I personally think that it is impossible to compromise the need for survival with the love that Buck has for John, reason being that.Survivability is essential in the harsh environment of the Arctic. If Buck spends too much time with John he will lose his survivability and become soft like he was when he was with Judge Miller. Additionally, if John is reckless and accidents occur, it might also lead to Buck dying too. The scene where John falls into the flowing stream exemplifies this statement, whereby Buck jumps in trying to save John and risks his own life for the life of his master. There is no way to reconcile the need for survival when Buck's remarkable love for John involves Buck risking his life for John
In the novel there is a huge focus on the topic of survival of the fittest and darwinism. In my opinion the fact that Buck has this amazing survival instinct despite the fact that he was raised in a domesticated environment and forced out into the wild is amazing. And one of the coolest parts about it is that he does still have this underlying connection with humans that he had when he was living in California. Many people think that darwinism and survival of the fittest go hand in hand with independence and being able to fight for yourself and win your own battles but the expression, “there is strength in numbers” also comes into play. A key concept of Darwinism is intelligence, which is just as important if not more important than physical strength. When you think about it in the most basic way there is a huge benefit to having a partner by your side to watch your back and develop a special bond with. The fact that Buck and John Thorton have this amazing bond between eachother only strengthens their chances of survival and their lives in general. They look out for one another and they both provide a special set of skills for the other that they might not have on their own. One of the best examples from the book in regards to this topic is when Buck saves John Thorton's life, twice. If Throton was by himself in either one of those instances he would have likely gotten seriously injured or even killed. Also when Buck was laying on the ice and John Thorton saved him, it shows us that having a partner in survival is extremely beneficial. Without John Buck would be dead and without Buck John would be dead. Its as simple as that.
To reconcile the need for survival and the love Buck has for Thornton, Buck would need for Thornton to not exist(as does happen). Buch was having increasingly stronger and stronger calls from the wild, first dreams, then waking up in the night(running away but returning soon after), and then running off for days on end. it seems as if, the longer Buck stayed with Thornton, the more feral and wanting for blood he became. Buck did still stay enamored of Thornton after he returned to the site at the abandoned mine, which suggests that Buck was trying to balancing the wild and the Thornton towards the end of the book. But once Thornton died, ceased to exist, Buck worried less of Thornton and more of hunting and staying alive, feral behavior. So it seemed that in the end, Thornton's death was the best way for buck to reconcile his need for survival with his love for Thornton.
Buck and Thornton both needs each other in this vast, unknown wilderness. When Thornton raced out and saved Buck from the cruel hands of his previous owners, Buck devoted his life to John. The two of them remained inseparable even when the wolf packs tried to call Buck back to the wild where he truly belongs. Buck remained conscious and always went back to Thornton after a day or two without seeing him. When Thornton got killed by the local Indians, Buck went into berserk mode and killed half of the tribe. He lost all senses of morality and only knew what his natural instincts told him to do. Not only were the indigenous people afraid of him, but also the wolf pack. John not only saved Buck and nurtured him back to health, but also made him realize who he really was. A wolf, not a house pet, who hunts for his own food, kills others that stands in his way, and pulls sleds all his life. Buck soon becomes the leader of the wolf pack and slowly lets himself back into the wild.
I do not think there is a way to reconcile the need for survival with the love that Buck has for John Thornton. In the harsh environment where Buck has traveled, there is no mercy, and if you have mercy, it would lead you to a death. The love that Buck has for John Thornton is too big that he tries to jump off from a cliff when John Thornton orders him to. Also Buck almost sacrifices himself to save John Thornton in the liver because of the love Buck has for John Thornton. The biggest reason why I think it is impossible to reconcile the need for survival with the love that Buck has for John Thornton is that John and his friends die at the end of chapter 7, and it seems to me that in the environment of survival of fittest, the love is unnecessary and it leads you to a death. You have to be merciless to get along with the environment of survival of fittest, so my conclusion is there is no way to reconcile the need for survival with the love that Buck has for John Thornton.
Alexandra Asselta Yes, I do believe there is a way, in the view of life we see in this novel, to reconcile the need for survival with the love that buck has for John Thornton. I feel that these are two completely different personalities of Buck though. The characteristics Buck has to survive are very wild, and rough natured. It is a much harsher side of Buck, almost taking him into a more animalistic personality, like his ancestors. On the other hand, the love that Buck has for John Thornton is much kinder, gentler, and will almost do anything that John Thornton tells him to do. I feel that these two different sides of Buck could be put together by compromising one for another, Buck can still survive, while being whole-hearted. Just because he has the love for John Thornton shouldn't mean he can't survive. Buck should be able to be obedient and loyal to his master, while being able to get rough and tough with other animals as he pleases. But on the other hand, John Thornton is his master now, and giving him what he needs for the most part. He gives him lots of love and attention as well, so Buck shouldn't have a worry about survival. So yes, there is a way to reconcile the need for survival with the love that Buck has for John Thornton, but it is only up to Buck how to go about it. There is no need to pick one side or the other for his personality: Wild, animalistic versus loyal, obedient, and good-natured, but why not combined the both. Giving a little bit of both, will still give Buck the drive to be the tough dog he wants to be, but still have the love he wants to give to his master. A way Buck can show his tougher, animalistic side with still showing care and compassion for John is when he becomes all defensive of his master. Buck follows him all around, and is very watchful of him, because he wants to make sure he is always safe because he is developing very strong genuine, loving feelings. But at the same time it can show his will power of survival for his new master, he cares about deeply.
