Buck; Strong, Powerful, Intelligent. Whenever a Quote

¶ … Buck; strong, powerful, intelligent. Whenever a quote shows adjectives selected suit character write essay, include page number story.

Character analysis: Buck in The Call of the Wild

Jack London's novel The Call of the Wild is unique because the most compelling protagonist of the book is not a human being but a dog. Buck is described as having the intelligence, strength, and capacity for loyalty comparable with a human being. Buck is tested throughout the book and finally shows himself to be the dominant dog of a pack of sled dogs and later a pack of wolves. The book follows the trajectory of a novel of enslavement: Buck is removed from his happy existence as a pet, forced to become a sled dog in the Artic, and survives a challenge by the pack leader by relying upon his wits. After the only master who treated him kindly is killed, Buck returns to the wild, joining a pack of wolves.

Buck survives his first test after becoming a sled dog by besting Spitz, the current pack leader. London suggests that there can only be one 'alpha dog' in a pack. "Buck possessed a quality that made for greatness -- imagination. He fought by instinct, but he could fight by head as well. He rushed, as though attempting the old shoulder trick, but at the last instant swept low to the snow and in. His teeth closed on Spitz's left fore leg" (London 86). Buck, although he has led a softer life than Spitz, uses his reserves of intelligence. He beats Spitz and becomes 'top dog.' Spitz is destroyed by the other dogs because of his weakness. The owners do not mourn the death of Spitz, because they regard the death of the weaker former leader as inevitable. Buck also shows his intelligence when he is owned by three foolish people with little experience in the Artic. They try to force him to go across thin ice. He lies down and refuses to budge. After he is rescued by John Thornton, the sled breaks through the ice, killing everyone aboard and all of the dogs.

Buck shows great intelligence, yet even though he is not a purebred husky, he still possesses a tremendous degree of physical strength. This is shown when he wins a bet for Thornton, the one master who shows him affection in the North (London 148). Thornton one day boasts that Buck can pull a thousand pounds. Buck "had caught the contagion of the excitement, and he felt that in some way he must do a great thing for John Thornton…the sled lurched ahead in what appeared a rapid succession of jerks, though it never really came to a dead stop again ...half an inch...an inch . . . two inches. . . The jerks perceptibly diminished; as the sled gained momentum, he caught them up, till it was moving steadily along. Men gasped and began to breathe again, unaware that for a moment they had ceased to breath" (London 169; 170-171). Buck's feat of strength is so grand and impressive; he literally leaves men gasping in his wake and Thornton is able to pay off many of his debts because of his dog's remarkable efforts.