Themes and Quotes

Olivia M., Kate C., Christian S.

The Call of the Wild

By Jack London

Main Theme:Instinct is a

valuable tool for both humans and

animals.

A. Buck vs. Spitz• “He fought by instinct, but could fight by

head as well.”• “To Buck it was nothing new or strange,

this scene of old time. It was as though it had always been, the wonted way of

things.”• “He seemed to remember it all,- the white

woods, and earth, and moonlight, and the thrill of battle.”

B. Buck refuses to go across the frozen lake

• “He had a vague feeling of impending doom.”

• “This had been strong upon him when he pulled in to the bank, and it had not

departed from him.”• “Suddenly, they saw its back end drop down, as into a rut, and the gee pole, with

Hal clinging to it, jerk into the air.”

C. Buck joins a wolf pack and survives with them

• “Buck’s marvelous quickness and agility stood him in great steed.”

• “This over, he came out of his angle and the pack crowded around him, sniffing in

half-friendly, half-savage manner.”• “And Buck ran with them, side by side with the wild brother, yelping as he ran.”

Secondary Theme:Power is

constantly fought for in life.

A. Buck vs. The Men Who Kidnapped Him

• “He had merely intimated his displeasure, in his pride believing that

to intimate was to command.”• “In a quick rage he sprang at the man,

who met him halfway, grappled him close by the throat, and with a a deft

twist threw him over his back.”• “Buck attempted to face his

tormentors. But he was thrown down and choked repeatedly, till they

succeeded in filing the heavy brass collar from off his neck.”

B. Buck vs. The Man in the Red Sweater

• “That was the man, Buck divined, the next tormentor, and he hurled himself savagely

against the bars.”• “Buck rushed at the splintering wood,

sinking his teeth into it, surging and wrestling with it.”

• “Straight at the man he launched his one hundred and forty pounds of fury,

surcharged with the pent passion of two days and nights. In mid-air, just as his jaws

were about to close on the man, he received a shock that checked his body and

brought his teeth together with an agonizing clip.”

C. Spitz vs. Joe• “But no matter how Spitz circled, Joe whirled around on his heels to face him,

mane bristling, ears laid back, lips writhing and snarling, jaws clipping

together as fast as he could snap, and eyes diabolically gleaming- the incarnation of belligerent fear.’

• “So terrible was his appearance that Spitz was forced to forego disciplining him; but to cover his own discomfiture he turned upon the inoffensive and wailing Billee and drove him to the confines of the

camp.”

Another Theme:

Friendship is key to a happy life.

A. Buck and the Miller Family

• “He plunged into the swimming tank or went hunting with the Judge’s sons; he escorted Molly and Alice, the Judge’s daughters, on long twilight or early

morning rambles.”• “On wintry days he lay at the Judge’s feet

before the roaring library fire; he carried the Judge’s grandsons on his back, or rolled them in the grass, and guarded

their footsteps down to the fountain in the stable yard, and even beyond, where the paddocks were, and the berry patches.”

B. Buck and Jon Thorton • “Love, genuine passionate love, was his for

the first time. This he had never experienced at Judge Miller’s down in the

sun-kissed Santa Clara Valley.”• “But love that was feverish and burning,

that was adoration, that was madness, it had taken John Thorton to arouse.”

• “This man had saved his life, which was something; but, further, he was the ideal

master.”• “He had a way of taking Buck’s head

roughly between his hands, and resting his own head upon Buck’s, of shaking him back and forth, the while calling him ill names that to Buck were love names.”

Bibliography1. London, Jack. The Call of the Wild. New York: Macmillan, 1963.

Print2. "TA Lucas » Big Brothers." TA Lucas. Web. 18 Sept. 2011. <http://ta-

lucas.com/?tag=big-brothers>.3. "Information - Chicken Smoothie." Adopt Free Virtual Pets! - Chicken

Smoothie. Web. 18 Sept. 2011. <http://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=7>.

4. "Call of the Wild | Greening Families." Greening Families - Where Going Green Is a Family Affair. Web. 18 Sept. 2011. <http://www.greeningfamilies.com/families/call-of-the-wild/>.

5. "The Wolf Den: Wolf Pictures, Facts, & Resources." Fohn.net. Web. 18 Sept. 2011. <http://fohn.net/wolf-pictures-facts/>