I remember reading The Call of the Wild as a youngster. I remember mostly that I enjoyed it and that it dealt with a dog in Alaska or Canada. I do not recall reading Wild Fang. Probably because they are seen asanimal stories these books in our time have been pigeonholed as children’s book. While they work very well at this level for younger readers, they are by far from only for children. I recently read both these books as an adult and enjoyed them immensely.
The Call of the Wild is basically about a domesticated dog going back to nature. Wild Fang is about a wild animal, ¾ wolf and ¼ domestic dog, going from wild to domestication. Both books are adventure stories that grab you and keep you turning the page to see what happens next. In both, I felt like I was in the dog’s skin and somehow London knew exactly what the animal was experiencing.
The Call of the Wild is a narrative set during the Klondike gold rush. Our protagonist, Buck, adapts to the violence that swarms around, both from other dogs and men. He eventually becomes the meanest boy on the block. It also depicts the stupidity of many of the folks who rushed to hunt gold in the Klondike. In the end Buck becomes a legend, a Ghost Dog, who the Native Americans of the area both fear and revere.
White Fang is an exploration of nurture versus nature. White Fang is born wild from a mother who was an Indian dog for while. They are both taken back up the Indians. White Fang goes through a series of owners, each of which nurture a different aspect of his personality. However, the natural world is not really gone from his soul.
It explores the pitiless violence that is the carnivorous world. It does this through a series of vignettes of predation.
It details love of violence that seems to be in the heart of so many humans. White Fang at one point is the property of a man intent on making his fortune by pitting White Fang against other dogs, wolves, and the occasional wolverine. Staged animal fights are still an issue in the 21st century.
Eventually this is a love story between man and dog. And I know that is something millions of readers can relate to.
Both books are in the public domain and can be downloaded for free.
Audio books from LibriVox.org :
e-Book from Gutenberg.org: