大庆石油学院本科生毕业设计（论文）
摘 要
《野性的呼唤》是杰克·伦敦的第一本畅销书，也是二十世纪早期美国最受欢迎的小说之一。这是一部使作者享誉文坛的作品，虽然它只有简单的情节但是它被看作是美国文坛的典范。文章生动地分析了杰克·伦敦作品主题的特点，那就是对人与自然冲突的描写。就《野性的呼唤》这本书来说，它的主人公巴克最终的回归行为是作者渴望自由的象征，也是在当时社会环境下受压迫人们的迫切愿望。它指出了作者的写作思想，那就是人们在与自然斗争中展示出的坚强意志。本文试图通过剖析作品的几大主题—回归自然，适者生存，社会生活的折射，抗争精神和人道主义，以揭示其主体的深刻内涵，从而探寻其长盛不衰的艺术魅力。
该篇论文深刻分析了“回归”的含义，在对原著透彻理解的基础上阐述了环境对人类的重要性，揭示了主题。
关键词： 野性的呼唤；自由；回归；
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大庆石油学院本科生毕业设计（论文）
Abstract
The Call of the Wild is the first seller of Jack London, one of the best novels in the early twentieth–century America. It was this book that made its author famous in the republic of letters. Although it has a simple plot, it is considered as a classic of American literature. The article vividly analyzes the characteristics of Jack London‘s writing theme that is the description of the conflicts between nature and human. Based on The Call of the Wild，the behavior of its protagonist Buck‘s final return is the symbol of yearning for freedom of the author as well as the urgent aspiration of people who were repressed at the social circumstance of that time. It points out the author‘s writing thoughts, that human show how strong they are in their fight against nature. This thesis undertakes an attempt to dissect its themes—back to the nature, the survival of the fittest, the refraction of social life, struggles of the oppressed and humanitarianism so as to disclose the multiplicity of the theme in it.
This thesis analyzes the connotation of ―return‖ deeply. Basing on the thorough understanding of the novel, this thesis expounds the importance of environment to human beings, and reveals the theme.
Key words：The Call of the Wild; freedom; return
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大庆石油学院本科生毕业设计（论文）
Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 1
Chapter 2 Leaving home to the wild ............................................................................. 3
2.1 Falling into cheat and leaving home ....................................................................... 3
2.2 Unable to get away from the club ........................................................................... 3
2.3 Going into the wild ................................................................................................. 4
Chapter 3 A painful struggle .......................................................................................... 5
3.1 The initial practice .................................................................................................. 5
3.2 The tribulation of the survival................................................................................. 5
3.2.1 Following the law of the club and tooth .......................................................... 5
3.2.2 Become a leader ............................................................................................... 6
3.2.3 For the love of his benefactor .......................................................................... 7
3.3 The last choice ........................................................................................................ 8
Chapter 4 Buck’s gains ................................................................................................... 9
4.1 How to become a sledge dog .................................................................................. 9
4.2 How to live in the north .......................................................................................... 9
4.3 How to repay an obligation ................................................................................... 10
4.4 The cruel circumstance ......................................................................................... 10
Chapter 5 Conclusion ................................................................................................... 12
References ...................................................................................................................... 17
Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................... 18
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大庆石油学院本科生毕业设计（论文）
Chapter 1 Introduction
The most famous novel about the animal from the American famous novelist Jack London (1876-1916) is The Call of the Wild. It is one of the masterpieces of the great American writer Jack London, and it has always been my favorite novel. It apparently is a dog‘s story. In the deep part, London makes a reflection of the real human life through Buck‘s life. He treats animals like human beings and human beings are just like animals, recognizing no essential difference between man and animal. Jack London‘s uncanny understanding of animal and human natures give this novel a striking vitality and power. After reading it, people could not help pondering over his own life and thinking about what is the real meaning of human nature that always resounds in the inner heart like the Wild appealing Buck to return to its arms. Buck‘s story in fact is a human‘s life story. Some interesting comparisons will show how amazingly similar these two worlds are, and some inspirations can be drawn from this allegoric story.
