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Theme Of Heroism In The Call Of The Wild

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“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”--Christopher Reeve. This declaration regards to many of the main characters in Jack London’s books. In 1912, critic Philo M. Blake, Jr., gave his judgement in The Methodist Review stating that Jack London’s heros are not genuine heros because they are barbaric and uncivilized.The definition of barbarism is extreme cruelty or brutality, causing an absence of culture or civilization. In The Call of the Wild, Blake’s comment is clearly not described. In the novel, Buck is the protagonist, and he is stolen from his home in the Santa Clara Valley and taken to the Canadian Yukon during the peak of the Klondike gold rush. While there, Buck must adapt to the cold, harsh weather and savage animals in the North land. He shows …show more content…

In the novel, Mathewson, a former local, said that he had $1600 that proves Buck can not start a sled with 1000 pounds on it. John Thornton believes in Buck, but he has no idea if he can start such tremendous a load.“He did not playfully shake him, as was his wont, or murmur soft love curses; but he whispered in his ear. ‘As you love me, Buck. As you love me,’ was what he whispered” (66-67). Buck powerfully pulls the sled 100 yards and proves Mathewson wrong, winning John Thornton a total of $1600. This money enables Thornton and his men to go to the secret lost mine and pay of certain debts. Buck is a hero in this situation because he knows that he has to do something important for his master, and he succeeds greatly by making Thornton a sizable amount of money in less than 5 minutes. Buck would not have shown this sort of commitment for his master if he was surely barbaric. Overall, he shows an act of heroism by his amazing achievement and when he makes Thornton’s ambition of going to the lost mine come

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