In short, Darwin's theory of natural selection is that individuals with traits (genetic or otherwise) advantageous to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce than others (of the same species, but without those advantageous traits). For example, a colony of rabbits is born in the woods. Some rabbits are tan-ish grey, while others are albino. Furthermore, while some rabbits have stronger legs, others are weak. Due to not blending in well with their surroundings, and not being able to run or kick as fast, some of these rabbits will have a lower chance of survival than their siblings. The Call of the Wild's theme of "survival of the fittest" is, by definition, also a theme, or aspect, of Darwin's theory of natural selection. …show more content…
Curly attempts to fight back, but is ultimately beaten and further attacked by the group of dogs surrounding them. This is where Buck himself learns the lesson of survival of the fittest, proven by the quote "So that was the way. No fair play. Once down, that was the end of you. Well, he would see to it that he never went down.", also in chapter two. In chapter three, Buck has to put this lesson into practice when he gets into a fight with Spitz. After winning the fight and witnessing Spitz's subsequent mauling, Buck becomes the leader of the sled dogs. However, feats of strength isn't the only example of survival of the fittest in "Call of the Wild". Dogs also had to learn to quickly adapt and adjust in order to survive. Buck demonstrates this skill all throughout the book, for example, when Buck learns how to steal without being caught. After stealing bacon from Perrault, Buck, one who is never suspected for theft, gets away with it, while Dub, a dog who is constantly getting caught, gets blamed. The narrator goes on to say "This first theft marked Buck as fit to survive in the hostile Northland environment. It marked his adaptability, his capacity to adjust himself to changing conditions, the lack of which would have meant swift and terrible death.", further proving that adaptability was also needed to survive that …show more content…
Although is is true that, in many cases, organisms with certain advantageous traits are more likely to survive, there are just as many cases where organisms with more disadvantageous traits have a higher likelihood of survival than their comparatively more advantageous siblings. Take the human race, for example. Way in the past, Darwin's theory of natural selection most definitely applied to us. If a person were born with a physical disability, they would be less likely to survive the harsh environments of, say, the stone age. However, in the 21st century, we have technology able to both keep a person with physical disabilities alive, and often, self-sufficient. Furthermore, depending on a person's access to medical attention, money, food, as well as one's own free will, a person with genetically disadvantageous traits could have a higher likelihood of survival than a person without those traits. Even in the case of animals, human interference could raise an animal's likelihood of survival much higher than it would be with natural selection. For example, with natural selection, the runt of a litter of puppies would have less of a likelihood of survival than its siblings. However, if a human were to come across this runt and adopt it, its likelihood of survival would become much higher than its siblings. In short, although Darwin's theory of natural selection may have had more relevance in the past, advancements in
In addition, Buck has also encountered mental changes. Ounce he killed the leader of the group, Spitz, he then became the leader. By giving orders, and showing the power that he possesses, buck started to adapt to his new life in a way that he started to evolve into being a beast in the wild. Killing Spitz and his strong influence that buck have over the others dogs, started to strongly change bucks mental state as this quote emphasizes “As Spitz dissipated from view. Buck stood and looked on, the successful champion, the dominant primordial beast who had made his kill and found it good.”
Buck had strong natural instincts; "the dominant beast was strong in him Once he was forced to learn to survive in the new order, his dead instincts became alive again". Buck's sight and scent became remarkably keen;his hearing developed acuteness. The need to survive awakened and the old tricks which they had stamped into the heredity of the breed;came to him without effort or discovery taken to a man in a red sweater, the man with the club is king, he's in control. Buck was constantly lunging and fighting with the man in the club. But Buck knew he could never win.
The suddenness and violence of his capture further emphasize the loss and trauma he experiences. As Buck adapts to his new life as a sled dog, he also experiences the loss of his identity as a domesticated pet. He learns to tap into his primal instincts and becomes more like a wild animal than a domesticated one. This loss of identity is exemplified in Chapter 3, where Buck fights fiercely with the other sled dogs: "He was sounding the deeps of his nature, and of the parts of his nature that were deeper than he, going back into the womb of Time. He was mastered by the sheer surging of life, the tidal wave of being, the perfect joy of each separate muscle, joint, and sinew in that it was everything that was not death, that it was aglow and rampant, expressing itself in movement, flying exultantly under the stars and over the face of dead matter that did not move" (London
Buck 's intelligence and strength helped him survive, but the determination and will to live is what really got Buck through his hardships. A major theme in The Call of the Wild is "Determination can get you through anything," a statement Buck proves multiple times. Buck was a strong-willed dog that faced many challenges, from being kidnapped, sold to Alaskan gold miners, becoming a sled-dog and conflict with other dogs. While Buck 's wits, strength, and most likely some luck assisted him in his journey, Buck stayed determined throughout and it got him to where he wanted to be. In the beginning, Buck was a pampered dog, he lived in a nice house with a family that loved and cared for him.
