13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
When the way of the wild was a fact of life, April 5, 2000
Written almost of century ago by Jack London, both of these stories have truly stood the test of time. Both of them are based on London's experience in the Yukon, and both are written from the point of view of dogs.
In "The Call of the Wild", the dog Buck is kidnapped from an easy life and sold to a sled team during the Klondike Gold Rush. In spite of the numerous cruelties inflicted on him, Buck learns to survive. Eventually, he returns to the wild and to run with the wolves.
In "White Fang", the story is reversed. White Fang is three-quarters wolf and was born in the wild. Through a series of events, he is domesticated and eventually becomes a tame and loving pet.
There is much to learn in both of these stories. One thing is the way of animals and their life in the wild. Another is of the way of life in the Yukon. And of the men, both brutal and kind, who rely on the dogs to pull the sleds.
Jack London used his words well. There's an elegant cadence and a vigorous spirit. His love for the animals comes through as well as his respect for the wild forces of nature. And the theme that life changes are really possible because of environmental forces.
London didn't set out to write a story about the glorification of nature or vanishing wildlife. Indeed, during his short lifetime (1876-1916) the way of the wild was a fact of life. London just simply wrote his stories. And through his words, left a legacy of work that will continue to enrich the lives of readers for many generations to come.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
No book provides more powerful images of Life, May 3, 2001
This, in my opinion, is among the greatest sociological books existing. Unlike any other book you have read: there is no jealousy in this book, no bickering, no envy, no greed, no pettiness -- there is only life and the struggle for life. That life is good. That living is good. That making it through the day, or the hour, is good.
The book pounds the reader through the confines of the frozen north, where two men attempt to transport a decedent in his coffin. On the way, hungry wolves pursue the trail -- we can't blame them -- "their muscles are strings" -- the wolves are literally starving to death. The men understand this, but also that they have a job to do.
Later, one of these wolves delivers a few pups, and the pups struggle to live within their den while the mother attempts to find food that is virtually nonexistent. One of these wolves is White Fang -- in his struggle for survival, he must rise above his fears and his teachings, and in so doing, discovers that living is essential, that living is good.
Through trials and tribulations, White Fang understands that love is the highest pinnacle of existence, and that order is the highest essential of Life.
Crammed with so many wonderful scenes, so many poigant and solemn images of life, the struggle for life, the very act of living -- impossible to put down, impossible to ignore.
If you have doubts about your world, your doubts will be shaken if you read this book.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A triumph of the living spirit!, August 22, 1999
By A Customer
Jack London has written the finest of stories in White Fang. The bar has been raised never to be surpassed. White Fang is the story of life and the will to live. Nothing else! I have read this story many times and have ventured to continue the legacy of "The Blessed Wolf". There has yet to be a novel written of such an exceptional understanding of the energy of life that surges within all living creatures. An energy superceded only by the power of love, loyalty, devotion and honor. The world must read this novel, for it is a part of everything.
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