One of the characteristics of his novel lies in their themes, especially focusing on the fight between the human and the nature and his expression of respect for human‘s strong will in these fights. But his novel stands out among all this kind of human—nature conflict stories because he is clever enough to make cruel story interesting and plotting. In this novel, the whole story is based on a smart dog, Buck, which makes it fresh beyond the outlook of a dog and the common description of it. This is a story that takes place in the original wilderness of the backland snow and icebound in North America, describing a dog who named Buck to be drawn in the wave of gold rush in Alaska. He experiences various sufferings struck with soul—stirring, and be caused to remember his ancestry by instinct in the howl. Generally, the original innate wild of the wolf has revived in his deep soul. Finally, under the lure of the wolf, the wildness in the untamed nature brought to his life little by little and his social return to the nature from the civilization. Although the novel describes a dog, it gives the dog with the innate intelligence, using ―he‖ and ―they‖ to call them completely. The purpose lies in being reflected the pathetic life of the labor people in a capitalism society by the career of a dog, expressing the strong wild that they resist the exploitation and oppression and look forward to the freedom. Not only does the story tell that the hero returns to the great universe, but also it emphasizes the process that his soul returns to
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the wild. Use a new writing skill to announce the topic of the returning.
This novel has 7 chapters. The launch, development and the end of the story is by the clues of the living environment and mind variety of Buck. It can be divided into four importance parts: ⑴Buck was born in Judge Miller‘s house in the sunny valley of Santa Clara in Southern and he had the comfortable life but because of the pan for gold, he was thrown into the abyss of pain and sufferings; ⑵ The difficult life after Buck become a sledge dog and the maltreatment which he was subjected and his resists; ⑶The fights between dog and dog and finally Buck acquired the master policy; ⑷ Buck ruptured the relation to the person‘s at last, and the call of the wild makes him bring his life to the untamed nature, becoming one member of wolves.
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大庆石油学院本科生毕业设计（论文） Chapter 2 Leaving home to the wild
2.1 Falling into cheat and leaving home First, in the life of the first four years, Buck was in Judge Miller‘s official residence with satisfied food all day long and did nothing day by day. He received the great favors fully, did not contend for the life with anyone, and did not need to rush out to work hard at the chores. So he formed the good habits such as gentleness and docility in his personality. One day, an assistant of the garden of Judge Miller‘s official residence lost money because of a gamble; he was being eager to repay the loan so he abducted Buck to go out of the house and sold him to a dog trader by the price of 100 dollars as a result.
2.2 Unable to get away from the club
In the judge‘s official residence, there was more superiority with Buck than other dogs, but can not adapt the weather that the chill of great universe changed. He could not fight with others because he was in a habit of a high-fed life; he always showed self-satisfaction even more a little gasconade. But, his thought was completely pure and immature. He easily believed the gardener assistant who he had known.
He struggled indignantly and howled when he was aware of that he had fall into cheat already. But it was late. He had been educated immediately from the stick in the hand of a dog trader who is in a red coat. These were maltreatment and humiliation that he never been subjected to from birth. And this made him become red eyes devil. He tried his best to resist but still failed in the end. In the failure he accepted the law of the club and tooth painfully. Should say, thanks to the dog trader, he beat this basic and initial rule into the bottom of his heart. He beat the blindfold braveness and the cursory style of Buck, made his soul be collided with and forced him to return to the most original appearance. He has to accept that he is original and the most common animal in the great universe, although he was born under a very harmonious environment, now that he has already left there, he should go where he exists originally, so he has to return
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to look for his own marriage in the nature, returning to nature. 2.3 Going into the wild And then Buck took the train and traveled by boat, being taken to the north which is unfamiliar and faraway from the south. The people who pine for gold needed the sledge dogs because just now the north discovered gold mine. From then on, he had been taken from the heart of civilization and thrown into the life of the primitive that was full of hardships and struggle. Undoubtedly, it is a great turn for him.
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大庆石油学院本科生毕业设计（论文） Chapter 3 A painful struggle 3.1 The initial practice
On the way north, Buck was tortured badly. He was strapped by ropes, starved, and beaten by clubs. Buck was in such a rage at being treated so badly that he struggled to throw off the rope that tied him, rushed to the cage that chained him, and bit the club that beat him with his fang. After he was defeated again and again, Buck realized he stood no chance against a man with a club. Seeing that groups and groups of new-coming dogs struggled furiously and barked until exhausted, and were yet defeated by the man in the red sweater one by one, at last when being driven home, Buck drew a lesson that ―again an again, as he looked at each brutal performance, a man with a club was a lawgiver a master to be obeyed.‖(Stone Irving 1938: 55) In the north, there was a world of freezing ice and the drifting snow. Buck started the career as a sledge dog. He was against the strict cold, started journey at dawn and stopped at dusk, endured hunger, trailed the sledge to walk along lakes and glacier which extended more than 100 miles with his companions from Skagway to Dawson. After finished running 2500 miles less than five months, he is already utterly exhausted, on the brink of death. Unfortunately, after this long journey he resale to Charles‘s. So the life became harsher with pain and sufferings. Buck and his colleagues trailed their scrawny body climb to Dawson unsteadily. Under the leather whip they walked on the road difficultly and after being fried the last blood, some of them had been beaten to die or tired to death. Buck is also almost tired to death; the spark of the life is weakly to gleam in the body.
