The Call of the Wild

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Write Like a Dog”

In this activity, students will use creative thinking to write a short story from the perspective of an animal.

In The Call of the Wild (and in other novels too), Jack London tries to get inside the head of an animal. In this activity, you will try to do the same. If you like, you may choose to write your short story from the perspective of a dog, or you may choose any other animal you like. The story can concern a range of different conflicts that your animal might encounter, and you should do your best to capture the experiences, emotions, and impulses of your animal. Make sure to consider the following as you write your story:

• What animal are you writing about? Where does it live?
• How does this animal view itself? Is it self-assured, modest, lazy?
• What kind of relationship (if any) does this animal have with humans?
• What kind of relationship does this animal have with other animals?
• What are some challenges this animal has had to face?

After you have turned in your assignments, the class will take some time to reflect on the process of writing from the perspective of an animal, thinking about why London may have chosen to write his books the way he did.

Teaching Suggestion: As students approach this task, make sure to discuss some important literary devices, including personification, anthropomorphism, and point of view. London, for instance, chose to write his novel in the third person, but students may prefer to adopt the first person for their stories—this is okay! While students may want to imitate London’s style when they think it is helpful, they should also feel free to experiment with unique approaches and make the story their own.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.  

1. In the first part of the book, Buck learns to be a good sled dog and an effective leader after spending his early years living a sheltered life in California.

• What makes Buck a good sled dog and an effective leader? (topic sentence)
• Describe how Buck learns to be a good sled dog and an effective leader.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, reflect on how Buck’s growth throughout the novel affects him and others.

2. The primitive “Law of Club and Fang” plays an important role in the novel, influencing the way humans and animals alike interact in the wild.

• What is the Law of Club and Fang, and what is its significance in the novel? (topic sentence)
• Define the Law of Club and Fang and how Buck comes to learn and abide by it.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, evaluate the role of the Law of Club and Fang within the novel and how learning it affects Buck’s life.

3. Throughout the novel, the “Toil of Trace and Trail” comes to play a central role in Buck’s new life as he is pulled closer and closer to the wild.

• What is the “Toil of Trace and Trail,” and why is it so important in the novel? (topic sentence)
• Describe the Toil of Trace and Trail and what it encompasses, reflecting on the necessity of this toil in the harsh environment of Yukon.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, evaluate the implications of success or failure in adhering to the Toil of Trace and Trail.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by textual details, and a conclusion.

1. When he first becomes a sled dog, Buck quickly comes into conflict with the dog Spitz. Who is Spitz and what is he like? Why do he and Buck clash so violently? Compare and contrast Buck and Spitz. How are they similar and how are they different? How do both of them develop as characters? What does the rivalry between Buck and Spitz demonstrate about the skills and characteristics one needs to survive in the wilderness?

2. The novel features several notable human characters who play an important role in Buck’s life, including Perrault and François, Hal and Charles, and John Thornton. Reflect on these human characters and how they are similar to or different from each other. Why are Perrault and François successful while Hal and Charles are not? How is John Thornton unique in his relationship with his dogs?

3. Toward the end of the novel, Buck increasingly hears the call of the wild. How does this call make Buck feel? How does the call bring to light the tension between Buck’s domesticated past and his life in the wilderness?

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. How does Buck see his role on Judge Miller’s estate?

A) As the king

B) As a troublemaker

C) As a guardian

D) As a sled dog

2. What does London mean by “the reign of primitive law” (5)?

A) That the law is unfair

B) That only nature is just

C) That authority is decided by strength

D) That in the natural world animals are stronger than humans

3. Why does Buck hate Spitz?

A) Because he is stronger than him

B) Because he is weak

C) Because he always steals his food

D) Because he kills Curly

4. Why does Buck start having bad dreams?

A) Because he misses his home in California

B) Because he misses Curly

C) Because he is exhausted and starving

D) Because he is torn between civilized life and the wild

5. What is one way Buck adapts to his new life?

A) He learns to fish.

B) He learns to steal food.

C) He learns to swim.

D) He attacks his human masters.

6. What finally causes Buck to lash out at Spitz? 

A) Spitz kills Curly.

B) Spitz bites Buck’s foot.

C) Spitz steals Buck’s sleeping nest.

D) Spitz attacks the humans.

7. How does Perrault motivate the dogs?

A) He presses them as hard as he can without overextending them.

B) He drives each of them to their limits until they collapse.

C) He breaks them in one by one so they are not overwhelmed.

D) He allows the weaker dogs to fall off so the alpha dogs emerge.

8. To what is London referring when he writes of “the memories of [Buck’s] heredity that gave things he had never seen before a seeming familiarity” (21)?

A) His love of humans

B) His love of food

C) Primitive instincts

D) His desire to return to his past life

9. Why does Dave face his mortality?

A) By running away

B) By turning violent 

C) By working harder 

D) By falling asleep

10. Why does Buck sense the journey with Hal and Charles will be bleak?

A) Because their masters are very cruel

B) Because their masters don’t know what they’re doing

C) Because they are making a particularly perilous journey

D) Because he misses Spitz and Dave

11. What is the fate of Buck’s team after Buck is left behind?

A) They fall into a lake and drown.

B) They are all beaten to death by Hal and Charles.

C) John Thornton buys them all.

D) They starve to death one by one.

12. How is Buck’s relationship with John’s dog different from his relationship with the sled dogs?

A) He does not like any of the sled dogs.

B) He is weaker than they are.

C) They never play together.

D) He no longer needs to fight for dominance.

13. What is the one thing that prevents Buck from answering “the call of the wild”?

A) His inability to hunt

B) His fear of wolves

C) His love for John

D) His love for John’s dogs

14. Why does Buck follow John constantly?

A) He is afraid that John will drop out of his life.

B) John has him on a short leash.

C) He has no sense of direction.

D) He has been trained to follow humans around very closely.

15. Why does Buck start venturing off from John’s camp?

A) He is afraid of John.

B) He feels pulled by the call of the wild.

C) He is running away from the Yeehats.

D) He is looking for new friends.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating textual details to support your response.

1. Does Buck ever miss his life in the “Southland”? Why or why not?

2. Why does Buck enjoy his life with John Thornton more than any other experience of his earlier life?