Flashback Friday!
This Flashback Friday goes waaaay back. Published in 1903, The Call of the Wild is a classic novel by Jack London. The story is set in the Yukon territory of Canada, during the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s. The main character of the novel, a St. Bernard-Scotch Collie named Buck, was once a domestic dog, but through the events of the novel reverts back to his primal instincts and becomes 'the Ghost Dog of the Northland Legend.'
This is a summary of the story:
Buck was just a normal every day dog, until the gardener's assistant, from the estate he had been living on, shipped him off to dog traders. Through cruelty, they taught him to obey and soon shipped him off to Klondike to become a sled dog. Working for two mail carriers who worked for the Canadian Government, Francois and Perrault, he began to adjust to the life of a sled dog. He learnt to fight, scavenge and sleep under the snow, eventually becoming the leader of his sled team.
After going through a few other masters, Buck fell into the hands of John Thornton. Buck becomes loyal to Thornton, however, he is conflicted by the urge to go back into the wild. Later on, Thornton is killed by Yeehat Indians, leading to Buck deciding to follow 'the call of the wild,' where he takes revenge against the Yeehats for Thornton. After, he meets a pack of wolves - which he eventually becomes the leader of - and becomes a legendary figure, a Ghost Dog. He lead the pack, fathered countless pups and inspired fear in the Yeehats, but every year he still returned to the place that Thornton died to mourn him.
My review:
I absolutely loved this book, when I read it a few years ago. Jack London was a brilliant author, the first I've ever read that made the main character an animal. It's a huge adventure that you go through with Buck, seeing how he changes and the things he learns. You stay on the edge of you're seat as he fights for survival in many different situations, until he finally seems to find a balance between his loyalty to John Thornton and his wilder instincts.
This is a summary of the story:
Buck was just a normal every day dog, until the gardener's assistant, from the estate he had been living on, shipped him off to dog traders. Through cruelty, they taught him to obey and soon shipped him off to Klondike to become a sled dog. Working for two mail carriers who worked for the Canadian Government, Francois and Perrault, he began to adjust to the life of a sled dog. He learnt to fight, scavenge and sleep under the snow, eventually becoming the leader of his sled team.
After going through a few other masters, Buck fell into the hands of John Thornton. Buck becomes loyal to Thornton, however, he is conflicted by the urge to go back into the wild. Later on, Thornton is killed by Yeehat Indians, leading to Buck deciding to follow 'the call of the wild,' where he takes revenge against the Yeehats for Thornton. After, he meets a pack of wolves - which he eventually becomes the leader of - and becomes a legendary figure, a Ghost Dog. He lead the pack, fathered countless pups and inspired fear in the Yeehats, but every year he still returned to the place that Thornton died to mourn him.
My review:
I absolutely loved this book, when I read it a few years ago. Jack London was a brilliant author, the first I've ever read that made the main character an animal. It's a huge adventure that you go through with Buck, seeing how he changes and the things he learns. You stay on the edge of you're seat as he fights for survival in many different situations, until he finally seems to find a balance between his loyalty to John Thornton and his wilder instincts.
Then you watch as it's all ripped away.
It's a very well told story with ups and downs from the get-go. By the end of the novel you're cheering for Buck to finally get the happy ending he deserves, but this is a story that definitely gives off the idea that there is no going back. Buck can't go back to being a normal domestic dog, he has no choice but to follow his instincts and enter the wild, becoming a powerful leader of a pack of wolves... And yet, even at the end, you still catch a glimpse of his loyalty and his domestication when he goes to mourn Thornton.
If you haven't read this book already, I definitely think it's a must read!
~The Elf
It's a very well told story with ups and downs from the get-go. By the end of the novel you're cheering for Buck to finally get the happy ending he deserves, but this is a story that definitely gives off the idea that there is no going back. Buck can't go back to being a normal domestic dog, he has no choice but to follow his instincts and enter the wild, becoming a powerful leader of a pack of wolves... And yet, even at the end, you still catch a glimpse of his loyalty and his domestication when he goes to mourn Thornton.
If you haven't read this book already, I definitely think it's a must read!
~The Elf
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