Nature vs Nurture in Call of the Wild
Nature vs Nurture in Call of the Wild by Jack London
Nature and Nurture "Call of the wild", written by Jack London, is one of his famous short novels that is known for all. It is a story about a dog, Buck. Buck is a domestic dog living in the sun-kissed Santa Clara valley. He is living a good life and taken care of by his master. But life is not always a picnic. When it is the end of 19th century, there comes the gold rush. Big dogs are tremendously wanted for exploring in the North. For Buck, his cozy and happy life comes to an end as he is secretly sold to Alaska by one of gardeners without anybody's notice. There, he undergoes a series of the most tough things he has ever experienced. In order to survive, Buck forces himself to learn quickly and tries to adapt with the environment as fast as he could. Therefore, the original wild dormant in his body is called out little by little. At last, when his beloved master is killed by Indians, Buck's wildness explodes. He kills all the Indians for revenge and becomes the leader of a wolf pack. He goes totally wild.
In fact, Buck's wildness is born naturally, which means, his ancestors and parents give him the nature to be wild. His father is a huge St. Bernard, and his mother is a Scotch shepherd. He always has had his wildness in his body. Only because at the beginning he is kept and loved by Judge, his first master, Buck's behavior appears to be tame and loyal. He can go hunting with Judge's son; escort Judge's daughters; carry Judge's grandson on his back and lie at Judge's feet. Buck leads such a comfortable life that he himself cannot realize his natural character---wild.
When he arrives the northern continent, he suffers from a wretched situation. He has to learn from the beginning because he knows nothing. But everything seems so difficult to him so he has to adjust his adaptation all the time. Though he is tortured in this new world, his wildness begins to emerge. As time passes by, he can hear the call of the wild when he is alone. Later the calling becomes stronger and stronger. In the end, he discovers his wildness that exists in his body since a long time ago. However, if we think conversely...