The Call of the Wild Book Report 

In the darkness of the North, everything fights to survive, even dogs. The Call of the Wild by Jack London, MacMillan Publishing Company, copyright 1963; is an adventure novel.

This book is mainly set in the frigid Yukon, one of the western-most territories near Alaska. The Yukon can be very dark and has heavy snow during the winter. In the summer and spring, the ice thins, making it very dangerous to travel. However, the story begins in Santa Clara and then progresses northward. It occurs during the Klondike gold rush during the 19th century, most notably in 1898 where the population reached 40,000 people. 

Buck, the main character is a breed between a St. Bernard and a Scotch Shepherd. He considers himself he ruler of a wealthy estate until he is stolen by a gardener to be sold. He is very smart and cunning as well as a quick learner. He is also very fierce and desribed as “two devils.” 

Spitz is a rival dog, a husky, and the leader of the pack. He is a very vicious dog who likes to pick on others. Spitz is already experienced in pulling sleds as compared to Buck who knows nothing, but Spitz always feels threatened by Buck. Because of this, Spitz and Buck are enemies.
John Thornton was traveling to Dawson during the winter when his feet froze over. His partners left him and promised to come back for him and the two dogs left with him. Thornton saves Buck and Buck loves him for that. Thornton is very kind and actually cares for his dogs, while other men do not.

The story starts with Buck at his home, an the estate of a Judge in Santa Clara. But then, Buck is stolen by a gardener and then sold. He is tied up and sent to the Yukon on trains and boats. Along the way, he is “broken” by “the Man in the Red Jacket”  who beats him into submission with a club. Eventually, he is bought by a government agent named Perrault for 300 dollars. Buck is trained to be a sled dog along with his pack. Buck also learns how hard life can be in the North when he witnesses a dog being killed and has to steal to eat. Soon, Buck and his team are the fastest in the Yukon, being able to average 40 miles each day for 14 days. But along the way, Buck constantly fights with Spitz, the leader. Eventually, Buck kills Spitz and assumes his role as leader. However, Buck and his team are sold to mail carriers who ferry mail between camps. Then, they are again sold to inexperienced travelers. They quickly run into trouble but, Buck is saved by John Thornton another traveler waiting for his companions to come back and get him. Buck loves Thornton and becomes his loyal dog. But, on one of their journeys, Thornton and his friends are killed by Indians. Buck is enraged and kills some of the Indians who run away. Then, he becomes a wild dog, part of a pack of wild wolves.

I thought that this book was a good adventure book that depicts what life for a dog might’ve been like in the Klondike goldrush.