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1、The Representative of Superman of the Jack London TypeAn Analysis of Buck of the Call of the WildIntroduction1.1 Introducing the AuthorJack London (1876-1916), American writer, who is best known for his stories of adventure set in the Yukon, was an naturalist who wrote in the tradition of Kilpling a
2、nd Robert Louis Stevenson, his life symbolized the power of will, was the most successful writer in America in the early 20th Century. His vigorous stories of men and animals against the environment, and survival against hardships were drawn mainly from his own experience. An illegitimate child, Lon
3、don passed his childhood in poverty in the Oakland slums. At the age of 17, he ventured to sea on a sealing ship. The turning point of his life was a thirty-day imprisonment that was so degrading it made him decide to turn to education and pursue a career in writing. His years in the Klondike search
4、ing for gold left their mark in his best short stories; among them, The Call of the Wild, and White Fang. His best novel, The Sea-Wolf, was based on his experiences at sea. His work embraced the concepts of unconfined individualism and Darwinism in its exploration of the laws of nature，and he was al
5、so a Marxist who is remembered more for his superheroes in his dipition of the exploited masses. London was strongly influenced by his readings in Marx and Hegel, but he also read Herbert Spencer, Darwin, and Nietzsche. The result was a strange amalgation of ideas-a humanitarianism and belief in cla
6、ss solidarity combined with an admiration for individual heroes. Just as London was individualistic, so his place in literary history is anomalous. From his works, readers can find that Superman or Overman is the fondest topic to him, such as Him of Love of Life, Larsen of The Sea Wolf, Martin in Ma
7、rtin Eden and Buck in The Call of the Wild, which refer to his own experiences. The journey to Alaska makes him clearly realize that there is no place for the weak, if you want to survive you must be strong enough. Indeed, He is also a strong man. Therefore, it is natural for him to advocate superma
8、n and to admire superman, to call superman and to praise superman. As we know, Friedrich Nietzsche proposed his famous Overman philosophy in the late 1950s, and his thought influenced Jack London more or less. In the thesis of Guojia, who thought that “It was just the Overman thesis of Nietzsche tha
9、t inspired Buck to be a supermanAnd Jack London typified the new character of Nietzsche Overman by describing the figure of Buck” .1.2 Introducing the BookHis most famous novel is the call of the wild. Although it is a story about a dog, Buck, it vividly depicts the life in the primitive North where
10、 people rushed for gold and fortune. Buck, used to belong to a judge, was kidnapped and sold to North. Then he became a member of a dog-team pulling a sled. In the days of pulling a snow-sled, he learned to conform to the law of nature and obey the master. Finally, he found a basic instinct hidden i
11、nside him, which enabled himself to survive the tough environment. This is the call of the wild. Which characters does superman of the Jack London type have? Buck in The Call of the Wild is the most distinguished and the most perfect representative undoubtedly. This paper intends to analyze the huma
12、n nature and wolflike nature on Buck and the three main characters of Buck who as a superman must possessthe firm and indomitable strength, the indestructible will and the alert and resourceful wisdom. It indicates the permanent charm that revealed on Buck by analyzing the writing background of the
13、Call of the Wild, Bucks changeable attitudes towards life and his vivid characters and features. . The Character Features of Superman on BuckAs we know, why Buck is so charmful, its just because many special characteristic features the writer endowed him. This paper concludes them into three points:
14、 the firm and indomitable ability to survive, the indestructible will to survive, and the alert and resourceful wisdom to survive. Then I will analyze them in detail.2.1 Firm and Indomitable Ability to SurviveThe first character of superman is his firm and indomitable strength to survive. In the wil
15、dness, the firm and indomitable ability was the basic condition to survive in such a cruel environment. “Buck both has minds of Scotch shepherd dog and physiques of St. Bernard, but he still has his limitations: cant live in the northern land; cant step on ice; cant draw sled and cant be the head of
16、 dogs, etc. However, Buck possesses strong will and blooming vitality” If Buck was a weaker, I think he could not fit the bitter environment. At the end he may like the most other Southland dogs, died when he faced the toil, frost and starvation, or he could overcome these natural hardships, and he
