands the brutality of this organization. At one point, one of the members blatantly tells them to “kill or be killed”. This goes hand and hand with Buck’s dilemma. Both of these young, naive protagonists witness the excruciating death of someone they used to know while they are in this unfamiliar

In The Call of the Wild, Buck is crossing the first threshold because he’s officially gone from the ordinary world to the special world. This almost marks the transition from friendly to violent for him. As Buck recalls the story later on, the text states, “But she lay there limp and lifeless in the bloody, trampled snow, almost literally torn to pieces, the swart half-breed standing over her and cursing horribly. The scene often came back to Buck to trouble him in his sleep” (London 25). Buck constantly envisioning this one particular moment supports the argument that this is when he crossed his first threshold. He recalls it as the first time he ever saw how truly bloodthirsty you had to be in order to survive in the wild. Jacob is also at a turning point in his story. Adam is the first of many to experience the extreme harshness of the L.R.A. He sets an example for how not to be if you want to survive. The L.R.A. commander even says upon Adam’s death, “Why did this boy have to be killed? He was killed because he was weak” (McKay 52). The boys have reached a point of no return. One of their own is now dead, and they will suffer the same fate if they do not comply with what they are told. This is the first time they’re seeing how powerful this organization is, and for the first time they’re seeing how their actions have consequences. Jacob has officially entered the special