Name ______________________________________
The Call of the Wild Discussion #1 Preparation
Read chapters 1-3 (p. 3-27).
Answer the following questions in complete sentences and complete the chart.
1) What is the significance of the title of chapter 1?
2) If you were Buck, which of the other sled dogs would you choose to be your teacher
and why?
3) What would Spitz be like as a person? Explain your answer.
4) What trait has been most important to helping Buck thrive in his new world?
Explain your answer.
Evidence
Chapter 1: “But Buck was neither
house dog nor kennel dog. The
whole realm was his…For he was
king—king over all creeping,
crawling, flying things of Judge
Miller’s place, humans included.”
Chapter 1: Buck “was beaten (he
knew that); but he was not
broken. He saw, once and for all,
that he stood no chance against a
man with a club. He had learned
the lesson, and in all his afterlife
he never forgot it.”
Chapter 2: “This first theft
marked Buck fit to survive in the
hostile Northland environment. It
marked his adaptability, his
capacity to adjust himself to
changing conditions…It marked,
further, the decay or going to
pieces of his moral nature, a vain
thing and a handicap in the
ruthless struggle for existence.”
What does this tell us
about his view of himself?
What does this tell us
about his view of humans?
Answer ONE of the following questions in COMPLETE, HAMBURGER MODEL
paragraph in final draft form on separate paper. Use evidence from the book to
support your reasons.
1) What seems to be Jack London’s attitude toward humans? What events or
situations demonstrate this attitude?
2) How has Buck changed from the beginning of the novel? What evidence reveals this
change?
3) Is Buck’s “moral nature…a handicap in the ruthless struggle for existence”? Why
or why not?
Name ______________________________________
The Call of the Wild Discussion #2 Preparation
Read chapters 4-6 (p. 27-54).
Answer the following questions in complete sentences and complete the chart.
1) Who is the “hairy man”? What might he symbolize to Buck?
2) How does John Thornton differ from Buck’s previous masters?
3) Describe how Buck shows his love for Thornton. Is what he does healthy, or is
Thornton exploiting him?
4) What is Buck like as a leader? Why?
What can/does Buck learn from each of these human characters? (Why does
London include each in Buck’s “journey”?)
Person or People
Lesson
Judge Miller
“man in the red
sweater”
Perrault and
Francois
Hal, Charles, and
Mercedes
John Thornton
Answer ONE of the following questions in COMPLETE, HAMBURGER MODEL
paragraph in final draft form on separate paper. Use evidence from the book to
support your reasons.
1) Which passages in the book reflect a realistic view of nature? (See the handout on
Naturalism on the back.)
2) Which human has had the greatest influence on Buck? Why?
3) Is there anyone in the book who you feel is a stereotype (a generalization about a
group)? Explain why you feel this person or group has been stereotyped.
Name ______________________________________
The Call of the Wild Discussion #3 Preparation
Read chapter 7 (p. 54-66).
Answer the following questions in complete sentences and complete the chart.
1) If John Thornton would have survived the massacre, do you think Buck would stay
with Thornton or still follow the wolves? Explain your answer.
2) What predictions can you make about Buck’s future?
Identify one way each of these themes is developed in the novel.
Theme
Example in the Novel
Wild creatures can
never be truly tamed.
Self-preservation is
the first law of nature.
Survivors are those
who adapt to
changing
circumstances.
Civilization is not
always “civilized.”
Experience is the
greatest teacher.
Love can be a
civilizing force.
Answer ONE of the following questions in COMPLETE, HAMBURGER MODEL
paragraph in final draft form on separate paper. Use evidence from the book to
support your reasons.
1) How does Jack London use foreshadowing in this book? Find specific evidence
where the narrator suggests that Buck will ultimately reject civilization and follow
his nature.
2) Choose one of the themes listed above and discuss several ways in which it is
explored or developed in the novel.
3) Does the book have a happy or a sad ending? Explain your answer.