The Survival of the Fittest in Jack London's "Call of the Wild"

Seminar paper from the year 2010 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,7, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, language: English, abstract: In my paper, I will first provide a brief overview of Darwin's theory of evolution and of social Darwinism, the underlying principles of "Call of the Wild". Afterwards, I will examine the numerous Darwinist and social Darwinist aspects as they appear in the novel itself. This way, I want to help the reader understand why the survival of the fittest plays a major role in "Call of the Wild". Moreover, I want to show what view of human society can be deduced from London's depiction of life in the novel.
Jack London's 1903 novel "The Call of the Wild" is a classic example of a literary work dealing with life in the wilderness, the struggle for existence, and the survival of the fittest. Indeed, the survival of the fittest rules all encounters in the story. This realistic way of describing nature as dictated by Darwinian principles is certainly one of the reasons why the story seems so vivid. Another reason for the novel's vividness is London's technique of telling the story from the perspective of a dog named Buck, which gives the reader a deep insight into the harsh realities of nature.
The novel begins with the kidnapping of Buck from Judge Miller's place in California. He is then sold to Canadian mail carriers by a dog seller and experiences the wilderness for the first time in his life when he travels to the Klondike. In the following months, Buck adjusts to his new life and even becomes the new leader of his team of dogs after having defeated his long-time rival Spitz. After his adventures in the Klondike, Buck is sold to inexperienced people that mistreat their sled dogs. Later, he is saved by a man called John Thornton before he would have drowned along with his masters and the rest of his team. In the following part of the book, Buck develops a deep affection for Thornton and the two of them experience many adventures together. When Thornton is killed by a group of Native Americans at the end of the story, Buck finally decides to follow the call of the wild and joins a pack of wolves.