"The Call of the Wild" was written by Jack London in 1903. This 126-page book takes place in the Arctic north of Alaska in 1849 during the time of the gold rush and tells the story of Buck, a dog abducted from his home and thrust into the merciless world of an Arctic north consumed by a quest for gold. To survive on the outer edges of civilization, Buck must endure many hardships, including bitter cold, the savagery of a life rules by the laws of club and fang, and the lure of a strange age-old call. I think that The Call of the Wild is an exciting book that keeps the reader glued to the book in suspense waiting to see what may happen next. .
"The Call of the Wild" is told from the point of view of the author. The flavor that we get from this third person recounting by an unseen, omniscient voice is revealed in the following passage:.
"Buck felt vaguely that there was no depending upon these two men and woman. They did not know how to do anythin, and as the days went by it became apparent that they couldn not learn. They were slack in all things, without order or discipline.".
As this example shows, London's use of this point of view is an effective way of telling the story, because with Buck being a dog and not having the ability to speak as do humans, having the author show what Buck was thinking allows the reader to get a better understanding of Buck's thoughts, feelings, and ideas.
The setting provides a framework within which the characters and plot are revealed. A well-written setting is thus critical to the structure of a book, as well as being an enjoyable feature of good storytelling.
"The Call of the Wild" is set in Alaska in 1849. London uses the characters' observations and reactions to transport us to the story's place and time, for example when Buck first encountered snow. We can almost feel as if we are there when we read the following passage:.
"At the first step upon the cold surface, Buck's feet sank into a white mushy something very like mud.
