Jack London’s novel, Call of the Wild, tells the story of Buck, a tame dog, who is kidnapped from his peaceful home in Santa Clara Valley in California, to the height of the gold rush up in the Klondike. Dramatically, Buck’s life alters as he is forced into the harsh world of the Alaskan wilderness and faces challenging obstacles. In this novel, Jack London demonstrates vicariously through Buck’s hardships that intelligence allows one to adapt.
Jack London hits the beginning off with the death of Curly, a dog who was assaulted when she approached another dog in a friendly manner. Buck is stunned by the ferocity and cruelty displayed by the dogs. He is appalled that a friendly gesture could simply make a dog face death. “So sudden was it, and
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A recurring lesson Buck is taught is the way of club and fang. In this lesson, Buck who is known to be a dominant and powerful dog must learn to be submissive and compliant. Buck learns that a man with a club is likely to demand obedience and able to force Buck to do his bidding. The treatment he receives from this man is unlike any he has seen before. The law of club only refers to the primitive law of nature which reigns in the Klondike. On the other hand, the law of fang demonstrates the power of a dog in the wild. Together, the law of club and fang is a code for adaptations in the Northland, which teaches to obey to a man’s club, never let your guard down, and to win all battles. “He saw, once for all, that he stood no chance against a man with a club.” (Page 10). Buck learned that the man in the red sweater’s club shows that Buck must obey to the him. Buck’s introduction to this new way of life is different from the pampered existence he led in the Santa Clara Valley. Buck demonstrates the strength he has to be submissive under someone else’s jurisdiction. It starts to show him adapting from a dominant one, to one who holds the strength to be