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摘 要

杰克伦敦是20世纪初美国著名的作家，在现在美国文坛和世界文坛都享有崇高的地位。《野性的呼唤》是他的代表作之一，讲述了一只叫巴克的狗经历了被人宠爱，被人贩卖，历经磨难，最后回归自然的故事。在文中以动物为主人公，但其主要目的是以动物写人，可以看到作者对动物生命的热爱和对动物命运的关切以及字里行间所渗透出来的对动物既礼赞又悲悯的情感。《野性的呼唤》中桑顿和巴克的关系启示我们：只有当人摆脱万物灵长的自傲，把动物乃至整个自然作为一个有主体性的个体给于尊重，才能实现人与动物与自然的友好和谐相处。本文试图通过解读小说中人类与动物的关系，唤起人们在现实生活中更深的思考，从而实现人与自然与社会的和谐。

关键词：《野性的呼唤》；人与动物；平等关系；和谐相处

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. The Man-centered Relationship Between Human Beings and Animals 2

2.1 The Tragedy Caused by People’s Selfishness, Greed and Indifference to Animals 2

2.2 A Plastic Love Because of Anthropocentric 4

3 The Equal and Harmonious Relationship Between Human Beings and Animals 5

3.1 Thornton’s Love for Buck 6

3.2 Buck’s Love for Thornton 7

4. Conclusion 8

Works Cited 10

1. Introduction

The Call of the Wild is one of the important masterpieces of Jack London. It is a story mainly about a strong and smart dog named Buck, coming back to the wild from the human civilization. Buck was a pet dog belonging to Miller judge, and then was trafficked into the frozen Alaskan by gardener. Under the environment of “the sticks beat and dogs teeth”, Buck quickly adapted itself to the harsh environment, becoming a superior sled dog, and having the adventure of arduous journey around the world following the Gold Rush. Buck changed master several times, and after being beaten frequently, he encountered John Thornton at last. Thornton gave Buck love unlike its previous masters, but unfortunately Thornton was brutally murdered by Indian savages. Buck angrily killed the Indians who killed Thornton, jumped into the wilderness being the leader of the wolves, and finally became a local king of the jungle. In The Call of the Wild, the relations between Thornton and Buck tells us that only when people get rid of all primate pride, and regard the animal as an individual subjectivity, can people and animals live friendly in harmony with nature. By comparison of the two kinds of relationship between humans and animals, this novel criticizes the unequal human-centered survival rules, telling us in order to obtain the entire natural persistence, humans must go beyond the anthropocentric, control our unlimited expansion of the desire, get equal symbiosis with other animals, and go back to nature’s harmony between man and animals.

Many writers have written articles on the relationship between human and animals at home and abroad. In order to tell us we should adapt to the environment, and live in harmony with nature, Curley Dorothy Nye referred to naturalism in Modern American Literature, and Jack London’s view of nature fully expressed the call of the wild. Rubin stein pointed out the significance of the call of the wild and ecological problems which were caused by it in American Literature Root and Flower in 2001. Before Buck surrendered to the call of the wild, Buck did selfless dedication for Thornton and had the reforming spirit, reflecting the necessity of the harmonious coexistence of human and animal. Chen Guangming wrote A Mirror Refracted the Thought of Jack London-Discuss the Artistic Image in The Call of the Wild in1995, analyzed some experiences of Buck. Tan Yanping wrote Discuss the Artistic Image in The Call of the Wild in 2003, showing us the changes of Buck after getting along with different masters. This paper will analyze the relationship between human and animals in the novel in order to arouse people’s awareness so as to realize the harmony between human being, nature and society.

2. The Man-centered Relationship Between Human Beings and Animals

Anthropocentrism comes from Christianity and western philosophy and is the deepest and profoundest source of ecological crisis. Anthropocentrism values the people as the center of the universe. Human beings are the only beings of intrinsic value, and nature has not only instrumental value but also intrinsic value. The human beings will be the master of all the things in the world, thinking that everything in the world, including the earth, is specially built for them. In the development of western literature, the anthropocentrism has a great influence on literature. Many literary works are implicit criticism of the human centralism thought. At the beginning of the story, Buck lived a superior life in Judge Miller’s home. Thankfully, Buck did not become spoiled; his hunting lives gave him plenty of exercise. If people didn’t go to the north for gold, or the waiters’ salary was enough to meet the demand of all aspects of life, perhaps Buck would always live in comfortable environment. In Buck’s morality, trust in his master and due diligence could bring infinite contentment and happiness. But this genuine trust overturned his life. Because of his habitual belief that those humans he knew were smarter than him, he was sold secretly by the gardener to a dealer to pay for gambling debts. His free, easy and comfortable life had been deprived, leading to a cruel struggle, and this is a turning point in Buck’s fate.