John Thornton is the most important people in Buck’s life because Buck knows that he will never return to the judge’s home and John Thornton let Buck realized the really love. The relationship between Thornton and Buck is in life and death, Buck is like a child of Thornton. The first time Thornton saw Buck, he almost killed the guy who whip Buck. During the expedition to search for the treasure, Thornton almost died in some accident, and Buck nearly died for saving Thornton’s life. Once, Thornton went to a bar in Dawson and had a fighting with someone, when Buck saw it, he cut the man’s throat. Buck saves Thornton’s life again when he falls into the fierce river. Buck tried so hard to save Thornton. All these things shows that Thornton and Buck are inseparable, there was a really love between. Buck’s wild instincts are too strong that he can not just live with Thornton all the time. In the end, Buck found that John Thornton killed by the Indians which made Buck felt hopeless and miserable, and Buck felt that there is nothing else important in the human world. For revenge for Thornton, Buck killed those Indians and follow the call of the wild eventually. If John Thornton did not have any accident, Buck will never live without him even Buck really want to back to the wild. In the wild world, there is no really love like in the human world and Thornton is more important for Buck.
Buck is an animal, a husky, and that means he has the primal instinct just like every huskies have - the instinct to live. When Buck found Thornton, he found his master and also, in a way, his need for survival. Thornton has love for Buck, cleaning up his wound, providing food and shelters. Therefore, as a way to give back and to reciprocate, Buck has to love his master to maintain this intimate relationship, and also maintain his food and living sources. This does not work like the way his formal owner does, which is to work and fight for his life, and to be barely living in the end. The relationship between love for Thornton and the need for survival, Buck and also the readers might thinking, is mutual beneficial. The hairy old man that Buck often sees in his vision and dreams is a calling of his primal instinct, and the calling means to live with human, and with a reliance like Thornton, thus, love for Thornton exists in the need for his primal instinct. In the end of the novel, Bucks biting the Indians and howling sorrowfully for Thornton's demise is a way to lament for the loss of his need for survival. Without Thornton, living peacefully in wilderness of Alaska is almost impossible.
I personally think that it is impossible to compromise the need for survival with the love that Buck has for John, reason being that.Survivability is essential in the harsh environment of the Arctic. If Buck spends too much time with John he will lose his survivability and become soft like he was when he was with Judge Miller. Additionally, if John is reckless and accidents occur, it might also lead to Buck dying too. The scene where John falls into the flowing stream exemplifies this statement, whereby Buck jumps in trying to save John and risks his own life for the life of his master. There is no way to reconcile the need for survival when Buck's remarkable love for John involves Buck risking his life for John
ReplyDeleteIn the novel there is a huge focus on the topic of survival of the fittest and darwinism. In my opinion the fact that Buck has this amazing survival instinct despite the fact that he was raised in a domesticated environment and forced out into the wild is amazing. And one of the coolest parts about it is that he does still have this underlying connection with humans that he had when he was living in California. Many people think that darwinism and survival of the fittest go hand in hand with independence and being able to fight for yourself and win your own battles but the expression, “there is strength in numbers” also comes into play. A key concept of Darwinism is intelligence, which is just as important if not more important than physical strength. When you think about it in the most basic way there is a huge benefit to having a partner by your side to watch your back and develop a special bond with. The fact that Buck and John Thorton have this amazing bond between eachother only strengthens their chances of survival and their lives in general. They look out for one another and they both provide a special set of skills for the other that they might not have on their own. One of the best examples from the book in regards to this topic is when Buck saves John Thorton's life, twice. If Throton was by himself in either one of those instances he would have likely gotten seriously injured or even killed. Also when Buck was laying on the ice and John Thorton saved him, it shows us that having a partner in survival is extremely beneficial. Without John Buck would be dead and without Buck John would be dead. Its as simple as that.
ReplyDeleteTo reconcile the need for survival and the love Buck has for Thornton, Buck would need for Thornton to not exist(as does happen). Buch was having increasingly stronger and stronger calls from the wild, first dreams, then waking up in the night(running away but returning soon after), and then running off for days on end. it seems as if, the longer Buck stayed with Thornton, the more feral and wanting for blood he became. Buck did still stay enamored of Thornton after he returned to the site at the abandoned mine, which suggests that Buck was trying to balancing the wild and the Thornton towards the end of the book. But once Thornton died, ceased to exist, Buck worried less of Thornton and more of hunting and staying alive, feral behavior. So it seemed that in the end, Thornton's death was the best way for buck to reconcile his need for survival with his love for Thornton.
