Literary Terms and Vocabulary for

The Call of the Wild

By Jack London

Conflict

Throughout his turbulent life, Jack London sought real-life adventure, which often culminated in conflict, violence, suffering, or life-or-death

struggles for survival.

ConflictMost of his books and tales are built on plots that

involve physical force, endurance, and struggle—situations that were second-nature to a man to had pirated California oyster beds, hunted seals in the North Pacific, prospected for gold in the Klondike, and worked as a war correspondent.

In fact, London’s works provide some of the most clear-cut examples in American literature of plots that involve characters’ conflicts with other characters, and characters against themselves.

1st Basic Kind of External Conflict

• Character Against Nature– Prospectors digging for gold in the Yukon– Perrault and François at the Thirty Mile River– The dog team enduring the 2,500 mile trek

2nd Basic Kind of External Conflict

• Character Against Other Characters– Buck resisting his kidnappers and the dog-

breaker– Buck battling Spitz to the death– Buck defending Thornton against Burton– Buck taking revenge against the Yeehats

3rd Basic Kind of Conflict: Internal

• Character Against Self– Buck’s decision to steal food and lead a less

“civilized” way of life– Buck’s struggle to heed the opposing calls of

the wild and love for a master

Remember…

Conflict is the struggle between two opposing

forces.

Theme

• Question yourself:– What does it mean to be

a human being?– What does it mean to be

civilized?– What does it mean to be

brave?– What do you learn about

yourself when you face the mirror of nature?

ThemeThe Call of the Wild explores the effects of the natural environment and contact with human beings on the primitive and fundamentally noble spirit of the animal embodied in the dog Buck. What follows are some of the themes that run through London's novel:

Themes

Wild creatures can never truly be tamed

ThemesSelf-preservation is the first law of nature

ThemesSurvivors are those who adapt to changing circumstances

Themes Civilization is not always “civilized”

Themes

Experience is the greatest teacher

ThemesThe urge to survive is ultimately more powerful than the moral law of human civilization

Themes

Love can be a civilizing force

Vocabulary for CTW

Belligerent:

Warlike

Vocabulary for CTW

Ignominiously:With disgrace or shame

Vocabulary for CTW

Ecstasy:Supreme

joy

Vocabulary for CTWDominant:

Influential, controlling

Vocabulary for CTW

Imperiously:

In an arrogant or domineering way

Vocabulary for CTWInexorable: Inevitable;

unavoidable

Vocabulary for CTW

Fastidiousness:

Refined taste; daintiness

Vocabulary for CTW

Insidious:

Sneaky and dangerous; treacherous

Vocabulary for CTW

Primordial:Belonging to the earliest

age

Vocabulary for CTW

Introspective: Thoughtful about oneself

Vocabulary for CTWRampant:

Uncontrolled, wild

Vocabulary for CTWMalingerer: One who

pretends illness to

avoid work

Vocabulary for CTW

Obdurate:

Hard-hearted; stubborn

Vocabulary for CTW

Pandemonium:

A wild uproar, disorder

Just Kidding…

Vocabulary for CTWParadox:

A seeming contradiction

Vocabulary for CTW

Precipitate: Too quick; rash

Couldn’t resist the pun. Sorry.

Vocabulary for CTWProstrate:

Lying flat; completely exhausted

Vocabulary for CTWRetrogression:

A return to a more primitive state

Ms. Labor’s retrogression.

Vocabulary for CTW

Solidarity: Unity

Vocabulary for CTW

Travail:

Difficulty

Vocabulary for CTW

Vicarious:

Experienced through another person

(or clay- man, as the case may be.)

Vocabulary for CTW

Swarthy

Having a dark complexion (usually meant to be disparaging)

Vocabulary for CTW

Primeval

Belonging to the first ages or the primitive.

Vocabulary for CTW

Unwonted

Not the usual or the habit

Vocabulary for CTW

Despatches

Important packages or orders that should be delivered quickly.

Vocabulary for CTW

Aver To affirm; to state positively

Vocabulary for CTW

Callowness

Immaturity or inexperience

Vocabulary for CTWCarnivorous

meat-eating

Vocabulary for CTWDiscomfited

Frustrated; confused; defeated

Vocabulary for CTW

Gratifying

satisfying

Vocabulary for CTW

Inarticulate

Unable to express yourself with words

Vocabulary for CTW

Innocuously

Harmlessly

Vocabulary for CTW

Irresolutely

Indecisively

Vocabulary for CTW

Manifestly

Obviously; Plainly

Vocabulary for CTW

Monosyllabic

Having one syllable

Vocabulary for CTW

Pell-Mell

In a jumbled, confused way

Vocabulary for CTW

Peremptorily

In a commanding manner

Vocabulary for CTW

Pertinacity

Persistence; perseverance

Vocabulary for CTW

Prowess

Superior ability; bravery; valor

Vocabulary for CTW

Salient

Standing out from the rest: obvious

Vocabulary for CTW

SuperfluousUnnecessary; extra

Vocabulary for CTW

Transient

Temporary; passing quickly

Vocabulary for CTW

Usurp

To take over or seize UNjustly

Vocabulary for CTW

Wax

To increase; to grow

The End.