3.2 The tribulation of the survival
3.2.1 Following the law of the club and tooth
The first time when Buck was fastened by an arrangement of straps and buckles to haul a sled, he became a draught animal and this sorely hurt his dignity, but he was too wise to rebel. He buckled down with a will and did his best. Buck was a good learner,
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under the combined tuition of his two mates and Francois, the first time he went to the woods to haul wood, ―Every time they returned to camp he knew enough to stop at ?ho,‘ to go ahead at ?mush,‘ to swing wide on the bends, and to keep clear of the wheeler when the loaded sled shot downhill at their heels.‖ (Fred Medics 1994: 16)
Back was so good at learning that the first day before it became dark, he could manage quite well under the law of club and tooth. But that night Buck faced the great problem of sleeping. Buck, as a matter of course, entered his matters‘ tent, only to be bombarded with curses and cooking utensils. Fleeing into the outer cold, an idea came to him. He would return and see how his own teammates were making out. And Buck found out that they slept in the holes they made them selves. So Buck learned to dig a hole in the snow and sleep in it. Later on he was so good at making a sleeping hole because he had an ability to scent the wind and forecast it the night in advance, so he could give himself a warm and cold-proof shelter.
3.2.2 Becoming a leader
Secondly, during his following time in the north he had to learn how to live in the snow and how to become a leader in the team of the dogs.
Buck soon adapted to survival in the Northland environment. This north world of the dogs was the same as the human society that intrigue against each other and law of the jungle. Control or be controlled, kill or be killed, was the law. Only the stronger can survive in this world. Therefore, the ferity resumed in the body of Buck, and the cruel and craftiness got ahead of all the other north dogs. He showed hid wisdom, when he fought against Spitz for the leadership. Buck obeyed and learned to haul a sled when he first came to the northern land; he was too busy adjusting himself to the new life to think of anything else. But when he had learned the secrets of survival, he challenged Spitz leadership. Francois backed up Spitz with his whip, while Buck backed up the remainder of the team. The decisive battle finally came. Time and time again Buck tried for Spitz‘s throat, and each time Spitz slashed him and got away. But Buck won the battle all the same.
Now that Buck became a victory of fight and had the reigning position in the dogs, why did he still want to go in the wilderness? This is exactly what the author wants to tell us in the fourth part. The author took The Call of the Wild as the title of this book, so we can see where the center of gravity in this story is. The novel mentioned that in silent cold night with flaming fire Buck heard the mysterious voice from the wilderness for
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many times, and this kind of magic power which made him have magic, he could not resist it. He dreamed that he returned to the wildness ground which his ancestries lived in. Therefore, he usually concentrated his attention on listening to the special voice and produced a kind of feeling of being eager to go to the wild world. He could not help walking into the forest to find and pursue. Because this kind of call meant a kind of wonderful hope and a bright future for Buck who suffered a lot in the human society. It could make him get away from the mankind‘s fetters thoroughly and acquired freedom that he desired greatly. Obviously, this also symbolized the author‘s ideal objective of getting away from reality, pursuing freedom.
