Jack London's The Call of the Wild concerns the adventures of a dog named Buck. The story takes place during the time of the Alaskan gold rush in the late 1890s. At the beginning of the novel, Buck lives a free and easy life on Judge Miller's ranch in Santa Clara, California. This peaceful existence is interrupted when one of Judge Miller's workers steals Buck in order to pay off a gambling debt (London The Call of the Wild 23). Buck is sold to dog-kidnappers who transport him to Alaska to work on a sled team. On the dog-sled team, Buck quickly learns the laws of survival of the frozen North. He soon becomes the leader of the team, by overcoming the dog Spitz in a savage fight to the death. However, Buck's adventures take a turn for the worse when the team is purchased by three incompetent gold seekers: Charles, his wife Mercedes, and his brother-in-law Hal. The dogs are nearly driven and beaten to death when a kind man named John Thornton steps forward to rescue Buck. With his new master, Buck learns to experience love for a human being for the first time in his life. Buck helps Thornton win a large bet by pulling a thousand-pound load, and then goes with his master and two other men "into the East after a fabled lost mine" (London 86). After Thornton is killed by Yeehat Indians, Buck joints a pack of wolves and is gradually "transformed into the immortal Ghost Dog of Northland legend" (Labor 278).
Many writers have commented on the theme of this unique story. For example, Watson notes that The Call of the Wild is typical of "the sentimental animal story" which was popular among children during London's time (36). Other writers have indicated that the book reflects London's own experiences during his trip to Alaska during the gold rush of 1897. Most critics agree that the theme of London's book is related to the theory of evolution which was developed by Charles Darwin in the mid-nineteenth century. In particula...