陶艳群 云南省曲靖市富源县墨红镇中学
【摘要】《野性的呼唤》是杰克.伦敦的一部文学巨著。自1903年出版后一直受到人们高度的评价，文中主人公巴克的顽强精神一直受到人们的关注。《野性的呼唤》讲述了巴克由一只温顺的家犬变成一只野蛮的狼的过程。评论家们从它被贩卖的途中所遭受的毒打，与狗之间的竞争，回归后徘徊在文明与荒野之间等分析了巴克的形象。有的学者还用达尔文“适者生存”的原理对此做了深刻的阐述。本文在此基础上认为巴克从始至终没有放弃顽强的反抗精神，并从它对人类和文明的反抗，征服自然和同类，为了恩人对人类的报复三方面来论证说明巴克是一个顽强的斗士。
本文采用文本细读的方法对巴克顽强精神进行分析。全文分为三个部分。第一部分对故事梗概进行总体介绍，同时对文献进行综述。第二部分从它反抗人类与文明，征服自然与同类，为恩人报复三方面探讨巴克的顽强精神。第三部分对所做的分析进行总结并提出写本文的写作意义。
【关键词】顽强的精神；勇敢；征服；报复
An Indomitable Fighter
——Comments on Buck in “The Call of the Wild”
Abstract：Jack London’s masterpiece, The Call of the Wild, was published in 1903, and it has been highly praised since then. The protagonist’s indomitable spirit attracts people’s attention. This novel tells us how Buck becomes a cruel wolf from a docile dog. Many scholars have analyzed Buck’s image from his sufferings in the hands of cruel masters, his competition with other dogs, and his hover between civilization and wildness after regression to nature. Some also expound this image with the Darwinist theory of “the fittest survive”. Based on these the paper points out that Buck does not give up his indomitable spirit from beginning to end. And it argues that Buck is an indomitable fighter because of his revolt against human beings and civilization, his conquest of nature and other dogs, and his revenge on man for his benefactor.
The thesis employs close reading to analyze Buck’s indomitable spirit. It includes three parts. Part One contains literature review and a brief introduction to the indomitable fighter—Buck; Part Two demonstrates his indomitable spirit from three aspects: his revolt against human beings and civilization, his conquest of nature and dogs, and his revenge on man for his benefactor. Part Three is a summary of the analysis and brings forward the purpose of this paper.
Key words: indomitable spirit; braveness; conquest; revenge
中图分类号：G688.2 文献标识码：A 文章编号：ISSN1672-2051（2021）6-168-02
Introduction
The Call of the Wild is written by Jack London. It has left deep impressions on readers since it was published in 1903, especially the dramatic personae, Buck. Firstly, Jiang Tianzuo shows Buck’s indomitable spirit for us. Though Buck is beaten, his spirit does not break; he still faces everything bravely. His actions demonstrate his indomitable spirit. Secondly, Jia Junhong also explains Buck’s spirit profoundly in his essay. He beholds that Buck escapes his benefactor; Thornton’s bondage, and returns to nature. He earns freedom because of his indomitable spirit. And Mai Chunyan analyzes this image with Darwinism (survival of fittest) in his passage. Moreover, someone even says that Buck’s soul hovers between civilization and wildness after he regresses to nature. All of these testify Buck is an indomitable fighter. In this novel, the leading role is Buck, a gigantic dog. All the pain and agony happen to him. However, he adapts to the abominable weather in Northland and gains the indomitable spirit from both the civilization of human beings and the war and conflict in wildness. He doesn’t break down under the cruel treatment of human being. In order to survive among the dogs, he conquers all difficulties and wins the mastership. He could not do that without the indomitable spirit. After his benefactor died, he regresses to nature and finally becomes a wolf completely, but his revenge continues. That is another example of his indomitable spirit.
In the progress of selling, Buck meets different masters, and some of them treat him cruelly, hit him with club, and laugh at him. The beating-up without mercy from dealers and the laughter from hammers stab his mind. But gradually Buck learns how to handle everything in the civil world; meanwhile, he makes himself become braver. He never gives up any chance to survive. “Buck made no effort. He lay quietly where he had fallen. The lash bit into him again and again, but he neither whined nor struggled”. He is defeated, of course, he knows it, but he is not conquered. “to abbey; to conciliate, or to die; and Buck is above all a survivor. He knows he is beaten, but his spirit is never broken.”2 His desire for living comes from the indomitable spirit. After his benefactor is buried, he returns to nature together with other wolves, but his revenge for his benefactor doesn’t fade away at all in his mind. He returns to civil world to retaliate for Thornton. He leads the wolves to rob Yeehats’ traps, to slay their dogs. In order to adapt to the cold weather, Buck learns all kinds of skills for survival, such as digging a hole in the snow to sleep, stealing food for hunger, thawing snow to drink, and conquering other dogs in order to earn the mastership. His dogged spirit is testified in such activities embodying the Darwinist theory of “survival of the fittest.”
