Natural Selection In Mark Twain's Into The Wild

In 1856, a naturalist by the name of Charles Darwin developed a theory he called Natural Selection, or “Survival of the Fittest.” With this theory, Darwin defied all theologically and scientifically accepted beliefs, claiming that “species evolve from a more primitive species through the process of evolution or adaptation.” Natural selection can be defined simply as nature’s way of deciding which individual living creatures will adapt and prosper in not only the harsh wilderness, but in civilized societies as well. This theory remains as one of the most debatable and arguable topics of all time, one that opened the eyes and thoughts of the developed society to the natural world. However scientifically educated you may be, there is no debate

At the book’s conclusion, Buck’s character has dramatically metamorphosed from the civilized aristocrat he represented in the beginning. He has adapted to the harsh, barbaric Yukon environment, evolving into a dominant primordial beast. London shows this development in vivid statements throughout the book. He describes the changes to Buck in the passage that states, “His muscles became hard as iron, and he grew callous to all ordinary pain. He achieved an internal as well as external economy. He could eat anything, no matter how loathsome or indigestible; and, once eaten, the juices of his stomach extracted the last least particle of nutriment; and his blood carried it to the farthest reaches of his body, building it into the toughest and stoutest of tissues. Sight and scent became remarkably keen, while his hearing developed such acuteness that in his sleep he heard the faintest sound and knew whether it heralded peace or peril.” These striking images stunningly portray Buck as a completely different dog, one that was not only physically evolved but mentally as well. As part of Buck’s adaptation to the harsh environment of the Yukon, he shed the layers of domestication to reveal natural instincts that had been suppressed by a life of ease. He revived the ancestral ways of life that had long been abandoned; the uncivilized ways that had buried in the depths of Buck’s heart. The application of these ways was necessary for Buck’s survival in the northern world, but this application additionally helped to create a dramatically transformed Buck. This recollection of instincts long dead is a prime representation of Darwin's principle, for to survive, Buck would need these instincts. As you can see, it is self-evident that Buck has experienced a dramatic character transformation throughout the novel, further underlining London’s