2.1 The Tragedy Caused by People’s Selfishness, Greed and Indifference to Animals

The Call of the Wild critically reveals the manifestations of anthropocentrism. Compared with dogs, humans were so ignorant and cruel, They used the cords, cages and stick rules to satisfy their own desires. Humans flattered themselves as the supreme master of the dogs. They let dogs pull the sledge day and night, and even put a stick into the dog’s heart. Through the contrast with the dog’s smartness and loyalty, all kinds of ugliness of humans were exposed.

The tragic fate of the dogs in the novel was due to the human’s selfishness and greed. Newman’s desire for having money to repay gambling debts, dog dealers’ desire for gaining profits by selling a good dog, dog trainer’s desire for good earnings by training dogs, Palau and Franzs’s desire for good salary by ordering dogs to deliver letters, and three incompetents’ desire for gold, led to their ruthless, cruel abuse to dogs. Human beings were self-centered, arbitrarily dominating the dogs’ destinies. The dog team stood a heavy servitude every day, dragging heavy loads, taking the letters from all over the world to those people in the Gold Rush under the Northern Lights. People in Jack London’s worked, as well as the identity of the inviolability of prospectors who dominated into the wilderness, and their purpose was to develop and plunder wilderness resources to meet their material desires. In the wilderness, the dog was no longer a friend of mankind, but only a tool. Barker’s third director Hal was incompetent and ruthless, and he knew nothing about the wild life.(Chen Guangming,1995:2) “They’re embarrassing and painful, they feel muscle painful, bone headaches, their hearts hurt, so they spoke very harsh. The first sentence from their mouths is a harsh word, it is same with the last one at night.”( London, 1994:67) In order to met their ever-expanding desire, they did brutal oppression and abused natural species, which greatly damaged the harmonious relationship between man and nature, and caused the tragic fate of many organisms.

In the process of sending mails, many dogs would be killed, because they couldn’t carry so much baggage. Because compared to money, the dog was nothing. Rachel Carson once said that the human treated himself as the master of all matters on earth, that everything on earth were created for human, so the human made use of nature more and more to follow their inclinations. The masters of the gold prospectors broke into the wilderness in inviolable identity, and their goal was to develop and plunder nature. Since Buck wore a rope around his neck, his happiness and comfort as a pet dog was deprived by human beings. Rope is more and more tighter, and Buck crazily struggled, tongue outside, huge chest ups and downs. He tried to bite and resist. He found that the human did his pain just for the purpose to make them obedient, and did service for them. In order to satisfy his swelling desire, the human imposed the cruel oppression and abuse the species on the nature, which greatly destroyed the harmony between the human and the nature,and the harmony with animals.

2.2 A Plastic Love Because of Anthropocentric

Mr. Miller was a judge, the original owner Buck, and he provided all the material and spiritual enjoyment to Buck. But Miller liked Buck just because of its role of company. Buck is neither pets nor dogs, but he was a world of him. He and judge’s sons jumped together into the swimming pool, or went hunting. In the evening or early morning, he accompanied with the judge’s daughter Jasmine and Ariel walking . In the winter night, in front of a roaring fire study, he was lying on the judge’s feet, he put the judge’s grandchildren fell on the back, or roll them on the lawn, or protected them to the wild adventure. This was a way of life and mental state in the south that life was mainly dependent on the owner. In his ethics, humans were good, being loyal to his master, and trusting human can gave him unlimited satisfaction and happiness. Here he never knew the feeling of being too cold, or hungry, or what the principle of sticks was. Every day was carefree, and he was tall, fat, and strong. But this carefree living was just built on the basis of being deprived of his liberty. He never worried about food and clothing, but could not go out of the door of the home of Mr. Miller, and this was not a free life.

Goethe said, people are accustomed according to their usefulness to evaluate things.( Tan , 2003:2) This was most vividly demonstrated in Macy. She cared for the dogs to show her kindness, but never considered what dogs’ needs were. When dogs were tired, she just fed them food. She was concerned about the dog only when her life was comfortable. When they were in trouble, Macy no longer cried for those poor sled dogs, no longer called them “poor baby”, but insisted sitting on the overloaded sleigh.

