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- Herausgeber: Swish
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024
- Illustrated Edition with 20 Stunning Illustrations
- Includes a Comprehensive Summary
- Contains a Detailed Characters List
- Features an Engaging Author Biography of Jack London
Through gripping, action-packed scenes, London masterfully explores themes of survival, primal instincts, and the powerful call of the wild. Buck's transformation from a house dog to the leader of a wolf pack is both heart-wrenching and inspiring, as he navigates brutal challenges, rivalries, and the bonds of loyalty.
This special illustrated edition brings the story to life with 20 beautiful illustrations, adding depth and visual richness to the vivid world Jack London created. With an included summary, character list, and biography of the author, this edition provides everything a reader needs to fully immerse themselves in this epic tale of adventure, survival, and the enduring connection between man, animal, and nature.
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The Call Of The Wild
By
Jack London
ABOUT LONDON
Jack London, born on January 12, 1876, in San Francisco, California, emerged from humble beginnings to become one of America’s most celebrated and influential writers. Raised in poverty and largely self-educated, London’s early life was marked by adventure and hardship, shaping the raw, visceral style of his future works. He left school at an early age, taking on a series of rugged jobs—from oyster pirating to working in a cannery—before setting out to explore the world as a sailor, hobo, and gold prospector in the Klondike.
His experiences with the harsh realities of life, especially during the Klondike Gold Rush, profoundly influenced his writing, fueling his stories of survival, man’s struggle against nature, and the primal instincts that drive human behavior. London’s breakthrough came with The Call of the Wild (1903), a timeless novel that explores the raw relationship between humans, animals, and the wilderness. His works often reflected his socialist beliefs, advocating for social justice and the rights of the working class.
Over his short yet prolific career, London wrote over 50 books, including such classics as White Fang, The Sea-Wolf, and Martin Eden, capturing the imagination of readers around the globe. Despite his success, London’s life was marred by personal struggles, including health issues and financial instability. He passed away at the age of 40 in 1916, but his legacy as a master storyteller and a keen observer of human nature endures to this day. His works remain a testament to the indomitable spirit of adventure and the enduring power of literature.
SUMMARY
The Call of the Wild by Jack London is a gripping tale of survival, transformation, and the primal instincts that lie deep within us all. Set against the rugged backdrop of the Klondike Gold Rush, the story follows Buck, a domesticated dog who is stolen from his comfortable life and thrust into the brutal world of the Alaskan wilderness.
As Buck is sold into the harsh life of a sled dog, he must adapt to the unforgiving environment, facing challenges that awaken his inner strength and ancestral instincts. Through fierce competition, perilous journeys, and the constant struggle for survival, Buck gradually transforms from a pampered pet into a wild, untamed leader.
London’s masterful storytelling explores themes of nature’s dominance, the struggle for power, and the call to return to one’s roots. Buck's journey is both physical and emotional, symbolizing the powerful connection between man, animal, and the wild. With vivid descriptions and intense action, The Call of the Wild captivates readers, reminding us of the raw and enduring power of nature—and the wilderness within.
CHARACTERS LIST
Buck –The protagonist, a powerful St. Bernard-Scotch Collie mix, who transforms from a pampered pet into a fierce, independent leader of the wild. His journey represents the central theme of survival and adaptation.
John Thornton –A kind-hearted prospector who saves Buck and forms a deep bond with him. John represents the compassion and loyalty that Buck cherishes, though his fate leads Buck further into the wild.
Spitz –A fierce, aggressive lead sled dog and Buck’s rival. Spitz embodies the harshness of the wild, and his eventual defeat by Buck symbolizes Buck’s rise to dominance.
Francois –One of Buck’s first sled drivers, a French-Canadian who is skilled and fair in his treatment of the dogs. He helps Buck adjust to his new life as a sled dog.
Perrault –Francois' partner, who works for the Canadian government. He, too, is competent and plays a role in Buck's early training as a sled dog.
Hal –An inexperienced, cruel young man who buys Buck as part of a sled team. His poor decisions and mistreatment of the dogs represent human folly in the wilderness.
Charles –Hal’s brother-in-law, equally inexperienced and careless. His character, along with Hal, shows the destructive nature of ignorance in the wild.
Mercedes –Charles’ wife and Hal’s sister. She is weak and unprepared for the harshness of the wilderness, contributing to the group's downfall.
Manuel –The gardener’s helper who kidnaps and sells Buck to fund his gambling debts, setting the entire story in motion.
Dave –A hardworking and experienced sled dog, loyal to his role. He represents the strength and endurance required for survival in the harsh conditions.
Sol-leks –An older, experienced sled dog who is skilled but prefers to be left alone. He, too, reflects the themes of strength and survival.
These characters, especially Buck, illustrate the contrasts between civilization and the wild, as well as the roles of dominance, survival, and loyalty throughout the novel.
Contents
Chapter 1. Into The Primitive
Chapter 2. The Law Of Club And Fang
Chapter 3. The Dominant Primordial Beast
Chapter 4. Who Has Won To Mastership
Chapter 5. The Toil Of Trace And Trail
Chapter 6. For The Love Of A Man
Chapter 7. The Sounding Of The Call
Chapter 1. Into The Primitive
"Old longings nomadic leap,
Chafing at custom's chain;
Again from its brumal sleep
Wakens the ferine strain."
Buck did not read the newspapers, or he would have known that trouble was brewing, not alone for himself, but for every tide-water dog, strong of muscle and with warm, long hair, from Puget Sound to San Diego. Because men, groping in the Arctic darkness, had found a yellow metal, and because steamship and transportation companies were booming the find, thousands of men were rushing into the Northland. These men wanted dogs, and the dogs they wanted were heavy dogs, with strong muscles by which to toil, and furry coats to protect them from the frost.
