2019.12

A Journey to Original Instinct--The Call of The Wild by Jack London The Call of The Wild is a short novel written by Jack London, first published in 1903 and has been adapted into several films. Some would refer to the work as “the most read American novel”. Taking up survival and growth as its theme, The Call of The Wild told a story of a domesticated dog, Buck, found its way back to the forest with wolves after changing its master for a few times, some noble, some ruthless, some foolish, and discovering its wilderness in blood during the whole journey. I first read the book in high school. Now reading it again, I find myself relating Buck to young people who are just entering the society and interpreting the difficulties Buck went through to real-life obstacles. In the beginning of the book, Buck lived with a judge and had a perfect life, a decent job (accompanying the whole family), yet things started to turn down unexpectedly when the gardener sold Buck away secretly. Unprepared, Buck stepped on his journey to the wild. As most readers, I shared Buck’s feelings of helplessness and fear when he first faced the challenge and threaten of clubs and fangs, just like students leaving school for the first time, witnessing the cruel yet real rules of survival, that is, to become strong and tough like steel, or only trouble awaits (for Buck, it’s life and death). Buck’s masters weren’t all ruthless, but the man in red affected him deeply. In the following turning points through the whole story, or whenever Buck was forced to make decisions, the man in red came to his mind and reminded him of the cruelest. Just like Buck, we usually find the first experiences most lasting and leave the deepest impressions, especially the dark ones. What came to me as most fascinating is that Buck once had an honoring job (as a sledge dog) and then a generous and loving master with whom he bonded deeply, yet his final choice was to return to the wolves, where he belonged. How do we understand Buck’s end in real-life reflection? If it is to represent people following their original dreams, unrestricted from reality, then it seems why too unreal. It is nearly impossible to just leave things behind and to wander away and live only as a legend like Buck. However, the book’s theme is survival and growth, so we could say it has done a perfect job in being ideal and inspiring its readers through its vivid descriptions and Buck’s close psychological depictions. To sum up, I believe The Call of The Wild is a wonderful book for English learners, both for its attractive plots and its well use of language. People of any age above 14 would find the book suitable for reading. Also, its length as a short novel makes the book easier to take up for English learners, contributing to its renown worldwide.