As one who personifies pets, I was immediately drawn to this book, narrated from the mind of a St. Bernard, Buck. The book held true to the hard working and loyal nature of a dog. But this personification allowed my heart to sink deeper and deeper as Buck and his teammates were driven far beyond what I thought they could allow. It was difficult to read about the ferocious fighting between dogs, the harsh weather conditions, the deep starvation of animals, and worse of all, the lack of camaraderie between man and animal. The animals continue to be sold from one worse team to another.
To the rescue, Buck is saved by John Thorton, as the rest of his previous crew fall to their deaths ... literally. Rescued as well is my heart, as Buck and Thorton build a relationship that defines "Man's Best Friend." The daily lives and thrilling tales of Buck and Thorton made me beam, as my "best friend" curls up on the couch next to me.
However, as one who personifies pets, I did not understand Buck's final "Call of the Wild" in the end. To me, dogs are the docile type of canines, put on this earth to provide companionship to humans. Sure, Buck showed some ferocious characteristics during his desperation and starvation periods, but his relationship with Thorton brought what I thought is a dog's true character.
London has Buck answer this "Call" to join the wolf pack to answer a legend of the Yeehat tribe in Canada - they noticed a change in the breed of timber wolf - seen with splashes of brown on their muzzles and heads which may have come from breeding with another type of canine. While this legend in the end explained to me the purpose of Buck's travels/life to get him to that point, I still prefer a story of a loyal house dog who is one of the family.
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