On August 28, 2007, Adam Kampe of the National Endowment for the Arts interviewed Jack London scholar Sara S. Hodson, curator of literary manuscripts at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. An excerpt from their conversation follows.
AK: Why is The Call of the Wild still considered a worldwide classic?
SH: The Call of the Wild is a timeless book in that it’s appropriate, useful, and enjoyable to read for anyone at any age at any time. It is a book about survival, and survival is an issue for everyone no matter whether we’re surviving a day in the office, a hard day of manual labor, a bad relationship, or the Klondike without fire or food. A story of survival speaks to all of us, because it makes us look within. Would I have what it takes to survive in that kind of environment? What would happen to me? It lets you imagine yourself in that circumstance.
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Why The Call of the Wild is classified by some and dismissed by others as a “young adult” book is a mystery to me. Sara Hodson seems to have it right in calling London’s classic “enjoyable to read for anyone at any age at any time.”
What do you think?
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I love the narrative voice in "The Call of the Wild." Rereading the novel as an adult has given me a greater appreciation of the depth and complexity of its themes. Although London uses anthropomorphism to give Buck human characteristics and feelings, I think London actually is trying to show us the opposite--that human behavior often reveals our animal nature. There are several parallels in the book that illustrate the point. When Buck is pushed to the edge of starvation, his moral nature declines and he steals food to get enough to eat. Survival requires the same of the underpaid worker Manual, who steals Buck and sells him to help feed his wife and children. Survival (of the fittest) often requires harsh action pitting dog against dog, human against human. Buck kills the dog Spitz who was always challenging him--a threat to Buck's life and livelihood. In turn, the Yeehats (Indians) kill the miners who have invaded their territory--a threat or challenge to their livelihood. As a child I was captivated by the story. As an adult I am captivated by the ideas behind the story which are lyrically told through Buck's eyes. --sjd
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