ReplyDeleteBuck and Thornton both needs each other in this vast, unknown wilderness. When Thornton raced out and saved Buck from the cruel hands of his previous owners, Buck devoted his life to John. The two of them remained inseparable even when the wolf packs tried to call Buck back to the wild where he truly belongs. Buck remained conscious and always went back to Thornton after a day or two without seeing him. When Thornton got killed by the local Indians, Buck went into berserk mode and killed half of the tribe. He lost all senses of morality and only knew what his natural instincts told him to do. Not only were the indigenous people afraid of him, but also the wolf pack. John not only saved Buck and nurtured him back to health, but also made him realize who he really was. A wolf, not a house pet, who hunts for his own food, kills others that stands in his way, and pulls sleds all his life. Buck soon becomes the leader of the wolf pack and slowly lets himself back into the wild.
ReplyDeleteI do not think there is a way to reconcile the need for survival with the love that Buck has for John Thornton. In the harsh environment where Buck has traveled, there is no mercy, and if you have mercy, it would lead you to a death. The love that Buck has for John Thornton is too big that he tries to jump off from a cliff when John Thornton orders him to. Also Buck almost sacrifices himself to save John Thornton in the liver because of the love Buck has for John Thornton. The biggest reason why I think it is impossible to reconcile the need for survival with the love that Buck has for John Thornton is that John and his friends die at the end of chapter 7, and it seems to me that in the environment of survival of fittest, the love is unnecessary and it leads you to a death. You have to be merciless to get along with the environment of survival of fittest, so my conclusion is there is no way to reconcile the need for survival with the love that Buck has for John Thornton.
ReplyDeleteAlexandra Asselta
ReplyDeleteYes, I do believe there is a way, in the view of life we see in this novel, to reconcile the need for survival with the love that buck has for John Thornton. I feel that these are two completely different personalities of Buck though. The characteristics Buck has to survive are very wild, and rough natured. It is a much harsher side of Buck, almost taking him into a more animalistic personality, like his ancestors. On the other hand, the love that Buck has for John Thornton is much kinder, gentler, and will almost do anything that John Thornton tells him to do. I feel that these two different sides of Buck could be put together by compromising one for another, Buck can still survive, while being whole-hearted. Just because he has the love for John Thornton shouldn't mean he can't survive. Buck should be able to be obedient and loyal to his master, while being able to get rough and tough with other animals as he pleases. But on the other hand, John Thornton is his master now, and giving him what he needs for the most part. He gives him lots of love and attention as well, so Buck shouldn't have a worry about survival. So yes, there is a way to reconcile the need for survival with the love that Buck has for John Thornton, but it is only up to Buck how to go about it. There is no need to pick one side or the other for his personality: Wild, animalistic versus loyal, obedient, and good-natured, but why not combined the both. Giving a little bit of both, will still give Buck the drive to be the tough dog he wants to be, but still have the love he wants to give to his master. A way Buck can show his tougher, animalistic side with still showing care and compassion for John is when he becomes all defensive of his master. Buck follows him all around, and is very watchful of him, because he wants to make sure he is always safe because he is developing very strong genuine, loving feelings. But at the same time it can show his will power of survival for his new master, he cares about deeply.
ReplyDeleteJohn Thornton is the most important people in Buck’s life because Buck
knows that he will never return to the judge’s home and John Thornton
let Buck realized the really love. The relationship between Thornton and
Buck is in life and death, Buck is like a child of Thornton. The first
time Thornton saw Buck, he almost killed the guy who whip Buck. During the
expedition to search for the treasure, Thornton almost died in some
accident, and Buck nearly died for saving Thornton’s life. Once,
Thornton went to a bar in Dawson and had a fighting with someone, when
Buck saw it, he cut the man’s throat. Buck saves Thornton’s life again
when he falls into the fierce river. Buck tried so hard to save Thornton.
All these things shows that Thornton and Buck are inseparable, there was a
really love between. Buck’s wild instincts are too strong that he can
not just live with Thornton all the time. In the end, Buck found that John
Thornton killed by the Indians which made Buck felt hopeless and
miserable, and Buck felt that there is nothing else important in the human
world. For revenge for Thornton, Buck killed those Indians and follow the
call of the wild eventually. If John Thornton did not have any accident,
Buck will never live without him even Buck really want to back to the
wild. In the wild world, there is no really love like in the human world
and Thornton is more important for Buck.
Buck is an animal, a husky, and that means he has the primal instinct just like every huskies have - the instinct to live. When Buck found Thornton, he found his master and also, in a way, his need for survival. Thornton has love for Buck, cleaning up his wound, providing food and shelters. Therefore, as a way to give back and to reciprocate, Buck has to love his master to maintain this intimate relationship, and also maintain his food and living sources. This does not work like the way his formal owner does, which is to work and fight for his life, and to be barely living in the end. The relationship between love for Thornton and the need for survival, Buck and also the readers might thinking, is mutual beneficial. The hairy old man that Buck often sees in his vision and dreams is a calling of his primal instinct, and the calling means to live with human, and with a reliance like Thornton, thus, love for Thornton exists in the need for his primal instinct. In the end of the novel, Bucks biting the Indians and howling sorrowfully for Thornton's demise is a way to lament for the loss of his need for survival. Without Thornton, living peacefully in wilderness of Alaska is almost impossible.
ReplyDelete