___________________________
STUDYWORLD STUDYNOTES
The Call of the Wild
Chapter 4: Who Has Won to Mastership
Summary:
In the morning, the men realize what has happened when they
see that Spitz is missing and Buck is covered with blood. Francois selects
Sol-leks to lead the team, however, Buck makes it known to all that he expects
to be given the lead position. He soon proves to all that he is very good
in this role.
When Francois and Perrault receive official orders that they
will be working in another place, the team is taken over by a Scotsman and
they start to haul heavy loads of supplies. They are treated well but Dave
falls ill with an unusual illness and has to be killed.
Review:
Jack London excels in his ability to create realism and suspense
by his use of details. He was a very sensitive, aware, and alert person
and is able to make the reader feel that he/she is actually there.
The concept of irony is introduced in the way the chapter
begins and ends. In the beginning, Buck's team makes the record run. It
ends with a shot that puts a dying dog out of its misery. What starts out
promising ends not in a celebration but in sadness.
It is interesting to note the similarities between the way
Dave reacts when he cannot work and the way humans would behave. There are
some humans who need the achievement and pride of work and feel diminished
when they are unable to work.
