- 上一篇：从《浮士德的悲剧》看文艺复兴对英国文化的影响
- 下一篇：《儿子与情人》俄狄浦斯情结
4.1 Admiration for Animal’s Dignity and Vitality 12
4.2 The Value and Significance of the Wildness 13
4.3 Harmonious Relationship between Buck and Thornton 14
5 Conclusion 16
6 References 18
1 Introduction
This chapter includes two parts. Part one presents an introduction of the writer’s personal experience and the background of the writing of this novel. Part two is literature review which introduces the relevant research about this novel at home and abroad and points out the theoretical basis and the purpose of this study.
1.1 Brief Introduction of Jack London and The Call of the Wild
Jack London, one of the most renowned American writers in the early 20th century, was born in San Francisco in 1876, enjoyed worldwide prestige and popularity for his stories. A range of works were inspired by his personal experience including his lively stories of men and animals against the environment, and survival against difficulties. As an illegitimate child, London spent his childhood in poverty in the Oakland slums. Because of his poor family, he had to leave school to do different kinds of jobs. At the age of 17, he ventured to sea for a perilous seven-month sealing-hunting expedition in the Pacific Ocean. In 1894, he became a part of a social protest by a group of unemployed men who called themselves “Kelly’s Army”. On this trek, he was arrested for vagrancy which formed a turning point of his life through thirty-day imprisonment that made him to dedicate to education and pursued a career in writing. In 1897, at the age of 21, he went to Alaska to join the great rush for gold in Yukon (Sinclair, 1978:122). Except for getting much gold, these adventures also were narrated to the public in his writings. His years in the Klondike searching for gold left their mark in his best short stories, such as The Call of the Wild White Fang(London, 2004) and other novels including the Sea-Wolf, Martin Eden (London, 2004)and so on. His work involved the concept of unconfined inpidualism and Darwinism in its exploration of the law of nature. He retired to his ranch near Sonoma where he died at age 40 of various diseases and drug treatments.
The publication that first brings Jack London worldwide fame is his best-known short novel whose main character is a sled dog named Buck. That work, published in 1903, is entitled The Call of the Wild. Buck was born in Judge Miller’s house in Santa Clara. After he was stolen from that house, he was taken to Alaska and sold to the French Canadians. This propelled him into one hardship after another. Under the burden of rope and the cage, common sense overcame his natural pride. Tortured by fear and pain, what he could do was to ignore his tormentors. As Buck was taken to the north, everything around him was different from the previous home. In fact, he had no choice but to face much danger which was caused by an unfamiliar environment. For instance, his first night in camp, he had to sleep in which was surrounded by snow. The men turned down him into a tent, and the other dog had disappeared without informing him of what he was to do. Driven by his survival instinct, he quickly learned how to become a sledge dog and defend himself against attacks by other creatures. Later, he was controlled by Hal, Charles and Mercedes. Most of the dogs almost died, only Buck was saved. Under Thornton’s meticulous care, Buck recovered and received love from him. But not for long, his master and the others in the camp had been killed by the Yeehat Indians. Then he had to meet the challenge of the wolf pack and finally took leadership of the pack. Each year he revisited the scene where Thornton died, and the master be deeply engraved on the memory of Buck.
1.2 Literature Review