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Symbolism In Call Of The Wild, By Jack London

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Jack London uses symbolism to describe the main character in Call of the Wild, Buck, in ways that other elements could not. For instance, in chapter one the author uses symbolism by saying “Buck lived at a big house in the sun kissed Santa Clara Valley.”(pg.4) The author uses words like “kissed” and “sun” in a pattern that would show that Buck had it all. His life was good and using “sun kissed" would very well remind the reader of a beautiful home in the spring without worries. Later on, in page ten the situation has changed but not the use of symbolism. Buck was kidnapped by one of his master’s workers in exchange for money in the beginning of the story. No longer is he in the loving garden of his home but in the dominion of man, full of hatred, love, greed, and destiny. Buck is being mistreated and in the process is thrown into an ill-suited cage. The author describes his feelings as “There he lay for the remainder of the night, nursing his wrath and wounded pride.” (pg.10) and “at the tail of the shrieking locomotive.”(pg.11) London is trying to show the reader that Buck is still trying to live in the nursery of his master’s house. He later emphasizes that if Buck does not change then his immature way of living will have him killed. “The Law of Club and Fang” (Pg.25) His ways of conveying this include using the errors of other dogs and the actions, good and bad, of humans. …show more content…

The author uses words that greatly describe the tone and mood to a point that it becomes life like and a natural part of this piece. As the author speaks his voice and meaning allow the reader to immerse himself in Buck’s life. Jack London uses moving word choice along with symbolism and voice to power the reader into thought that will manifest this book into more than just a story, but a part of the reader’s

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Jack London had been an American novelist and is known for works such as The Call of the Wild, which McCandless greatly admired. Chris McCandless had greatly admired Jack London, going as far as carving “Jack London is King” at what came to be the site of his death. The Jack London quote used in the epigraph describes a scene in the forest but uses bitter imagery- yet somehow still romanticises it. “Alex” was unable to ever see past the facade London had built- given that London had hardly ever spent time in the wild himself and most definitely nowhere near as intense as Alaska. This chapter had described how he had been found and this quote leads back to that because though Chris was intelligent, he did not understand that London had to make nature sound beautiful.

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Have you ever heard the calls? Buck sure has. In the novel The Call of The Wild by Jack London, Buck is a large st. Bernard that lives in the beautiful Santa Clara Valley with Judge Miller. As the story goes on Buck gets dognapped and sent to the man in the red sweater. The man in the red sweater is also known as the crack dog doctor.

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Buck’s great genes and extensive training have allowed him to become more agile than any foe he is pitted against. So when Jack London is talking about Buck fighting a pack of wolves he say “he was everywhere at once” meaning that buck is so quick to strike that there is nowhere that the wolves aren’t vulnerable. The inclusion of this hyperbole gives us a sense of how Buck has evolved from a simple house dog to a wild killer of great strength.

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One chapter in Thomas C. Foster’s book How to Read Literature Like a Professor that were not only extremely challenging, but was also enlightening and surprisingly engaging was Chapter 12: “Is That a Symbol?” In this chapter, Foster states that “So some symbols do have a relatively limited range of meanings, but in general a symbol can’t be reduced to standing for only one thing” (Foster, 105). This conveys that, generally, symbols have different symbolic meanings even though some symbols may have a very limited range of meanings. Essentially, this means that symbols in literature often have different symbolic meanings. The idea mentioned above is upheld by Cormac McCarthy’s book All the Pretty Horses, as the horses in the book are symbolic

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For once Buck learns to adjust, “his development was rapid. ” Experience is his teacher, like, Sister Carrie’s or Stephen Crane’s Maggie. But his morality was not questioned by the reader because Buck is a dog. London chooses to ignore the moral implications of Buck’s thievery. For Buck’s “new” way of life was new to him only momentarily, London closes out Buck’s discourse on the law of club and fang.

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In The Call of the Wild the author, Jack London, describes Buck as “king over all… things”. The narrator refers to him in this way to show the dominance and superiority Buck has in the area he lives in. In multiple lines, he is reported to have done many things from hunting to guarding children. It is also said that he lived a life full of power as evident from this line: “…he had lived the life of a stated aristocrat…”. Although Buck is not really a king, he still has the traits of being a king, thus the reason he is referred to as one.

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Birds are gifted with the extraordinary ability to fly. Their wings propel them above the ground and over people below. They are able to view the world from an angle that no one else gets to see. This is what makes birds and wings such powerful symbols in literature. These symbols characterize characters, move the plot and develop one more of the book’s ideas.

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