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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
Read this back then in my Reading English Fiction class. And, reread this again to confirm and to review a little bit about this book.
I like the representation about the man's lack of awareness and the dog's instinct within the paragraphs. This book was told from a 3rd-person POV and mostly was described narratively. Quite interesting story, though.
I like the representation about the man's lack of awareness and the dog's instinct within the paragraphs. This book was told from a 3rd-person POV and mostly was described narratively. Quite interesting story, though.
This book was so good and it made me so frustrated with humans(like if i didn’t hate already humankind). London is terrific describing the nature and how a dog reacts; the writing rocks in this book. This book is a classic for a reason
The adventures of Buck, a ginormous St. Bernard-Scotch Shepherd cross who is kidnapped (dognapped?) from his posh California home during the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1800s. Buck is unceremoniously shipped up to the Yukon, where he is forced to work as a sled dog for the Canadian mail. Despite some initial difficulties, Buck adjusts quickly to his new life, and it's not long before he is top dog (so to speak). Buck is passed around to various owners during his time as a sled dog--some foolish, some wise, some cruel, some just. As time passes, he feels himself increasing torn between loyalty to the world of men, where he's always lived, and the inescapable allure of . . . the call of the wild.
I can't seem to figure out if this is the first book written from a dog's perspective, but if it's not, it has to be one of the first. Jim Kjelgaard (of Big Red fame) didn't start writing until the 1940s, Lady and the Tramp wasn't released until 1955, and lesser-known dog enthusiast (and breeder of rough collies) Albert Payson Terhune didn't publish Lad: A Dog until 1919. Even London's own White Fang wasn't published until three years after this novella. I don't know that he invented the genre, but I suspect this book and its widespread popularity helped lay the foundation for a genre that would be beloved by animal lovers everywhere (and myself in particular). For that reason alone this book is significant, though of course that's not the only basis for its inclusion in the category of American classics.
Unlike many other 'dog's eye view' books, this story is not focused primarily on Buck's relationship with humans, but on his own inner life, such as it is. People are there, sure, and he learns things from them, but he's not just a witness to the action--he's the star of the show. He's not there to fawn over people; his world does not revolve around his masters. In this way, he's almost more cat than dog, at least according to the stereotype.
Then, too, the story's darker than many animal stories tend to be. Death here is not just a poignant ending to a long and wonderful life lived in the bosom of a loving human family. Death is a harsh reality. Buck's worldview--and perhaps London's--is individualistic and pragmatic to the extreme. Few actions are truly immoral or reprehensible if they aid the actor in his battle to survive. This is, quite literally, a book about survival of the fittest, and in order to survive Buck must not only become the fittest but must be willing to take advantage of those less fit. Not that he's a bully, mind you. He seems to be largely fair-minded and far from vicious. But neither is he necessarily merciful.
The one exception to this utilitarian and self-focused mindset is Buck's relationship with John Thorton, the last man he stays with before [SPOILER] yielding to the call of the wild. This is the closest Buck comes to any sort of traditional dog-human relationship, and it's a doozy, full of love and adoration and self-sacrifice and all the other noble emotions we tell ourselves characterize our relationships with our own pets--in our daydreams, if not in reality. As a dog lover, this was, I admit, my favorite part of the story, even if it didn't last.
Ultimately, this is decent adventure/survival story, likely to appeal to both boys and girls--assuming they're ready for the thematic maturity of the book, of course (Amazon recommends the book to readers ages 12 and up). I tend to think kids can handle this sort of matter-of-fact darkness without missing a beat (see, e.g. Grimm's Fairy Tales), but YMMV. Oh, and fair warning: While Buck makes it through the novel, a lot of other dogs . . . don't. The less-than-sentimental tone of the book plus the tertiary nature of the canine characters affected make these deaths much easier on the reader than might otherwise be the case (cough*WhereTheRedFernGrows*cough*OldYeller*cough*Sounder*cough), but still: dogs do die. You have a right to know.
