1. Call of the Wild Review Chapters 1-7

2. How would you respond to the following? Discuss the Law of the Club; explain how Buck learns it and its significance as a theme. Discuss the Law of the Fang; explain how Buck learns it and its significance as a theme. Explain how Buck retrogressed when he came to the Northland.

3. How would you respond to the following? Dominant Primordial Beast (DPB) is the primitive will to survive. Which characters were ruled by DPB. Show instances of characters going against their DPB and risking their lives out of love or loyalty. How do Hal and Mercedes represent male and female stereotypes, respectively? What is the Call of the Wild? What holds Buck back from answering the call?

4. In the Southland, why is trouble brewing for every strong dog? Men are rushing to the Northland to look for gold and they need strong dogs

5. What literary device is this? Foreshadowing Buck’s kidnapping

6. Why does Jack London make Buck’s first owner a judge? Judges interpret LAWS; epitomize “civilization” in the Southland

7. Who are Toots and Ysabel? House dogs at Judge Miller’s place

8. What extended metaphor is used at the beginning of Chapter 1? Buck is a king

9. How is Buck described at the beginning of Chapter 1 that shows he is a product of civilization? Buck is a sated aristocrat; has the dignity that comes of good living and universal respect; is egotistical

10. Who are Elmo and Shep? Buck’s parents

11. What is a tonic and health preserver for Buck? Love of water

12. In what year is Buck captured? 1897

13. What is Manuel’s one besetting sin? Chinese gambling

14. What is Manuel’s one besetting weakness? Faith in a system

15. What emotion did Buck show when Manuel sold him? Anger

16. What does Buck’s collar represent? Civilization—it had to be forcefully removed from him

17. How did Buck view men on his journey North? As tormentors

18. Why isn’t the man in the red sweater given a name? He is a symbol of the potential in men to show primitive (brutal) behavior

19. What does the red in his sweater represent? savagery, blood

20. How many times did Buck charge at the man in the red sweater? Over a dozen

21. After the man in the red sweater, Buck was beaten but he was not _____. broken

22. Buck was introduced to the reign of primitive law. What is the Law of the Club? A man with a club is a lawgiver, a master to be obeyed, though not necessarily to be made friends with….and

23. Buck was introduced to the reign of primitive law. What is the Law of the Club? A single dog cannot win a fight against a man with a club in his hand

24. What does the club represent? Power, brutality, man’s ability to use his brain to create weapons

25. What is Jack London saying about mankind as a whole? We are weak animals, but we have intelligence to create weapons to dominate and protect us

26. Who is a French-Canadian, black-faced giant? Francois

27. Who is a little weazened man who spat broken English? Perrault

28. What do Perrault and Francois do for a living? Carry dispatches for the Canadian government

29. Who is a good-natured Newfoundland? Curly

30. Who had accompanied a Geological Survey into the Barrens? Spitz

31. Who smiles in a treacherous sort of way? Spitz

32. Who is a gloomy, morose fellow? Dave

33. Who steals Buck’s food on the first night? Spitz

34. What does Buck think of Perrault and Francois? He thought that they were fair men, calm and impartial in giving justice, and wise in the way of dogs

35. Why does Buck feel ashamed on the deck of the Narwhal? He had never been in snow before

36. What simile is used to describe Buck’s first day on the Dyea beach? Like a nightmare

37. How does Buck describe the men and animals on Dyea beach? Savages who knew no law but the law of club and fang

38. What is Buck’s vicarious experience on Dyea Beach? Watching Curly’s death

39. Describe the Law of the Fang Fight to the death Wolf manner of fighting Other dogs form a circle Never go down, no fair play