3.2.3 For the love of his benefactor
However, people can‘t help thinking that Buck had already been accustomed to the cold weather and the labor of north life and finally stayed with his ideal host Thornton for the rest time. His life might became comfortable to stabilize, they once saved the life of the other and lived with each other and they could be regarded as a rightness of life and deaths with total, depending on each other for life as good friend. Why didn‘t Buck stay with his host abiding by the law and behave oneself while he had the strong will to rush into the forest to follow the call of the wolf? Indeed, Thornton saved Buck‘s life, and treated him equally and Buck got warmth and fondle from him. This was absolutely different with other hosts but Buck had to listen to the human to order at any time, as a result he still can‘t enjoy the full freedom. He is still regarded as a slave under people‘s control, but he received great favors. Once, Thornton signals hint Buck to jump down the cliff imprudently, Buck didn‘t hesitate and prepared to sacrifice his life; for the sake of saving Thornton from falling into the water, Buck jumped into the water to chase him from the torrent current three times, breaking three ribs for it; Thornton at Dawson blindly used Buck to make a bet, he hoped Buck to push the sled carrying 1,000 pounds which would normally need ten dogs to move. Buck put together to the utmost whole body energy to finish walking 100 yards, win $ 1,600 within five minutes for the host. If Thornton did not die, such a thing will take place continuously, always had no end. Therefore, although Buck got away from the club and fang, he was still been fastened by one chain invisible. Being a dog for the sake of host‘s friendship and preparing to dedicate life at any time, he felt that he had no freedom at all. If he wanted to acquire a real freedom, he must escape from mankind and head for wilderness. At that time he won‘t be ordered loudly by anyone.
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3.3 The last choice
However, the wilderness that Buck rushed into is not a utopia. This was just a place with original appearance completely, there was no ready-made food and drink, desolate and silent, snow and icebound, and rare human footprint everywhere. Everything must be strived, shot for and created by us. The reason that Buck dared to rush into the wilderness was because he had been chastened by the hard life. He had his mind and body experienced a lot and prepared for the coming wonderful life in the nature. At least he had learned the skill that how to live in the forest and prepared for the freedom in the future. Living in the nature gave the opportunity to Buck which he can open his eye to the world and mastered his living skills independently. This can help him to receive the free world in the material and spirit. Without all of this, he wasn‘t entitled to existence in the world of the dog. The life of wilderness was free, unrestrained, his soul and the natural character all can get to release freely over there. As an outstanding and large dog, Buck was superior to the other dogs in thinking and body condition, he should belong to great universe, his thought should belong to his own. So it is the fittest finale for him that he returned to the forest, returned to wolves. The author hopes that his soul can return to the place where it should go. The soul is free, so it won‘t be interfered by the external world. Buck possessed the right for free, this was also what the author looked forward to.
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Chapter 4 Buck’s gains
4.1 How to become a sledge dog
After was taught by his host‘s and under the help of his colleague, he had learned how to master a sledge immediately. This was the essential skill for him to live. He observed constantly in the work and mastered how to work very soon in the practice. Labor made him developing quickly in the intelligence and the physical strength, the mind and body had experienced a lot: His muscles became to burliness; his toe had already become stronger and tougher; he also could endure all kind of the pain and sufferings; he could eat any food fastidiously; he could spend the endless night in the snow and icebound; his sense of vision and sense of smell became exceptional sharp and his sense of hearing becomes so intelligent that he can listen the most slight sound even in the night when he was sleeping. This change in his mind and body explained that his original latent potential in his body began to resurge. It said that the ability to live in the wildness independently had become much better. In addition, Buck not only had the strive spirit, but also mastered the art of the conflict. He did not do the indiscretion things such as to rival to the dog trader any more. He did not only depend on the skills, but also depended his brains; not only be eager to struggle, but also be good at it. For instance, he instigated other dogs behind the host and gave the encouragement to the insurrectional dogs to break the solidarity of the team, made him be the leader. This was another kind of return in soul that he got rid of the obeisance and showed his leadership ability in the future.
4.2 How to live in the north
But, in order to make his stomach full, Buck could steal and rob; in order to get power, he employed schemes and tricks played by hook or by crook and put the leading dog Spitz to death and took his place instead. Buck was also bloodthirsty and slaughtered many innocent small animals: he killed a grouse in his net, chased a frightened rabbit and bit a squirrel that was about to escape onto a tree. Buck not only
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slaughtered innocent small animals, but also challenged a moose that was several times his size, he made the moose hungry and thirsty and fatigued and killed him when he had no strength to fight back. Thus Buck satisfied his bloodthirsty desires.
Buck‘ tender and moral senses soon lost in the survival competition. In the world of the law of club and fang, morality is nothing. He drew a lesson from Spitz that in order to succeed, any way can be used. Just because of this, he could become an outstanding head among the wild bests. The success of Buck is not caused by his civilized domestication received from human beings. On the contrary, his success was due to the fact that he broke through the bound imposed on him by men, and turned fast to his original innate wild. Jack London in this novel describes an extensive animal world for us, and the language he uses is so vivid that we can smell of the stench of the ―civilized human world‖. Buck is the center and clue of the whole story of The Call of the Wild; and just like heroes of Jack‘s other novels, he represents the theme of the story. The living power that Jack London embodies in the figures is a great challenge to the existing social order of capitalism. When he created the figures, he always used a way of description, which is seemingly objective and quiet, expecting readers to feel his beating spirit. This makes his novels impressive for their thematic value.
