Qualities of a Hero
Buck faces many challenges from the beginning of the story till the end. The novel The Call of the Wild by Jack London is and adventure book. This story takes place in the Yukon territory, When a dog named Buck gets kidnapped from his blissful life and sent into a full of hardship and misery. Throughout the whole story buck demonstrated his actions of trying to be the hero in the story.
Buck showed that he was passionate many times throughout the story. For example, as burton struck Thornton from the side with no warning Thornton went flying “Those who were looking heard neither bark nor yelp, but something which best described as a roar, and they saw Buck’s body rise up in the air as he left the floor for Burton’s throat.” (London 79). This shows that buck would even try to kill a man who had hurt his loving master. Even though his first lesson was a man was the king now not him. Also, when Thornton had made a bet about buck pulling a thousand pounds “As Thornton got to his feet, Buck seized his mittened hand between his jaws, pressing it with his teeth and releasing it slowly, half-reluctantly. It was the answer, in terms not of speech but of love.”(London 86). His passion for Thornton went beyond words even though he couldn’t talk to Thornton he showed him by winning that bet for Thornton. This is only one reason of how buck is seen as a hero and there is a couple more to come.
Another perspective of buck is his ferocity in some moments in the book. For instance, the time when he had learned that the Yeehats had killed Thornton “He sprang at the foremost man, ripping the throat wide open till the rent jugular spouted a fountain of blood. He did not pass to worry the victim, but ripped in passing, with the next bound tearing wide the throat of a second man. There was no withstanding him.” (London 104). This showed that when he was mad or out of control no living being could stop in his way of doing what he wants. Furthermore, when Buck had made a very warm sleeping spot and Spitz stole it “Till now Buck had avoided trouble with his enemy, but this was too much. The beast in him roared, and he sprang upon Spitz” (London 28). This shoed that even though buck is silent there is a side that very bad to know. Nothing can stand in his way if he wanted to.
Finally Buck showed his heroism by being brave