The Free Readers discussion

Did you see any symbolism between the wilderness and our modern concrete jungle? Anything that helps you survive that you saw here?

I totally loved this book!

First of all, I was blown away that this book was written from a dog's perspective. After dozens and dozens of books, I was totally caught off guard by it. It was so unique and yet so well done. Kudos to Mr. London.

Second of all, I started to see myself as the dog, and (pardon my waxing religious) I started to see his various masters as God. When Buck the dog gets whipped into shape, I was there getting whipped into shape. I was there when he had to learn from experience, to go without, to work harder, to trust his master, to obey without question, to love and serve, to protect and be loyal to the point of adoration.

This book really became something apart. Something so unique and touching to me in the transitions of his life that mirrored my own.

So, is "wild" the call to our true nature, or to savageness? Buck moves from a regular lazy dog to his most untamed self, but he only gets there after learning discipline--he's not wild because he can do whatever he wants, he's wild because he has found his true self, his true calling. He's good at it, he loves it, and he totally owns it.