Hal, an American Gold Rush, with his sister Maersaidi and her husband Charles, came to Canada to adventure, looking for the opportunities to make a fortune. They three bought the dog team headed to Buck from the hands of dog dealers and tried to tame the team. “Charles is a ruddy middle-aged man, one pair of small but watery eyes, a mouth twisted beard ferocious, very rigid, making the lips soft and weak hiding inside. Hal is a 19, year-old boy, leaving a lot of Colt automatic pistol, a hunting knife, a very uniform waist belt bristling row of bullets. The root of his upper and lower body belt is the most calm place in his body, it’s quiet proclaimed his inexperience, not just a feather dry novices, absolutely pure and naive. “As well-intentioned people persuaded them to take a little less baggage, it was best to throw away the tent when, Maersaidi cried: "No tents, how we sleep, where to sleep?”(London, 1994:81) From their appearance it could be seen that Hal and Charles were extremely naive, while Maersaidi was spoiled and irrational. Overall, these three individuals had no experience in the wilderness, who were greedy and ignorant. The sled was loaded full, and they let Maersaidi drive rather than walk.In the same time, without knowing how much food the journey need, which makes dogs hungry and cold. Charles, in order to satisfy their own desires, he killed the dogs who can never service for them brutally. They were fragile and silly, always insisted their wrong thoughts without listening to others advice. When the ice was about to thaw, the dogs were forced to dragging a heavy sled on the road. Their selfish behaviors leading to the tragic fate of the dogs, as well as their own disastrous. (Jacqueline,1995:45) The whole family of Ha lwere buried in Shirakawa. In Jack London’s opinion, social civilization would tolerate such absurd behaviors, and even give a smile to these, but when you were in the wilderness, you would find no such kindness. In the cold Klondike, uselessness could be fatal. It was not only the three stupid Americans but also the dog would have this fate.

3. The Equal and Harmonious Relationship Between Human Beings and Animals

In the call of the wild, Jack London didn’t treat the relationship of human and animals as the subordinate relations, but described the relationship between human and animalism the emotional ties and ethical thinking. Narrating the story of animals to unfold the plot, he described the relationship between human and animals, and hoped to arouse people to think about the relationship between human and nature, to reflect on the human’s behavior and their own ethical and moral standards, thus criticizing human ethics more deeply. Jack London had broken the traditional pattern of human and biological antagonistic. In his description of relationship between man and animals, it contained the ethic thought that caring of animal life was caring human beings ecologically. In the novel, Buck had emotion as well as people, and it could understand human’s emotion. He was the true friend of people.

3.1 Thornton’s Love for Buck

John Thornton was the last owner of Buck, an experienced gold digger, and veteran who lived in the Klondike region. Thornton watched Buck being severely beaten by Hal, and then he could not bear it, rescuing dying Buck from the brutal Hal furiously. Thornton intolerably and angrily said: “If you still hit the dog, I’ll kill you!” Therefore, Hal and him started a life-or-death struggle, and finally Thornton personally picked up the knife, cut the rope that tied Buck with ease. Since then, between man and dog a deep, abiding love had continuously distillated. For Buck, it was the first time after leaving the civilized society really to appreciate true love.

For Thornton, Buck was not a servant, but a partner. Buck rushed back to the camp when Thornton was in dinner, expressing the violent joy to his owner, overthrowing Thornton, climbing on him, licking his face, and biting his hand, like a fool. Thornton gave a special reward to this play: he was holding Buck smiled, laughing happily. It seems to be a real exchange of hearts Between Thornton and Buck:“Sometimes they seem to have a telepathic, when Buck gazed at Thornton, Thornton will gaze back to Buck. From the eyes of Thornton, his heart can easily be seen. Just as Buck’s heart from the eye of performance out of the same.”( London, 1994: 90)There is no doubt that Thornton treated all dogs fairly. Each animal had cherished his enduring love, and the same as his love for animals. In addition to Buck, Thornton still have two dogs. The one named Skeeter was a Irish hound; another one is Nigel, which was a big black dog mixed by police dog and hound dog. When buck was hold back by Thornton, Skeeter was always like a doctor, visiting and caring for Buck. When Buck was dying, Skeeter will licked Buck’s wounds to comfort him. When Buck got better after recovery, he had made friends with Skeeter and Nigel. They would play together all the day. After meeting Thornton, he felt the true warmth, and began his new life. It was the first time for him to feel love, because Thornton treated dogs as his children, giving them all his care and love .

3.2 Buck’s Love for Thornton

Of course, the love between them is mutual. “Firstly Thornton saved Buck’s life, treat Buck as a sympathetic friend, which make Buck ‘A gentleman is ready to die for his bosom friends’.”(London, 1994: 98) He unconditionally obeyed Thornton’s instructions. Buck acted very implicated most of the time, unlike Skeeter who often entangled Thornton, and unlike Nigel who always threw its head on the Thornton’s knee. He often kept a certain distance from Thornton, just silently watching him, and looking for a very long time. He liked to lie on the Thornton’s knee, and would lift up its head to look at Thornton’s face, studying and observing his each expression change. Sometimes he would lay in a far away, looking at Thornton‘s back, quietly watching his every movement. After Buck came to the north, he changed several master, but he felt that every owner would not stay with him for a long time. He worried that Thornton would leave him. His fear often made it nightmare at night, and every time he would wake up from a nightmare. Then he would immediately ran to the Thornton tent against the cold wind. Buck stood quietly, just listening to Thornton‘s breathing. Until feeling Thornton was also around him would it go back its house.