In Call of The Wild, Buck, the main character, is forced to push through treacherous conditions and dangerous situations to achieve his goals, showing his undying perseverance. Buck is able to persevere through everything due to his extreme want to be great at everything he does, no matter the activity. He never gives up, even through tough circumstances, and this results in his pulling a ton with his own strength, and leading his team through the perilous slopes of the Yukon. “He was beaten (he knew that); but he was not broken,” (Chapter 1, Paragraph 40).
In the book “Call of the Wild” by Jack London, a dog named Buck has many different masters. Originally, Buck was owned by a rich man named Judge Miller. From that point on he got passed into the hands of various owners- Both good and bad. Buck learned various lessons from all his masters including, The Red Sweater Man, John Miller and Judge Miller When Buck was still in the hands of Judge Miller he was a civilized dog that was harmless to anyone and entrusted humans with his life.
In The Call of the Wild, London displays to the reader the importance of a willingness to learn and adapt to your surroundings to survive through the metaphor of Buck’s paws hardening, his development compared to that of other characters with similar backgrounds, and his evolution into the physical and mental peak of his
The Call of The Wild is a gradual path to achieve dormant primal instincts such as hunting or killing. However, in the movie, Buck never takes this path, but instead, he becomes one with the dormant instincts. While in the book Buck takes a path that leads him into the primal instincts. “He had killed man, the noblest game of all, and he had killed in the face of the law of club and fang.” (Londen Pg 83.)
While reading the novel The Call of the Wild, I saw on numerous occasions where Buck was faced with forces beyond his control. He started off as a dog that was in charge of the house, and knew nothing about survival in the wild, to the primordial beast he turned into at the end. He was forced to go through that transformation all just because the gardener's wife had a more expensive taste than what he had in his pockets. Call of the Wild is a perfect example that life is a grim losing battle from all the hardships he has been through. The Call of the Wild is a work of Naturalism.
“He had been suddenly jerked from the heart of civilization and flung into the heart of things primordial.” This is a quote from Jack London’s story The Call of the Wild. Buck is a family dog until he gets kidnapped and is forced to pull a sled in the harsh Canadian climate. He passes through many owners, gets into fights with many other dogs and has to learn the laws of the wild. Jack London uses conflict and imagery to represent loyalty, the harshness of reality, and character development.
Buck’s transformation is not without struggle and loss. Throughout the novel, he faces many challenges and obstacles, and only through his strength and resilience is he able to survive. For example, London writes, “he was beaten (he knew that); but he was not broken. He saw, once for all, that he stood no chance against a man with a club. He learned the lesson, taking the experience to heart…”
According to the novella Call of the Wild, Darwin’s proposition about survival of the fittest is correct in multitudinous approaches. Examples like Law of Fang and Law of Club are just some great indicators that only the most pertinent canines can abide whilst the weaker canines are either clubbed to death, died of
Buck is a dog from Santa Clara Valley, a dog who lived in a huge house. He was the king of the property and was petted, fed well and treated like a loved and cherished dog. Buck was living a pampered life, where he had everything he want until the day where he was stolen, sold, and brought to an unknown environment. Buck has went through a change where he had to adapt quickly for survival. A place where he had to steal to eat, defend himself in order to survive.
As Jim Rohn once said, “It is not what happens that determines the major part of your future... it is what you do about what happens that counts.” Buck, the main character in the novel The Call of the Wild, is a victim of life 's many unexpected obstacles. From domesticated and tamed to wild and primitive, the transformation of Buck from beginning to end is a result of nature and nurture combined. Nature, his genetic makeup, proves to be the most dominant in his development of becoming a free creature of the wilderness.
Charles Darwin became famous for his theory of natural selection. This theory suggests that a change in heritability traits takes place in a population over time. This is due to random mutations that occur in the genome of an individual organism, and offspring can inherit these mutations. This was defined as the key to evolution, this is because random mutations arise in the genome of an individual. Until the 19th century, the prevailing view in western societies was that differences between individuals of species were uninteresting departures from their platonic ideals of created kinds.