London`s Stories Essays - Klondike Gold Rush, White Fang

London`s Stories Three of Jack London's most famous stories were The Call of the Wild , White Fang and To Build a Fire. Though they are completely unrelated stories they have many similarities unfolded were also similar. Both animals started their lives out in a very normal fashion but then they were brought into a different environment and forced to change. In To Build a Fire the man is the one being forced to change, without success. The introduction of characters was also similar the way they were led through life not knowing what there purpose was until they met their final character and then figured out what they had to do. Three of Jack London's most famous stories were The Call of the Wild , White Fang and To Build a Fire. Though they are completely unrelated stories they have many similarities that I found unique. Along with many similarities in the plot there were many similarities in the characters, human and animal, which make these three stories the topic of this paper. "Jack London was both an outdoors-man and a writer and that combination was what made his novels so realistic."(Labor 124). Jack London born on January 12, 1876 to W. H. Chaney and Flora Wellman. He finished his second novel and short story, The Call of the Wild, and To Build a Fire in 1904. Two years later he finished another of his most famous novels White Fang. His inspiration for these novels and short story came from the time he spent up in the Klondike that became the basis for these three works. Till the day of his death, from a long battle with throat cancer, these were some of the famous works of the time ever written. The Call of the Wild was Jack London's most famous novel, "This is the novel that separated London from all writers of that era."(Lundquist 35) Written in 1904 it was a story about a dog who was brought into Klondike to pull sleds during the gold rush. The name Call of the Wild comes from the natural instinct that animals have to be free in nature. The main characters in this story are Buck a four- year-old half Saint Bernard and half-Scottish shepherd, John Thorton. Buck was stolen from his home in California during the gold-rush in the Klondike. Dogs were a necessity and considering the size of Buck he had the makings of a great sled-dog. Being thrown into a totally different environment, Buck encounters such problems as, how to stay warm by burrowing into the snow to sleep, how to survive the lack of daily meals, and how to rely on his native and natural instincts. Buck soon becomes one of the most dominant dogs on the sled team. After living like a wild, independent animal for weeks upon weeks he soon learns to fend for himself. He becomes more familiar with killing animals for food and the primordial beast inside him begins to take over. He is no longer a domesticated animal but a wild dog. He soon becomes the leader of his pack of sled-dogs by beating the former leader, Spitz in a fight. Buck becomes such a popular sled-dog in the Klondike that he was admired by all. That is when The Scottish half-breed bought him and used Buck for many endurance and strength contests. This over work almost killed the dog. Buck was saved from this inhumane treatment by a man named John Thorton whom he grew to love. Through complete devotion Buck risked his life for John but did not succeed because John was killed. After this with having no more attachments Buck went to live with a pack of wolves. Buck was no longer a pet but a wild animal. Realism is also a major part of the novel. It is in no way padded with goodness to leave the reader with a warm sensation in his heart. At times, the way in which beatings of the dogs are described makes the reader want to close the book. (Kennedy 345) White Fang was Jack London's next novel once again was inspired by his life in the Klondike and the relationship between man and beast. This novels` main character was White Fang who is three-quarters gray wolf and one-quarter dog this is who story revolves around. Mit-sah and Gray Beaver the Indians who were responsible for training White Fang and Weedon Scott who develops a special relationship with White Fang are also important characters of the