About 120 years ago, gold was discovered in the Yukon, in northern Canada, starting a gold rush as tens of thousands of men—and women—travelled there from around the world in the hope of making their fortunes. There were no real roads in that area back then, so it was difficult to travel overland in summer. However, once the ground was covered in ice and snow, one could travel long distances quickly by sled. Of course, the winter weather was too harsh for horses—they would die in the cold. Dogs, on the other hand, thrived in the cold because of their thick fur, so then—and even now—dogs were used on long journeys through the snow carrying people and goods on sleds. As a young man, Jack London joined the gold rush and journeyed from California to Alaska and the Yukon. Though, like most miners, he did not get rich looking for gold, he saw first-hand how dogs were a necessary part of travel in the far north. Some friends he met there had a large dog, a husky and St Bernard mixed breed. This dog seemed particularly tough and healthy and served as inspiration for the main dog character in London’s novel, The Call of the Wild.
London thought of his time in the north as one of his life’s greatest adventures. When he returned to California, he was unable to find a job. Those were difficult times in California, which was still isolated and cut off from much of the American economy. With Alaska fresh in his mind, he tried to sell the story of his journey up north to several publishers and magazines, but no one seemed interested. Later, London wrote a short story about a dog in the far north who survives many adventures and ends up killing his master. But almost immediately after its publication, London regretted it and felt that he needed to “set the story straight” by showing how noble and loyal dogs were, especially dogs in the far north, where travel and survival was difficult. It was this that started him writing his famous novel, The Call of the Wild. The new story was quickly picked up by a magazine and serialised into four parts. It became extremely popular. Later, it was published in book format and has never been out of print since.
The hero of London’s novel was Buck, a large family dog owned by a wealthy judge:
“Buck was neither house-dog nor kennel-dog. The whole realm was his … 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 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.”
Buck’s life was wonderful and happy, until he was stolen and sold to men who took him to Canada, where he became a sled dog used for travel in the harsh Yukon winter. The book was an early example of an adventure tale told from an animal’s point of view, by an animal with human emotions and ways of seeing the world:
“Close in under the sheltering rock Buck made his nest. So snug and warm was it, that he was loath to leave it when Francois distributed the fish which he had first thawed over the fire. But when Buck finished his ration and returned, he found his nest occupied. A warning snarl told him that the trespasser was Spitz. Till now Buck had avoided trouble with his enemy, but this was too much. The beast in him roared. He sprang upon Spitz with a fury which surprised them both, and Spitz particularly, for his whole experience with Buck had gone to teach him that his rival was an unusually timid dog, who managed to hold his own only because of his great weight and size.”
The excerpt above shows how London created a dog that not only had qualities that humans recognise in dogs, but also an emotional complexity that humans also recognise in each other. In this way, London was able to create a character that was both non-human and human. This made the adventure tale engaging and fascinating, offering urban Americans insight into what life in the far north was like for dogs and humans.
Just as Buck as a dog is used to pull sleds on long journeys, the story itself is one of a long inner journey. Buck begins his life in a comfortable, loving home where he must depend upon his human master for everything. But later he is forced to survive under harsh circumstances in a difficult environment. There, however, he finds a strength that he did not realise he had, and becomes an essential part of his owner’s life. Yet, as much as his human owner needs Buck for survival, Buck discovers that he no longer needs humans. So, when his owner dies, he escapes into the forest and joins the wolves, finally discovering true freedom and independence.
Sadly, Jack London died young in 1916 at the age of 40. There is debate about how he died exactly, as London had suffered from several painful diseases in the last years of his life, including scurvy which had been caused by his travels in the Yukon earlier in life. After his death, interest in The Call of the Wild, and some of his other works, grew much stronger. Romantic ideas of the tragic author who passed away when he was still young and handsome made his works even more popular. Today, The Call of the Wild is considered one of the most important novels of American literature, and students in high school and college are often required to read it.