TheWildisstillcalling——AfterreadingTheCallofTheWildPublishedin1903,TheCalloftheWildisJackLondon’sfamousnovelsetduringtheKlondikeGoldRush.Itsauthor,JackLondon,whohadbeenaprospectorintheKlondikeGoldRushinthelate1890s,wasregardedastheAmerica’smostfamousauthoratthattime.Thenovel’sprotagonistisadognamedBuck,aphysicallyimpressivedog,livingthegoodlifeinCaliforniawhenhegetsstolenandputintodogslavery.Forhim,thismeanspullingaridiculouslyheavysledthroughmilesandmilesoffrozenicewithlittleornothingtoeatandfrequentbeatings.Asthedefinitionofadomesticdog,Buckisoutofhiselementuntilhebeginstoadapttohissurroundings,andlearnfromtheotherdogs.Buckisinvolvedinastruggleforpowerwithanotherdog,Spitz.TheyendupfightingandBuckwins,takingoverasleaderofthesleddogteam.Theteamchangeshumanmanagementandthenewdriversdon'tseemtobeverycompetent.They’rebaddriversandendupkillingeveryone,includingthemselves.Fortunately,BuckissavedbyakindmannamedJohnThornton,momentbeforethegroupdeathinanicyriver.BuckbecomesattachedtoThorntonandevensaveshislifeseveraltimes.Bucksetsoffonajourneywithhisnewmasterandseveralothermen,lovinghisnewlife,exceptfortheneedtorunoffandkillthingsinthewoodseveryonceinawhile.Buckfightswithtemptation:staywithThornton,orkillthings?Becivilized,orbewild?Andnaturallythereareseveralmissedphonecallsfromthewild.AttheendoftheCalloftheWild,ThorntoniskilledbytheYeehattribe.Buckisthenfreetorunwiththewilddogpacks.ThenoveldealswithBuckasthoughhewereapersonwiththoughtsandemotionsandtouchesmebyitsthemeofpursuingancestralmemoryandprimitiveinstincts.WhenBuckentersthewild,hemustlearncountlesslessonsinordertosurvive,andhelearnsthemwell.ButthenovelsuggeststhathissuccessinthefrozenNorthisnotmerelyamatterof“learning”;rather,Buckgradually“recovers”primitiveinstinctsandmemoriesthathiswildancestorspossessed,whichhavebeenburiedinmoderncivilizedcreatures,dogs.ThetechnicaltermforwhathappenstoBuckisatavism—thereappearanceinamoderncreatureoftraitsthatwasdefinedbyitsremoteforefathers.Londonreturnstothisthemeagainandagain,constantlyremindingusthatBuckis“retrogressing”,asthenovelputsitintoawilderwayoflifethatalldogsonceshared——“Hewasolderthanthedayshehadseenandthebreathshehaddrawn.”Buckevenhasoccasionalvisionsofthisolderworld,whenhumansworeanimalskinsandlivedincaves,andwhenwilddogshuntedtheirpreyintheprimevalforests.Hisconnectiontohisancestralidentityismorethaninstinctual;itismystical.Thecivilizedworld,whichseemssostrong,turnsouttobenothingmorethanathinveneer,whichisquicklywornawaytorevealtheancientinstinctslyingdormantunderneath.Buckhearsthecallofthewild,andLondonimpliesthat,intherightcircumstances,wemighthearittoo.JackLondonisn’tnecessarilymakingtheclaimthatweshouldallrunaroundnaked,killingandeatingwithourbarehands.Instead,heusesadogtoaskthequestionofwhatallthiscivilizationisreallydoingforus.Becauseasidefromthestarvation,beatings,andthenearlyfreezingtodeath,Buckmightjustbebetteroffinthewildthanwherehewasbeforethiswholemessbegan.Why?Becauseit’swhathewasmeanttodo,whathisbodywasbuiltfor.Sothenexttimeyoufindyourselfonthevergeofgivingintothoseprimalinstincts,takeaminute.Andpickupthephone,becauseTheWildisstillcalling.