4.3 How to repay an obligation
Before Buck returned to the bosom of the wilderness, for sake of avenging his host, he made a pounce upon the Indian indignantly and killed a lot of people. His action reflected that his thought had been sublimated. This action also broke the bind—the law of club and tooth, and he braved to resist again. This move proved that Buck became more and more matured through the anneal process for a long period of time. With the experience, confidence and the courage, he wasn‘t afraid of the cruel human any more. The law of club and tooth could not to control him. This is the spirit foundation that he follows to the wilderness. The interest character of flight in his body came out at last. He returned to the most original of the innate character, and return to the condition as a wild beast. In the deep place of the soul, he is an animal which needs to win opponent, he wanted to become a victor use all of his strength. At that time Buck had already returned to the wilderness, went back to the great universe that called him in his dream.
4.4 The cruel circumstance
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Thus it can be seen that as the life circumstance is different, the experience is different too. These changes have been arranged by the author. It has the certain philosophy. If the pan for gold wave did not tide him to the desolate north, he would not escape from that warm residence and superior environment ;he will still keep his sense of superiority and gentleness and will not have the chance and the request rushing toward the wilderness, either; If there were no long-term practice of difficult life and the development of the labor technical ability in the north, he couldn‘t bear severely cold dry cold northern weather and environment, he would hardly live independently, the ability of emergency also can‘t become so strong; If there were not the rescue and the friendship between he and his host, he would disappear from the world; If there was no experience which fights with other dogs, he also can not dare to run to go to wilderness and live with the real wolves. This explains that any chanciness of the affairs‘ existence is inevitable; any affair can change under the certain condition.
Buck‘s deeds show that there is also a struggle to survive in human society, the big fish eat up the small, the weakest go to the wall, and the fittest survive. They bring to light human being‘s difficulty in surviving, and encourage people to strive. To make unceasing efforts to improve us, to strive untiringly are the reflections of an active life, it is the strength that pushes the society forward, and it is the common will of the people with lofty ideals. Lacking these, the society will become a decadent society, and the people will become dispirited. To strive and keep forging ahead is an active life‘s attitude. Only by striving and continuing to forge ahead can make human beings turn their dreams into reality and let the society go forward. Buck‘s image leaps over time, class nationality and national boundaries, it generalizes the true meaning of life, and it reveals the excellence of human nature. This figure still has an important place in world literature.
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Chapter 5 Conclusion
After reading The Call of the Wild, we can‘t help thinking of such a sentence ―Human beings, never degenerate into beasts!‖ However, another sentence comes into my mind immediately ―Beasts, never degenerate into human beings!‖(Curley Dorothy Nye 1969: 224)
Buck may turn to a beast in the story, but how about the human who turned the dog into a beast? Buck‘s civilized domestication couldn‘t win over the call from the outside world, maybe because he is a dog? What is the thing at last turned him into a wolf too far away from the warm sunshine pet hood in the Judge‘s house? I don‘t think the author is talking about a dog‘s turning rather through a dog‘s eye, he is trying to remind us of the potential similar danger everyone of us will face. It will take millions of hard years to turn beasts into human beings, but a man can turn into a beast in a second. Buck was forced into wildness just the way we are forced to admit and accept such irony by the same social evils around us.
Over the long process of human evolution, The Call of the Wild always remains so strong and tempting. Is there any fearful nightmare lying deeply in the soul of every one of us? Buck‘s transformation from dog to wolf is to challenge us to find answer to this question.
