The Call of the Wild

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1903

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-2

Chapters 3-4

Chapters 5-6

Chapter 7

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

The Call

Buck hears the call of the wild repeatedly throughout the novel. In the early chapters, he first hears the call from the wild dogs of the North. Buck is still a Southland dog, but he’s lured in by the howling and joins in: “Every night, regularly at night, at twelve, at three, they lifted a nocturnal song, a weird and eerie chant, in which it was Buck’s delight to join” (16). Buck doesn’t fully grasp what the call is, but he finds himself wanting to embrace it. His answering of the call parallels his journey of personal growth, becoming a sonic representation of his story arc; the more Buck moves toward the call, the more he abandons his Southland identity and embraces a Northern one. London continues to employ the call throughout the entire story and enhances it with physical manifestations. The longer Buck stays in the North, the more he dreams of an ancient time, when men were primal versions of themselves and the world was young. Buck hears the call in these dreams, and it pulls him into that lost time: “And closely akin to the visions of the hairy man was the call still sounding in the depths of the forest. It filled him with a great unrest and strange desires” (40). As Buck embraces his wild side, London gives the call more forms, showing the wilderness is instilling itself more and more deeply in Buck’s consciousness. Throughout the narrative, the call serves as a manifestation of Buck’s personal journey to embrace nature. Like Buck, it evolves over the course of the story.

The call also heightens the stakes of Buck’s relationship with John. John and Buck never quarrel during their time together. Their relationship is built on respect and love, and they enjoy a healthy partnership because of it. To maintain narrative tension, London employs the call. During the chapters with John, Buck hears the call more than ever, and he must choose between fully embracing it or staying with John:

Deep in the forest a call was sounding, and as often as he heard this call, mysteriously thrilling and luring, he felt compelled to turn his back upon the fire and the beaten earth around it, and to plunge into the forest, and on and on, he knew not where or why; nor did he wonder where or why, the call sounding imperiously, deep in the forest. But as often as he gained the soft unbroken earth and the green shade, the love for John Thornton drew him back to the fire again (33).

The call tests Buck and John’s relationship. Buck’s choice to stay with John, despite how strongly the call pesters him now, develops their bond and gives it more emotional weight. London utilizes the call to increase the stakes—whether internal or interpersonal—in The Call of the Wild.

The Law of Club and Fang

The Law of Club and Fang is a rule to surviving in the Arctic that Buck repeats to himself routinely. When Buck is thrown into his new life, he discovers he can’t eat as slowly as he used to, and that stealing is a normalized necessity. There are different rules in the North:

It was all well enough in the Southland, under the law of love and fellowship, to respect private property and personal feelings; but in the Northland, under the law of club and fang, who so took such things into account was a fool, and in so far as he observed them he would fail to prosper (10).

If Buck were to continue carrying himself in the same way as he did before, he’d be foolish, and he wouldn’t have enough food to sustain himself. The Law of Club and Fang becomes a tangible reminder that Buck will have to change if he wants to live in this new environment.

Club and Fang also represents the means by which men and animals establish and maintain dominance in the wilderness. In Chapter 1, Buck is thrown in a cage, and he lashes out at anyone who comes near him. When Buck meets the man in the red sweater, he’s beaten until he submits, learning that’s how men stay in charge. The other men Buck meets throughout the story also use disciplinary weapons to varying extents. Perrault and François try to use a club on Buck when he wants to take over as leader. Hal and Charles beat the sled team regularly, and Hal bludgeons Buck to try to get him up after he collapses from exhaustion. Similarly, the dogs use their fangs to maintain dominance. Spitz uses his teeth to remain the leader of Perrault and François’s team, killing Curly and habitually snapping at Buck. Buck realizes he’ll need to use his own fangs to become leader, fighting Spitz to the death in a clash of snarling teeth. Across the story and its various conflicts, London uses the Law of Club and Fang to enhance his commentary about survival and ruling in nature.

The Toil of Trace and Trail

The Toil of Trace and Trail is another rule Buck learns as he lives the life of a sled dog. It represents the burden and purpose that come from embracing the hard work of pulling a sled in the formidable Arctic landscape. In the early chapters, when Buck is a novice, he sees veterans like Dave and Sol-leks become more energetic and focused when it comes time to pull the sled. They aren’t interested in fighting for dominance, like Spitz, or the numerous men who serve as their masters, but find purpose in hard work and accomplishing the task at hand. When Dave becomes too weak to pull the sled, he’s tormented. Sol-leks, too, is forlorn when he’s too fatigued to do his job well: “Sol-leks, the one-eyed, still faithful to the toil of trace and trail, and mournful in that he had so little strength with which to pull” (29). Buck respects Dave and Sol-leks. He learns from them and mirrors their dedication to sledding. Along with his admirable leadership skills, Buck’s adherence to the Toil of Trace and Trail makes him a superior sled dog. By embracing the toil, he becomes a stronger version of himself, and his team prospers beside him. The Toil of Trace and Trail becomes a motif that reminds Buck and the reader that life in the Arctic is difficult, but there are rules to surviving and enjoying life there.

Failure to adhere to the Toil of Trace and Trail brings consequences. London uses his supporting characters to demonstrate this. Hal, Charles, and Mercedes demonstrate they’re incapable of embracing the tough lifestyle of the North, and they don’t grow personally as a result: “The wonderful patience of the trail which comes to men who toil hard and suffer sore, and remain sweet of speech and kindly, did not come to these two men and the woman” (28). If Hal, Charles, and Mercedes stopped complaining and stepped up to the challenge, their reward would be a cohesive life with their surroundings. Their failure, and their deaths, create a cautionary example of fighting against the laws of the Arctic. Conversely, John Thornton practices patience and never complains about work. By accepting the Toil of Trace and Trail, John becomes content and happy. Using both animal and human characters, London allows the Toil of Trace and Trail to challenge all his characters. Those who embrace the hard work prosper, and those who don’t suffer.

The Man in the Red Sweater

The man in the red sweater is a disciplinary who appears early in The Call of the Wild. Buck has no intention of obeying anyone when he’s taken away in the cargo train—until he meets this man. Buck watches as every dog the man meets comes to obey him: “As the days went by, other dogs came, in crates and at the ends of ropes, some docilely, and some raging and roaring as he had come; and, one and all, he watched them pass under the dominion of the man in the red sweater” (5). The man in the red sweater becomes a symbol of aggressive dominance. He’s the first person to beat Buck with a club. Through him, Buck begins to see that he will have to obey masters better equipped than himself; Buck will need to choose his battles. Buck ceases his attacks and obeys the man in the red sweater, but he doesn’t let the experience break his inner spirit, demonstrating his resilience. Later, in Chapter 5, Buck remembers his time with the man in the red sweater. That experience serves as a reminder of his strong character when he faces more hardship: “It was heartbreaking, only Buck’s heart was unbreakable. The man in the red sweater had proved that” (29). The man in the red sweater thereby becomes a complex symbol. He represents an early defeat for Buck but also an important learning lesson. With the man in the red sweater, Buck begins to understand he’ll have to fall in line, but not to the point that he loses his inner fire. Additionally, the experience with the man reminds Buck that he’s unbreakable. His ability to persevere under the man’s dominion gives him the strength to grapple with the other hardships the narrative throws at him.