The Call of the Wild

This chapter introduces London's second, or parallel, theme of the novel. As a matter of historical and scientific information, the late nineteenth century had seen the emergence of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, a theory which had become, by the time of London's novel, one of the most controversial scientific theories ever advocated. In a nutshell, the essence of Darwin's theory concerns the evolution of mankind — that is, was Man born as he is today? Or is he the end result of a series of evolutions from a more primitive species of life? In other words, in a more popular conception, is Man descended from apelike creatures? This theory, then, is further emphasized by London's use of the "survival of the fittest" (which also carries the opposite connotation of the elimination of the weakest). This chapter introduces Buck into the concepts of the survival of the fittest, and we will see how Buck is able to confront new and different situations, and how he is able to maintain his mastery of life — even in the most adverse conditions. In fact, at the very beginning of the chapter, London emphasizes this contrast: during Buck's first day, London tells us, "every hour was filled with shock and surprise. Buck had been suddenly jerked from the heart of civilization and flung into the heart of things primordial. No lazy, sun-kissed life was this, with nothing to do but loaf and be bored." In fact, Buck learned the law of the club rapidly in the previous chapter; now he will learn the "law of the fang." London is emphasizing that the respected laws of civilization have to be discarded if a man or a beast is to survive in this primitive situation. Buck learns immediately that he must be "constantly alert, for these dogs and men were not town dogs and men; they were savages." In this new society, Buck intuitively recognizes that only the strongest will survive. This is illustrated by the death of the good-natured dog called Curly, who, once he is wounded and down, is surrounded by thirty or forty other dogs, anxiously waiting to close in upon Curly, waiting for the primitive kill. What Buck witnesses is so unexpected and horrible that he is stunned by the entire episode, and, in fact, as he sees Curly's limp and lifeless body lying in the bloodied snow, he realizes that there is "no fair play" in this world, and that "once down, that was the end of you." In Buck's later life, he will often remember this gory, unjust scene; it will "trouble his sleep" many times. (We can thus anticipate that Buck's memory of this scene will cause him to hold his ground in later dog fights and to be savagely alert and bold.)