Buck lived at a big house in the sun-kissed Santa Clara Valley. Judge Miller's place, it was called. It stood back from the road, half hidden among the trees, through which glimpses could be caught of the wide cool veranda that ran around its four sides. The house was approached by gravelled driveways which wound about through wide-spreading lawns and under the interlacing boughs of tall poplars. At the rear things were on even a more spacious scale than at the front. There were great stables, where a dozen grooms and boys held forth, rows of vine-clad servants' cottages, an endless and orderly array of outhouses, long grape arbors, green pastures, orchards, and berry patches. Then there was the pumping plant for the artesian well, and the big cement tank where Judge Miller's boys took their morning plunge and kept cool in the hot afternoon.
And over this great demesne Buck ruled. Here he was born, and here he had lived the four years of his life. It was true, there were other dogs, There could not but be other dogs on so vast a place, but they did not count. They came and went, resided in the populous kennels, or lived obscurely in the recesses of the house after the fashion of Toots, the Japanese pug, or Ysabel, the Mexican hairless,—strange creatures that rarely put nose out of doors or set foot to ground. On the other hand, there were the fox terriers, a score of them at least, who yelped fearful promises at Toots and Ysabel looking out of the windows at them and protected by a legion of housemaids armed with brooms and mops.
But Buck was neither house-dog nor kennel-dog. The whole realm was his. He plunged into the swimming tank or went hunting with the Judge's sons; he escorted Mollie and Alice, the Judge's daughters, on long twilight or early morning rambles; on wintry nights he lay at the Judge's feet before the roaring library fire; he carried the Judge's grandsons on his back, or rolled them in the grass, and guarded their footsteps through wild adventures down to the fountain in the stable yard, and even beyond, where the paddocks were, and the berry patches. Among the terriers he stalked imperiously, and Toots and Ysabel he utterly ignored, for he was king,—king over all creeping, crawling, flying things of Judge Miller's place, humans included.
His father, Elmo, a huge St. Bernard, had been the Judge's inseparable companion, and Buck bid fair to follow in the way of his father. He was not so large,—he weighed only one hundred and forty pounds,—for his mother, Shep, had been a Scotch shepherd dog. Nevertheless, one hundred and forty pounds, to which was added the dignity that comes of good living and universal respect, enabled him to carry himself in right royal fashion. During the four years since his puppyhood he had lived the life of a sated aristocrat; he had a fine pride in himself, was even a trifle egotistical, as country gentlemen sometimes become because of their insular situation. But he had saved himself by not becoming a mere pampered house-dog. Hunting and kindred outdoor delights had kept down the fat and hardened his muscles; and to him, as to the cold-tubbing races, the love of water had been a tonic and a health preserver.
And this was the manner of dog Buck was in the fall of 1897, when the Klondike strike dragged men from all the world into the frozen North. But Buck did not read the newspapers, and he did not know that Manuel, one of the gardener's helpers, was an undesirable acquaintance. Manuel had one besetting sin. He loved to play Chinese lottery. Also, in his gambling, he had one besetting weakness—faith in a system; and this made his damnation certain. For to play a system requires money, while the wages of a gardener's helper do not lap over the needs of a wife and numerous progeny.
The Judge was at a meeting of the Raisin Growers' Association, and the boys were busy organizing an athletic club, on the memorable night of Manuel's treachery. No one saw him and Buck go off through the orchard on what Buck imagined was merely a stroll. And with the exception of a solitary man, no one saw them arrive at the little flag station known as College Park. This man talked with Manuel, and money chinked between them.
"You might wrap up the goods before you deliver 'm," the stranger said gruffly, and Manuel doubled a piece of stout rope around Buck's neck under the collar.
"Twist it, an' you'll choke 'm plentee," said Manuel, and the stranger grunted a ready affirmative.
Buck had accepted the rope with quiet dignity. To be sure, it was an unwonted performance: but he had learned to trust in men he knew, and to give them credit for a wisdom that outreached his own. But when the ends of the rope were placed in the stranger's hands, he growled menacingly. He had merely intimated his displeasure, in his pride believing that to intimate was to command. But to his surprise the rope tightened around his neck, shutting off his breath. In quick rage he sprang at the man, who met him halfway, grappled him close by the throat, and with a deft twist threw him over on his back. Then the rope tightened mercilessly, while Buck struggled in a fury, his tongue lolling out of his mouth and his great chest panting futilely. Never in all his life had he been so vilely treated, and never in all his life had he been so angry. But his strength ebbed, his eyes glazed, and he knew nothing when the train was flagged and the two men threw him into the baggage car.
The next he knew, he was dimly aware that his tongue was hurting and that he was being jolted along in some kind of a conveyance. The hoarse shriek of a locomotive whistling a crossing told him where he was. He had travelled too often with the Judge not to know the sensation of riding in a baggage car. He opened his eyes, and into them came the unbridled anger of a kidnapped king. The man sprang for his throat, but Buck was too quick for him. His jaws closed on the hand, nor did they relax till his senses were choked out of him once more.
"Yep, has fits," the man said, hiding his mangled hand from the baggageman, who had been attracted by the sounds of struggle. "I'm takin' 'm up for the boss to 'Frisco. A crack dog-doctor there thinks that he can cure 'm."
Concerning that night's ride, the man spoke most eloquently for himself, in a little shed back of a saloon on the San Francisco water front.
"All I get is fifty for it," he grumbled; "an' I wouldn't do it over for a thousand, cold cash."