40. Why does Buck hate Spitz after Curly’s death? Spitz laughed at it

41. What was sorely hurt when Buck was placed in the harness the first time? His dignity

42. Which dogs are brothers? Billee and Joe

43. Who has an excessive good nature? Billee

44. Who is sour, introspective, with a perpetual snarl and a malignant eye? Joe

45. Who was known as The Angry One? Sol-leks

46. Who was the incarnation of belligerent fear? Joe

47. Who had a single eye that flashed a warning of prowess? Sol-leks

48. Why was Buck’s shoulder slashed three inches? Sol-leks did not like to be approached on his blind side.

49. Why did Buck flee ignominiously his first night? He tried to sleep in the tent of the men

50. Why did Buck bound out of the snow his first morning? He thought he was in a trap (genetic memory)

51. What is genetic memory? Knowing how to do something without ever having done it before

52. Who was the wheeler dog? Dave

53. Which two dogs became alive and alert in the traces? Dave and Sol-leks

54. How does Perrault honor Buck? Checking his feet

55. What did Perrault pride himself on? Knowledge of the ice

56. Why couldn’t Buck be a fastidious eater? Other dogs would take his food

57. Who is a clever malingerer? Pike

58. From which dog did Buck learn to steal? Pike

59. What event marked Buck’s capacity to adapt? Stealing bacon

60. Which law existed in the Southland? Law of love and fellowship (respect private property and personal feelings

61. What is the “more fundamental and primitive code” that is beaten into Buck? Civilized, he would die for his morals. Decivilized, he has to abandon his morals to survive.

62. T or F: Buck stole for the joy of it. False—he stole because he was hungry

63. What does retrogression mean? Retro = back Gress = to step To step back into a more primitive time

64. What is Buck’s most conspicuous trait? To scent the wind and forecast the weather a night in advance

65. What does Spitz do to Buck at Lake Laberge? Steals his nest

66. “…the unexpected happened, the thing that projected their struggle for supremacy far into the future…” is an example of what device? foreshadowing

67. What event broke forth pandemonium in the camp? Attack of the starving huskies

68. After the attack, which dog fled over the ice? Billee

69. What did the starving huskies eat? Sled lashings, canvas coverings, Perrault’s moose-hide moccasins, chunks of the leather whip and traces

70. Which dog goes mad? Dolly—from rabies

71. Nothing is said to daunt which character? Perrault

72. In Spitz’s view, why was Buck an exception to the Southland dogs? Buck adapted quickly and lived

73. In what four traits did Buck match Spitz? Strength, savagery, cunning, and patience

74. What was the defiance of life, pitched in minor key, the half- sobs? The huskies’ howls

75. What is the paradox of living? To feel most alive, you have to forget everything around you

76. When did Buck experience “the sheer surging of life, the tidal wave of being”? Chasing the snowshoe rabbit

77. What quality did Buck possess that made for greatness? imagination

78. As a leader, at what did Buck excel? Giving the law and making his mates live up to it

79. What did Buck describe as “monotonous, machinelike regularity”? Life with the Scotch half-breed and the mail train

80. What did Buck sometimes dream of? Judge Miller’s place, swimming tank, Toots and Ysabel

81. What did Buck more often dream of? Man in the red sweater, death of Curly, fight with Spitz, good things to eat

82. What were far more potent memories? Memories of his heredity (genetic memory)

83. Was Buck homesick? No

84. Who is the hairy man? Man’s ancestor

85. What happened to Dave? He had internal injuries and they shot him

86. What hurt the dogs the most as the mail train entered Skagway? Their feet

87. Who is a middle-aged, lightish-colored man, with weak and watery eyes? Charles

88. Who is nineteen, with a revolver and knife? Hal

89. What was the most salient thing about Hal? His belt with cartridges

90. What did Hal’s belt advertise? His callowness (inexperience)

91. What did Mercedes not want to leave behind? The tent

92. What advice did the townspeople give Hal, Charles, and Mercedes? Get rid of ½ the load and get twice as many dogs

93. What were the six new dogs called? The Outside dogs

94. What did Buck think of the new dogs? Looked at them with disgust; could not teach them what to do

95. What did Hal trade his Colt revolver for? Frozen horse hide

96. Which dog was the first to go under Hal, Charles, and Mercedes? Dub (shoulder blade)

97. It was Mercedes’ custom to be _____ helpless

98. What was Mercedes’ essential sex-prerogative? Making the lives of her men unendurable if they did not do what she wanted

