Buck -“The call of the wild”

The Call of the Wild is a novel by American author Jack London published in 1903. The story takes

place in the Yukon at the time of the 19th-century  Klondike Gold Rush when strong sled dogs were

in high demand. A dog named Buck is the central character, who at the beginning of the story is

domesticated, but when he is snatched from a ranch in California and sold into the brutal life of

an Alaskan sled dog he reverts to more atavistic traits. Buck is forced to adjust and survive the

cruel treatment, fight to dominate other dogs, and survive in a harsh climate. Eventually he sheds

the veneer of civilization, relies on primordial instincts and the lessons he has learned, to become

a leader in the wild.

As the story opens, Buck, a powerful St. Bernard x Scotch Collie lives a comfortable life in

California's Santa Clara Valley as the pet of Judge Miller. Manuel, the gardener's assistant,

steals Buck and sells him to pay a gambling debt. Shipped to Seattle, Buck is

harassed in hiscrate and given nothing to eat or drink. Released from the

crate, he confronts and is beaten by the "man in the red sweater", and is

taught to respect the club. Buck is bought by a pair of French-Canadian

dispatchers from the Canadian government named François and

Perrault, who take him to the Klondike region of Canada and train

him as a sled dog where he quickly learns how to survive the cold

winter nights and the pack society by observing his teammates.  He

and the vicious, quarrelsome lead dog, Spitz, develop a rivalry. Buck

eventually beats Spitz in a fight "to the death". Spitz is killed by the pack

after his defeat and Buck becomes the leader of the team.

Left:

Buck  proves himself as  leader of the

pack when he fights Spitz to the death.