The characters in the works of naturalism are usually dominated by the fundamental desires such as fear, hunger, and cruel struggle etc. In the world of jungle, to exist is the most important. So the naturalists adopt an immoral attitude toward human life, and they neither criticize nor praise human beings‘ actions. The naturalists don‘t hide or avoid the existence of the dark side of society, and they describe the dark side honestly. The characters in the works of naturalism are unsavory. They pay no attention to morals and they offend public decency, they often act against the social norms or against their will under the pressure of circumstance. Buck‘s image reflects the character of naturalism in literature: there is only the cruel fight to survive and no human sympathy there. Buck must defeat the other animals so that he can survive. It is the same with human beings who must invade and defeat other people so that they can gain their place in the society. This is against traditional moral doctrines. It is a primitive animal world,
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a bloody battlefield. There are no rules there, the only rule is massacring and reeking of blood. But, Buck is an animal dog without reasons; he can live according to his instincts. In order to live, he can steal, rob, massacre and deprive others‘ of their right to live. Human beings not only live among other living beings but also live in a society of human. As socialized human beings, they have sense, and they are restricted by moral restrictions, they can control themselves, and they have noble values. As a socialized human being, people cannot steal or rob or massacre for their own interests as Buck does. Human society is ordered, so human competition must accord with human sympathy and human nature. There is a saying, ―By aiming for the good of others, you will get your own.‖(Pier Donald 2000: 49)
Liberty has its limitation, people must obey the social moral doctrines and social rules first, and then they can gain liberty. Human being‘s competition and struggling also have their limits, the prerequisite to compete is that we should not harm or hurt others, we should not benefit ourselves at the expense of others, and we should not deprive other people of their right to live as Buck does. When we try to satisfy our natural desire, we should conform to the social standard, and let the social standard regulate our natural desire, we should not let it go without reason. Otherwise, the society will become disordered if dog has no dog sympathy, and human being have no human sympathy.
In this novel people can easily find human beings‘ surviving experiences in the society from Buck‘s. Until he is kidnapped, Buck lives the life of a sated aristocrat. In a fever of pain and rage, Buck meets the man in the red sweater, who provides the first step of his initiation into the wild. Buck had never been struck with a club in his life, but again and again, he is brought crushingly to the ground by a vicious blow of the club. Although his rage knows no bounds and although he is a large, powerful dog, he is no match for a man who knows how to handle a club efficiently. Buck thus learns his first lesson: a man with a club is a master to be obeyed. ―That club was a revelation. It was his introduction to the reign of primitive law, and he met the introduction half-way‖. (Kaposi Paula 1991: 260)
Having seen a dog that would neither obey nor conciliate killed makes the alternatives clear to him: to obey, to conciliate, or to die; and Buck is above all a survivor. He knows he is beaten. This is obviously a man‘s unfortunate life story‘s beginning. The man in his childhood has lived a wealthy, comfortable life totally without worries, thus he has been content, proud and at the same time innocent, that is
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why the accident happens easily. After being betrayed by his friend, he slumps into a misery situation. At the beginning of it, he neither understands nor believes it. He is suffering and angry, he resists boldly with hopes to recover to his former life but he is frustrated again and again and finally he realizes the hash reality and gives in to the fate.
Buck‘s next lesson takes place when Curly, his friend, is killed by the huskies when he makes friendly advances to one of them. In two minutes, he is literally torn to pieces. ―So that was the way. No fair play. Once down, that was the end of you.‖ This is Buck‘s second great lesson in his new life. Though many people experience the same misery situation, they have no sympathies to each other. Once given the chance, they also play the position of the stronger-using their strength to bully the weaker, crushing the weaker into pieces. ―He must master or be mastered; while to show mercy was a weakness. Mercy did not exist in the primordial life. It was misunderstood for fear, and such misunderstandings made for death. Kill or be killed, eat or be eaten, was the law.‖ It seems only one law works in the world, both men and beasts obeying—the law of club and fang, in another word, only the fittest can survive.
People can also see the truth through Buck‘s working experiences. Buck has four sets of masters in turn, and they are actually the four types of bosses‘ people probably meet in life.
Initially, come to the essentially fair and efficient government couriers Francois and Perrault. Under their administration Buck comes into his own condition again. He gradually gets pride in his work and longs to gain the leadership in the working group. ―Buck wanted it (leadership). He wanted it because it was his nature.‖ After Spits‘ death, Buck protests against Perrault‘s arrangement of putting other dog in the leading position. He had owned it, and he would not be content with less.‖ It is easy to get wealthy life than the present hard life; he must work to earn his bread. His first boss is fair and impartial; therefore, he is able to develop fried in his job though it is no easy work. He even cultivates the ambition to get the leadership of his work, and after severe competition, he wins it.
