BOOK REVIEW: The call of the wild

Book title: The Call Of the Wild Author: Jack London Reviewed by: Stephen Kalimba The story opens with Buck, a large and strong dog living comfortably in California’s Santa Clara Valley estate of Judge Miller. At the time gold is discovered in the Klondike region of Canada and a great demand arises for strong dogs to pull sleds. So a gardener steals and sells Buck to dog traders and they take him to Seattle. Buck is then sold to mail men François and Perrault who take him with them to the Klondike region of Canada and use him as a post office sled dog. From his teammates, he quickly learns to survive cold winter nights and the dog pack society. A rivalry develops between Buck and lead dog, Spitz. They fight and Buck wins becoming the lead dog. Buck and his colleagues are sold to a mail carrier who over works them. Buck’s next owners are a trio of gold hunters. Hal, Charles and Mercedes who are in new to the weather and are poor planners, the 14 dog team is now at 5 . They get to outdoor man, Thornton at his camp who warns them against crossing the next river as the Ice is melting. Hal refuses and attempts to continue. Buck refuses to move and Thornton cuts him free noticing he is a great dog. Hal and the team continue and consequently drown when the ice gives way in the river. Buck comes to love and becomes best friends with Thornton as he nurses him back to health. Buck saves Thornton when he falls into a river. Thornton then takes him on trips to pan for gold. During one such trip, a Skookum Bench King places a bet that Buck cant carry a thousand-pound load. Buck carries the load and wins Thornton 1600 pounds. The King offers to buy Buck handsomely, but Thornton has grown fond of him and declines. Buck however nurses a growing attraction to the wild. One night, he returns from a short hunt to find that his beloved master and the others in the camp have been killed by a group of Yeehat natives. Buck eventually kills and scatters the natives to avenge Thornton, and he then follows the wolf into the forest and answers the call of the wild. Buck becomes revered as the Ghost Dog among the Yeehats who fear him. He always returns to the site of Thornton murder to mourn him. The story runs along the same line with those of dogs that in one way or another leave their homes and end up being their own masters as Buck becomes. It is fast-paced, alive and full of action.

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BOOK REVIEW: The call of the wild