Human VS Wild: Battle of the Better Beast

Nov 4, 2008

Well, the first chapter is said and done. It’s a good introduction to the character of Buck, his past, and where the story should be headed next. London uses an interesting personification with Buck that gives him a very human-like intelligence. It is true that man and animal have a lot of similarities, but there are many distinct differences. The personification of Buck used doesn’t challenge the basic idea of human nature in any way. It is true that a person in this situation would probably think in the same way that Buck does throughout his travels, but all of his actions are done in a very primitive, instinctive manner. Anybody, human or animal, that is put into a situation that they aren’t familiar with is going to be on the defensive. When antagonized, it will usually make them more defensive and agitated. This is one of our more primal instincts we still hold.
Now, if Buck had learned how to capture other dogs, trade them in for money, cart them on a train for two days, and deliver them to a dog trainer, that would be something to challenge human nature. The reason why this differs from him reacting to his situation is that he would have to learn and adapt many different aspects of himself and his environment to accomplish this. The main difference between humans and creatures of the wild is our ability to process multiple and complex emotions and to adapt to our situation as necessary. Buck did learn to deal with his situation the best he could, but he was acting on his more primal, simple instincts to survive.