99. What was her “lusty last straw”? Mercedes had to sit on the sled

100. Why did Hal and Charles come back for Mercedes? She is family

101. How did Buck describe his life with Hal, Charles, and Mercedes (simile)? As in a nightmare

102. Which dog had to be knocked on the head with the ax? Billee

103. Which four dogs fell into the lake with Hal, Charles, and Mercedes? Teek, Pike, Sol-leks, and Joe

104. What metaphor is used to describe the dogs as they cling to life? like a flame about to be extinguished

105. Why does Jack London stop to describe the beautiful spring weather at this point? Using ANTITHESIS, he makes the dogs’ condition seem even worse

106. Why is Thornton at his camp? He froze his feet the prior December

107. Who had a doctor trait? Skeet

108. Who is a huge black, demonstrative dog? Nig

109. When with Thornton, what was Buck’s for the first time? Love, genuine, passionate love

110. Thornton saw to the welfare of his dogs as if they were ____. His children

111. Why didn’t Buck let Thornton out of his sight? Out of a fear that no master was permanent

112. Faithfulness and devotion were Buck’s, yet he retained his _____ and _____. Wildness and wiliness

113. Because of his great love, what could Buck not do? Steal from Thornton or his dogs

114. In the wild, Buck must master or _____. Be mastered

115. What did not exist in the primordial life? Mercy

116. What was mercy mistaken for in the wild? Fear

117. Why was Buck “older than the days he had seen and the breaths he had drawn”? He had the knowledge and emotions (genetic memory) of his ancestors throbbing in him.

118. Because Buck’s genetic memory surfaced, what “slipped farther from him”? The claims of mankind—he no longer wanted to be with man in civilization.

119. What was Buck willing to do for Thornton on the bluffs of the Tanana River? Jump off a 300-ft. cliff

120. Why did a miner’s meeting need to be called at Circle City? Buck tore out Black Burton’s throat

121. How did Buck and Thornton go against DPB at Forty Mile Creek? Each risked their lives to save the other

122. Who called Thornton’s bluff at Eldorado Saloon? Matthewson

123. Who loaned Thornton money at Eldorado Saloon? Jim O’Brien

124. What was the bet at Eldorado Saloon? Whether Buck could pull a 1,000 pound sled for 100 yards and break it out

125. What was steeped in tragedy and shrouded in mystery? The lost mine, or “Lost Cabin”

126. Did Thornton and his partners ever find the Lost Cabin? No, but they did find gold.

127. How did the men travel? Indian fashion (salt, rifle, tools)

128. With Thornton, Buck again envisions the hairy man. In this world, what was the salient thing? fear

129. While traveling with Thornton, what was Buck compelled to do? Explore the wild

130. When was Buck at last answering the call? Running side by side with his wolf brother

131. What was Buck able to kill? Bear, two wolverines, moose calf, a bull moose

132. What color was Buck? Brown on his muzzle and a splash of white down his chest

133. What did Buck inherit from his father? Size and weight

134. What did Buck inherit from his mother? Muzzle and shape

135. What three things made Buck formidable? Wolf cunning, dog intelligence, and experience in the wild

136. What three things could Buck do in an instant? Perceive, determine, and respond

137. What trait did Buck use to bring down the bull moose? patience

138. Why was the bull moose at a disadvantage? He had been shot by an Indian (arrow in the rump)

139. When did Buck allow passion to usurp cunning and reason? After he found Hans

140. What did the Yeehats think Buck was? Evil Spirit

141. Who remained faithful to Thornton to the last? Skeet

142. What did Buck have to do to join the wolf pack? Fight several of the pack’s fiercest fighters

143. After a time, what do the Yeehats tell of? A Ghost Dog