1.Three Aspects that Demonstrate Buck’s Image as an Indomitable Fighter
In my opinion, Buck is an indomitable fighter because of his revolt against human beings and civilization, his conquest of nature and other dogs as well as his revenge on man for his benefactor. Buck understands people’s cruelty is a way to turn him into a sled dog. However, his indomitable spirit makes it impossible for him to accept such treatment and he starts to revolt against human beings. The severe cold winter comes and he learns various skills for survival; living together with other doges, his indomitable spirit helps him win the mastership. In this sense, we say he can’t conquer the nature and other dogs without the indomitable spirit. And it is also his indomitable spirit that gives him the motive to revenge for his benefactor after his regression.
2.His Conquest of Nature and Other Dogs
Another demonstration that Buck is an indomitable fighter is his conquest of nature and other dogs. As a sled dog in North, Buck realizes that life is tough and painful. In order to survive, he learns all kinds of living skills to adapt to the abominable weather, and also learns how to avoid starving to death. He knows the importance of mastership for a bigger chance of surviving, so he made great efforts to win the mastership. When fortune is not friendly to him and imposes all cruel things on him, Buck fights against it and survives as an indomitable fighter by conquering the nature and other dogs.
3.His Revenge on Man for His Benefactor
His indomitable spirit causes his inexhaustible revenge for his benefactor after his death. When his benefactor is alive, he devotes himself to helping him; after his death, he revenges for him without stop. After getting the mastership, he does not return to nature because he has an unquenchable appreciation for Thornton, a man for whom he has abundant sentiment. Thornton saved his life and considered him as his child. Buck keeps these in mind and repays that benevolence by doing whatever he can to guard Thornton. In the hostile world, his benefactor Thornton means everything to him. Thus, when Thornton, the only bridge between him and human world, is killed, he tries his best to revenge.
Conclusion
In the novel, Buck is a wise, brave, cunning and fierce role; at the same time, he is a cruel and respectable fighter, an indomitable fighter. Buck used to live in a big house, where there is warm sunshine. In Buck’s mind, he understands that people aren’t wiser than animals. Animals live in the world by intuition, while people depend on cruel laws. His masters have no mercy for the dogs and hit them with whip cruelly. He realizes everything in the civil world is deceptive. Although he realizes the uselessness of revolt from civilization, he still fights against it. All he undergoes awaken his nature, his braveness results in fighting against his masters. When he is sold to different people, various pain and agony befall him and he gradually understands that the law of the club and fang is the only principle of survival. His indomitable spirit helps him adjust to the severe living conditions and the law of “Club and Fang’. But his desire for survival forces him to revolt against human beings and civilization. Buck watches his companions die off because of hunger and prostration, but he doesn’t give up the desire for survival. From the death of his companions, he realizes the importance of winning the lead. And his indomitable spirit helps him win the mastership again. After the death of his benefactor, he regresses to the wilderness for the call of the wild from his ancestor summons him. The primitive world is dominated by the jungle law, “Man or dog becomes hardened to nature physically and also hardened spiritually to greed, thievery, cunning, violence, and individualism in society and nature. Finally, when man or dog has gained sufficient strength and craft, he may prey on these weaker than himself…”16 Buck understands the weaker are controlled by overmatches, which is the principle of survival. He decides to conquer the nature and other dogs in order to survive. He achieves this goal with his indomitable spirit. After regressing to nature, he never forgets his benefactor, and his revenge continues.
From the start to end Buck overcomes all difficulties with the indomitable spirit. His revolt against human beings and civilization, his conquest of nature and other dogs, and his revenge on man for his benefactor all demonstrate his indomitable spirit. Whatever harsh circumstances he confronts, he never stops fighting for survival. His indomitable spirit is always there. He is undoubtedly an indomitable fighter. We are living in a world of fierce competition, and we may come across lots of difficulties in the future. In this sense, the indomitable spirit we learned from Buck will be of great importance for us to overcome them and win a promising future.
参考文献
[1]达尔文（Darwin）.进化论：肉弱强食的故事.武汉：武汉大学出版社，2007.3
[2]杰克.伦敦.野性的呼唤.北京：中国书籍出版社，2007.1.
[3]买春艳.对《野性的呼唤》中巴克形象的再解读.盐城师范学院学报（人文社会科学版），2005，（3）：95-97.
[4]马兴芝.“适者生存”在《野性的呼唤》和《白牙》中的阐释.哈尔滨商业大学学赵立平.徘徊在文明和荒野间.文教资料，2008.4：34-41.