17、could not dodge dangers from his teammates and other savage husky dogs. Buck was not so large as his father, he only weighted one hundred and forty pounds, but this also gave him dignity. “Compared to other dogs, he had absolute advantages in stamina, and learnt the law of club and tooth with the sp
18、eed of superman”. He was a dog with strong muscles and warm long hair. These were only Bucks natural features to help him survive in the Northland. When Buck adapt in the environment, he improved quickly. His muscles became hard as iron, and he grew callous to all ordinary pain. He achieved an inter
19、nal as well as external economy, all these were his physical strength to survive, only influenced himself but with no relevance to others. There is no dangers was impossible to happen in so hard surroundings, competitions existed everywhere, not only between dogs, but also between human beings and d
20、ogs, and human beings and human beings. Believed that readers wound find one scene in Chapter 3, forty or fifty starving huskies struggled for the food with the human beings, even the clubs fell upon on their bodies, and they still looted more than the half of the food. They even chewed the sled las
21、hing and canvas coverings, and so we can image how cruel they were, and so brutal a world it is. How could Buck live if he only had physical strength to survive? In fact, he had not only physical strength, but strength to fight. When he plunged into the besiegement, his head and shoulders were split
22、. However, he didnt give up his hope for surviving. His firm and indomitable strength helped him. He was so powerful that he cut a husky dogs throat, his sharp teeth cutting the rivals blood vessel. The blood aroused his brutish nature, which made him become more ferocious. Near the end of the story
23、, his latent nature was fully released. He killed a large black bear and a bull much larger than him. He was a killer, who survived successfully in this hostile, frigid and dangerous environment. “The scene that inherited from wolf brewed internally in Bucks body, and emerged gradually under the pre
24、ssure of social and natural environment,Finally, after the brutal and intense struggle for exist; Buck became a big gold and brown head-dog of the wolves” .His body was stronger and his fur was more glorious. “Every part, brain and body, nerve tissue and fibre, was keyed to the most exquisite pitch;
25、 and between all the parts there was a perfect equilibrium or adjustment.” “His muscles were surcharged with vitality, and snapped into play sharply, like steel springs. Life streamed through him in splendid flood, glad and rampant; until it seemed that it would burst him asunder in sheer ecstasy an
26、d pour forth generously over the world.” Through these detailed descriptions by Jack London, readers even can image that what a powerful dog he was, who have firm and indomitable ability. This was the advantage to Buck, which helped him become the leader of the dog team then, and also the leader of
27、the wolf pack at last.2.2. Indestructible Will to SurviveIf Buck only had firm and indomitable ability to survive, he might live a period of time, but he could not live long. He needs indestructible will to survive, which is his second character of superman. As we know, Buck was a dog lived in Mr. M
28、illers big house in the sunny Santa Clara Valley in the Southland which the weather was warm, soft, and sun-kissed and his life was comfortable and safe. Unfortunately, he was stolen and sold by a guardian of Mr. Miller to the NorthlandSeattle, which was opposite to the Southland. It was too cold an
29、d frigid to live for a Southland dog in that place. Although Many of these dogs that be sold to there were so soft that they died under the toil, frost and starvation in this hard environment, Buck was an exception. “It was only Bucka dog had never seen snow, adapted himself to the weather in the No
30、rth, with will to survive, and draw the heavy sled toughly on snow day after day.” He lived in a good situation and he did really a excellent works, even better than his teammatesthose husky dogs, and we all can learn from the conversations between Perrault and Francois who was bucks first masters a
31、fter he was abduct. Why could he live well? It mainly owned to his indestructible will to survive. When he first rushed out from the chest after his long train, he was like a red-eyed devil. He struggled to the man in the red sweater with a club. Though he was beaten and bled, he continued to attack
32、. All these actions were just because of his will to survive, although he was beaten down again and again, he did not give up. “He was beaten (he knew that); but he was not broken.” He did not know what his fate would be, so he chose to rebel and won his dignity by himself. The example of Curlys dea
33、th really gave Buck an unforgettable experience, “So that was the way. No fair play. Once down, that was the end of you”. There was no friendship and no sympathy in the wilderness, killing or being killed was the only law among the dogsthe law of club and tooth. After learnt the law of club and toot
34、h, Buck got on to the reality he has been was brutal and no law but only club and tooth, and in this reality, he only need to change himself.”. It was so cruel to a dog from lazy and sun-kissed life. He must see to it and never fall down, or he would be eaten away. Actually he was not defeated; inst
35、ead his latent nature was aroused. He became cunning and was on guard against any surprise attacks from both his teammates and savage husky dogs. What will support him? Undoubtedly the answer is the will to survive. The indestructible will to survive was his spiritual prop and to some degree it play
36、ed a decisive role in his behaviors. Everything served for one aim, to survive. His self-respect was hurt deeply when he was being made a draught animal. He still managed to work well. Buck was considered as a role full of seriousness, responsibility and diligence. He was tamed to be a sled-dog, who
37、 felt hardly but not disgusting.” .In the past, he never coveted food that did not belong to him, but hard environment, hard conditions, little food, especially will to survive quickly impelled him to change his elegant eating way and even urged him to be a thief. All these were just for survival. H
38、is will to survive told him that if he did not do this, he would die, even be torn almost to pieces. He should do everything he could in order to search hope of life, and for him doing things was easier than not doing. When Buck and his team staggered into John Thorntons camp with his third ownersth
39、ree foolish Southland people who want Buck and his teammates to cross the White River that has been melting as the spring coming, he did not want to stand up again, even the owner beat him with the whip and the club. He did not want to move an inch. Why? Before he entered the wilderness, although he
40、 had learned that the man with the club was the master and he must obey the mans orders. Now his owner was with the club, why did he rebel? Because his intuition told him it would have an impending doom. Though “the spark of the life within flicked and went down. It was nearly out” .Under the beatin
41、g, Buck had made up his mind not to get up. It was his will to survive. He could stand up and continued to work, but it would be the end of his life. If he could stick to his mind, he might have a thread of hope to live. “Buck was not defeated by the inclement climate of nature in North, the bad wor
42、king environment, tough job and live in cold and hunger, etc. Instead, it was just the brutal surrounding annealed his will, evoked his wild nature and led to his renascence.”. Survival was the most important thing in these hard surroundings, living was everything. Bucks will to survive asked him to
43、 rebel, not to obey the order, and finally the result of the story could prove that his choice was really wise. Only from this, can the readers feel his indestructible will to survive even under the clubthe law of survival in the Northland.2.3 Alert and Resourceful Wisdom to SurviveIt can be said th
44、at indestructible will to survive supports him to live and to fit the hostile and frigid environment, and firm and indomitable strength to survive helps him protect himself well and conquer others. But only with these two factors, Buck could not live well and gain the authority and recognition from
45、his owners and teammates. As far as I see it, the most important term was the third character of the supermanhis alert and resourceful wisdom to survive. Buck was so clever that he could fully use his wisdom to overcome the risky in those very cruel surroundings. He was a dog who had easy, lazy and
46、sun-kissed life before he was stolen and sold to the Northland, where he had no consciousness in his old life. The first lesson he learned was never to rebel orders from the man with club, who was the lawgiver, a master must to be obeyed, conflicts were useless. He got his lesson written in his own
47、blood and drew from many dogs lessons paid for with blood. Though he was beaten, he was not broken. It aroused his latent cunning nature. Curlys death taught him another cruel lessonin the Northland, under the law of club and fang, life was just that way, killing or being killed were the only two ch
48、oices, there was no third one. He had to see to it and never let himself go down, once he went down, many huskies, including his teammates would tear him into pieces. In his later life, his learning ability helped him quickly fit the changing conditions. His learning ability helped him and made him
49、reach great progress, not only shown from his quick learning how to draw the sled, but also from his quick learning how to sleep in this frigid weatherdig a hole under the thick snow. His outstanding learning ability and wisdom to survive made him learn how to bite the ice out when it still collected between his toes. He even had an excellent ability that he could scent the wind and could forecast in advance, so every night he could sleep sweeter and comfortable than other dogs. In the hard environment, s