Later the ―scotch half-breed‖ in charge of the mail train is also just and respects the dogs and spares them what suffering he can. However Buck‘s situation worsens: ―It was a monotonous life, operating with machine-like regularity. One day was same as another.‖ In the human world, the reality is also like this. People have to work tediously day after day, and each day is very like the other. Each day people get up, have dinner, and go to work, then return home at a certain time. Almost everything is fixed. To make it worse, many people‘s work is not desirable and uncreative. People do it just to earn
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his living. There is no pleasure in such a job, however, people have to take it for their living and for their responsibility, just like Buck who ―did not like it, but he bore up well to the work, taking pride in it, and seeing that his mates did their fair share.‖(Fred Medici 1985: 47)
Then comes John Thornton, the ideal master, who ―saw to the welfare of dogs as if they were his own children, because he could not help it.‖ (Fred Medici 1985: 47)John Thornton stands for the ideal boss, who is wise, trustworthy, knows his business clearly, and takes care of his underlings, but above all, he possesses fatherly love to his subordinators, which will definitely be returned.
People can see something from the emotional aspect of Buck. Buck has all the emotions human beings possess. He has a kind of strong love, that is feverish and burning, that is adoration, which is madness. When John Thornton arouses his love, his attachment to this master is so strong that he fears to be departed from him: ―Even in the night, in his dreams, he was haunted by this fear. At such times he would shake off sheep and creep through the chill to the flap of the tent, where he would stand and listen to the Thornton‘s camp because of his great love for him.
Another important feeling in Buck is his response to his nature—the call of the wild. The call sounds in the depths of the forest. ―It fills him a great unrest and strange desires. It caused him to feel a vague, sweet gladness, and he was aware of wild yearning and stirrings for he knew not what‖. Buck is eager to seek for the mysterious call that calls, wake or sleeping, at all times, for him to come. Actually the call of the wild stands for one‘s nature—the human nature for simple, easygoing, independent and people feel happy and content. Most people do the tedious work day by day. Uncreative, uninteresting as the work is, they have to continue doing so just in order to live on. A few better-off people are able to live an unworried life materially, but still seldom feel happy because they are caught by a sense of void and cannot find out the meaning of living. All the people are actually and spiritually lost. Human beings create a tremendous social machine in order to live comfortably and enjoyably, but only to find being controlled by it and once it starts, no way to escape. They are forced to keep pace with the social machine and those who cannot catch the tempo are destined to die.
The Call of the Wild exposes the essence of human‘s life: from the society perspective, there seems to be only one law in this world, which both men and beasts obey-only the fittest can survive in the strongly competitive world; from the individual perspective, people always yearn to get rid of the straining modern life rhyme to live a simple, quiet and free life. In fact, the social machine is too powerful to be escaped, and
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大庆石油学院本科生毕业设计（论文）
people can see their own nature in this novel, that is why the novel causes such a great resonance.
The point of its high value is artistic descriptions. You are watching vividly the snow; the dog, human and you can feel the coldness both in the weather and in hearts. His love for nature comes out of his descriptions to it and it is so natural that we just can‘t help falling love with it as well. That is really shaking and that is why it is considered as one of strongest claims any American author had yet staked to the title of ―Great world Novel‖. Like other great world novels, The Call of the Wild has been translated into different languages and has a lasting and widespread appeal to readers of all ages and all nations. They are all thrilled to the wonderful adventure of his great dog—hero, Buck, the story. In this novel, Jack London tells not only a cruel story of a dog, but also of human beings.
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大庆石油学院本科生毕业设计（论文）
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Acknowledgements
In order to complete this thesis, I get a lot of help from my teachers. First of all, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to my academic supervisor, Lecturer Wang Tiehua. Her valuable suggestions help me finish my thesis successfully. I benefit from her knowledge and understanding of language and literature. Meanwhile, I am indebted to her warm-hearted support and encouragement from the bottom of my heart. Her valuable comments made me grasp the issues involved in my thesis and helped me steer my work in the right direction.
I also express my many thanks to the teachers who have instructed me during my graduate study. They are Professor Zhang Jihua, Li Jian, Long Yufei. Lecturer Zhang Xuemei, Ma Yonghui, Hui Jingrui, Jin Yinghao, Yu Jinlin, Dong Jinyu and other teachers. Luckily, I have had the opportunity to study under their supervision. The erudition of the teachers greatly attracts me and has made me learn a lot of knowledge in literature. My supervisor taught me a lot in the fields of linguistics, translation, and pedagogy. I am grateful to the respectable professors who will kindly choose to review my thesis.
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