On one occasion, in order to test Buck, Thornton recklessly motioned Buck jumping off a cliff, and Buck did not hesitate to report back on him by his death. (Rubin stein, Annette,2001:2)Thornton boasted of a bet, and he would root for him. Thornton made a bet that Buck could drag a load of one thousand standings and freeze in ice sledge. In accordance with the requirements of Thornton, Buck tried frantically to drag the sled, completing the two- hundred-yards way within five minutes, helping Thornton win sixteen hundred dollars. Thornton fell into the river in distress, and Buck rescued him furiously: Buck jumped into the race three times at the risk of losing his life and finally saved Thornton. At last, he broke three ribs and was seriously injured. Even the Wild attracted Buck, and always keeping him away from human society, but the love of Thornton led him back to be around his side. Finally, Thornton died, he stood up, revenged crazily, but the death of Thronton left Buck infinite melancholy and this melancholy was a bit like hunger. But this hunger could not be filled with food, but make Buck painful. In fact, the strong bond between them did not end until Thornton’s death. Every year Buck visited the place in which his master last rested to mourn his master. When Buck lost his final concern, he turned around to head back for the wild, which we call not only the call of the wild, but also the call of the nature. However his return was more out of his helplessness. How can we imagine that a tamed dog gradually go back to the wilderness because of human’s abuse, letting him go back to the ancient wild life from civilized life.(Tan Yanping,2003:8) Human paid more attention to the individual, hunted the nature excessively, and even killed each other among themselves. When they completely leave from civilization to the violent society, not only Buck will leave the human beings, but also the whole nature will throw them away.

4. Conclusion

Human society and nature is in dialectical unification relation. In most cases the relationship should be a harmonious relationship, and in a small number of cases, especially when people want to satisfy their desire by changing the environment, the relationship between human and nature is in a opposite. In The Call of the Wild, Buck learned to reach the coast sleep mode, and then found a place with confidence, quickly dugging a cave for himself. Buck could quickly adapt to the environment of animals, and finally found back its lost nature, and then returned to nature. Animals could make it, let alone the humans. Engels had warned humans don’t revel in our victory over nature. For every victory, the nature will revenge on us. Therefore, adaptation to nature is the necessary change of us. Nature gave Buck happy life, and the return of the buck was his adaptation to nature. In the wilderness, Buck belonged to natural completely, and it lived in harmony with nature. Nature is human habitats, as well as the harbour of human emotions.

In this novel, the dog was the incarnation and representation of nature, and humans’ control and abuse reflected the anthropocentrism. (Nye, Curley,1969:76)People sold animals and did cruel bondage on animals. Actually they were just destructing human nature, damaging and claiming our erath. Humans treated Buck and nature in this way because human beings regarded themselves as the domination, believing all things are human primates, and nature just offers endless natural resources for humans. Humans have embarked on the road of the conquest of nature. In short, it is the human centralism thought that makes people supercilious and do what they wish without restraint. The ecological crisis rescue, will require humans for their values, lifestyles, culture oriented to make radical changes.(Chen, 1995:20) Therefore, people should take the correct attitude towards nature, and the ecological holism thought to get the harmonious co-existence between human and animals. In the description of the relationship between people and animals when the animals start to expand the story, Jack London described the conflict between man and animal, in order to arouse us to think about the relationship between humans and nature, and thus reflect on their own behavior and human moral and ethical standards, and thus more conduct in-depth critique of human ethics. Describing the relationship between humans and animals, Jack London shows his own ecological thinking that caring animal is caring human themselves .

Humans love animals, also allow the animal to feel warm. The Call of the Wild by Jack London criticized human nature and the biosphere moral tradition, giving the same moral consciousness to animals, sparking a sense of justice and moral conscience on the reader’s mind. Human realized that people and animals have the same equal footing, and it is love rather than interest that is the only measure of value to maintain the relationship between people and animals. The love between man and animal is the tie of the close relationship of human and animals, and caring animals means caring human beings themselves.

Works Cited

[1] Nye, Curley Dorothy. Modern American Literature. New York: Fredrick Unbar Publishing, 1969..

[2] London, Jack. The Call of the wild. Beijing: Foreign Langue Teaching and Research Press, 1994.

[3] Rubin stein, Annette. American Literature Root and Flower. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, 2001.

[4] Tavernity-Courbin, Jacqueline. The Call of the Wild; Jack London’s Animal and Human Jungle. American Realism and Naturalism. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995.

[4] 陈光明. 《折射杰克伦敦思想感受的一面镜子-评lt;野性的呼唤gt;中巴克的形象》. 重庆师院社会科学学报,1995(2).

[6] 谭燕萍.《试论lt;荒野的呼唤gt;中巴克的艺术形象》. 扬州职业大学学报,2003（2）, 8-10.

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