Admittedly I knew very little about Jack London before reading his classic children’s book, The Call of the Wild (1903).
This short book begins in sun-kissed Santa Clara Valley in California. However, it’s best not to get too comfortable in this sleepy setting as events quickly transport the reader to the cold, stark wilds of Alaska.
The Call of the Wild follows the tale of Buck the dog, who is stolen from his cushy Californian home and forced to work as a sled dog during the Klondike gold rush.
If you are expecting a cute, fluffy dog story for children you will be in for a shock.
While Buck develops a strong and loving bond with one of his ‘masters’, there are savage and, at times, brutal details of the dog’s lives in the wild.
In graphic detail, we see Buck fight another dog to the death and the workmen also beat the dogs to tame them.
Alaska is envisioned as an unforgiving, hostile environment where the weak or incompetent easily perish. However, for all its harshness the landscape is also beautiful.
The wild setting possesses a powerful calling for Buck and we see him regress with alarming speed into a wolf-like dog with a formidable reputation.
Not only does he revert to the primitive ways of his ancestors, he also thrives on the rule of the wild with his new-found fighting spirit.
From Yukon to Dawson, the sled dogs travel miles over frozen rivers and steep mountainsides each day to transport the ever-growing supply of mail.
London had first-hand experience of the Klondike gold rush in the late 1890s, however, after failing to make his fortune, he settled for a writer’s life.
Action seems to spill off the pages. There is almost a sense of urgency in London’s writing, possibly spurred on by his chaotic lifestyle. He frequently had to write to earn enough money to live.
London’s follow-on novel, White Fang, was published three years after The Call of the Wild and the two books are often discussed or critiqued together.
The latest film adaptation of The Call of the Wild (2020) starring Harrison Ford was one of the last films to reach UK cinemas before the lockdown. Allured by the beautiful landscape of Alaska in the trailer, I was intrigued but unfortunately didn’t make the trip to see it.
At just over 100 pages, this is a short classic that many will finish in one sitting.
While I’m not sure I will revisit this classic, The Call of the Wild has endured as a classic piece of American literature and I am intrigued to read more by Jack London and learn more about his life as a writer.
The edition pictured above was published by Parragon in 1994.
Emma's Travels With Books 