I can't seem to figure out if this is the first book written from a dog's perspective, but if it's not, it has to be one of the first. Jim Kjelgaard (of Big Red fame) didn't start writing until the 1940s, Lady and the Tramp wasn't released until 1955, and lesser-known dog enthusiast (and breeder of rough collies) Albert Payson Terhune didn't publish Lad: A Dog until 1919. Even London's own White Fang wasn't published until three years after this novella. I don't know that he invented the genre, but I suspect this book and its widespread popularity helped lay the foundation for a genre that would be beloved by animal lovers everywhere (and myself in particular). For that reason alone this book is significant, though of course that's not the only basis for its inclusion in the category of American classics.
Unlike many other 'dog's eye view' books, this story is not focused primarily on Buck's relationship with humans, but on his own inner life, such as it is. People are there, sure, and he learns things from them, but he's not just a witness to the action--he's the star of the show. He's not there to fawn over people; his world does not revolve around his masters. In this way, he's almost more cat than dog, at least according to the stereotype.
Then, too, the story's darker than many animal stories tend to be. Death here is not just a poignant ending to a long and wonderful life lived in the bosom of a loving human family. Death is a harsh reality. Buck's worldview--and perhaps London's--is individualistic and pragmatic to the extreme. Few actions are truly immoral or reprehensible if they aid the actor in his battle to survive. This is, quite literally, a book about survival of the fittest, and in order to survive Buck must not only become the fittest but must be willing to take advantage of those less fit. Not that he's a bully, mind you. He seems to be largely fair-minded and far from vicious. But neither is he necessarily merciful.
The one exception to this utilitarian and self-focused mindset is Buck's relationship with John Thorton, the last man he stays with before [SPOILER] yielding to the call of the wild. This is the closest Buck comes to any sort of traditional dog-human relationship, and it's a doozy, full of love and adoration and self-sacrifice and all the other noble emotions we tell ourselves characterize our relationships with our own pets--in our daydreams, if not in reality. As a dog lover, this was, I admit, my favorite part of the story, even if it didn't last.
Ultimately, this is decent adventure/survival story, likely to appeal to both boys and girls--assuming they're ready for the thematic maturity of the book, of course (Amazon recommends the book to readers ages 12 and up). I tend to think kids can handle this sort of matter-of-fact darkness without missing a beat (see, e.g. Grimm's Fairy Tales), but YMMV. Oh, and fair warning: While Buck makes it through the novel, a lot of other dogs . . . don't. The less-than-sentimental tone of the book plus the tertiary nature of the canine characters affected make these deaths much easier on the reader than might otherwise be the case (cough*WhereTheRedFernGrows*cough*OldYeller*cough*Sounder*cough), but still: dogs do die. You have a right to know.
What a great, engaging story. It read like a much longer book that it actually was- each chapter seemed like an episode in Buck's life with it's own story arc that moved from one adventure or trial to the next. And I always love a book about an animal that doesn't end with it dying :)
Intense and gripping, tons of action packed into its slim 98 pages. While stained by racism and the bigotry of the era (and the author, as discussed in the interesting forward by E.L. Doctorow), still timeless.
Had to read this for high school, thankfully, as I probably never would have otherwise. It was surprisingly good and quite emotional.
Real hard for me to get into but enjoyed it overall.
I read this when I was 7- or 8-years-old. It has a special place in my heart as this was the first book that made me realize that books had the power to make you cry. It was a real turning point for me. I was weening myself off simple children books, to more advanced fiction and I remember struggling at first with this book, but I was determined to read it. I bought a dictionary that I carried at all times with me while reading this book.
I read the first three chapters maybe 7 times before I finally made headway into to the book, and by the end, I grew so attached to the dogs in the book that I had tears by the time I was finished with the book. I read the ending, behind some curtains, near my grandmother's kitchen table as I didn't want anyone to see my macho little self get emotional. After that, however, my hunger for "real" books grew and I went on to read more classics as well as my aunt's Agathie Christie collection and my uncle's science fiction books. I felt I had graduated somehow into the domain of real literature.
I read the first three chapters maybe 7 times before I finally made headway into to the book, and by the end, I grew so attached to the dogs in the book that I had tears by the time I was finished with the book. I read the ending, behind some curtains, near my grandmother's kitchen table as I didn't want anyone to see my macho little self get emotional. After that, however, my hunger for "real" books grew and I went on to read more classics as well as my aunt's Agathie Christie collection and my uncle's science fiction books. I felt I had graduated somehow into the domain of real literature.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
i was having fun but then it got racist towards the end and then i stopped having fun