Is Jack London a Nature Faker for Writing The Call of the Wild?

Do you ever hear of nature fakers? Well, if not, a nature faker is an author that gives animals, from the wild, human characteristics and personifies them. In Jack London’s novel, The Call of the Wild, he writes about an extremely tough and confident dog, named Buck, who thrives in nature. For his writing in The Call of the Wild, many people accuse Jack London of being a nature faker.

Nonetheless, Jack London is a magnificent, talented writer who carries a significant amount of knowledge about the wild and therefore isn’t a nature faker. Firstly, one reason that London is not labeled as a nature faker is for the fact that he gives the animals more animal-like characteristics than he does human-like. One example of this is when Buck and Spitz are constantly sparring and are always biting each other’s necks. And the last time I checked, humans do nothing of the sort. In the novel, it states, “Buck did not cry out.

He did not check himself, but drove in upon Spitz, shoulder to shoulder so hard that he missed the throat…,”(London 38). This shows how barbaric he makes the animals. No human being would ever savagely attack and hurt another fellow human being. Moreover, this emphasizes his description of animals to include more animal-like traits, rather than being humanly.

Secondly, another reason that supports London of not being a nature faker in view of him not exaggerating the personification of the characters as much as the other fairy-tale writers. Many authors exaggerate it by having the animal characters work, have parties, and do other extremely impossible things. However, Jack London doesn’t do that. For example, when Buck becomes exhausted after pulling too much all day in the company of his owner, he still pushes through like a wild animal and thrives through it. By this, we see that London does not mold his story around unrealistic actions that animals cannot do. One quote from the novel is, “…the wound-stiffened team was under way, struggling painfully over the hardest part of the trail they had yet encountered, and for that matter, the hardest between them and Dawson…,” (London 17). This proves that they struggle just like normal animals and are not amplified as much as other animals usually are in fantasy-like storylines. It clearly shows how they have to push through with their responsibilities in their own animal-like ways. Additionally, it also tells us that Buck is entirely fitting to be a sled dog, rather than a human.

Lastly, the third reason that Jack London is not categorized under the title of a nature faker is due to his crystal clear and vivid description of the wild. Furthermore, he has also visited the Yukon and knows all of the struggles within it. For instance, he carries the wisdom of the temperature, how they sleep, how they eat, how they fight, along with the law of the club, the law of the fang, and much more. The novel states, “Close in under the sheltering rock, Buck made his nest. So snug and warm it was…,”(London 26). This demonstrates that London knows many things that go on in the wildlife. Likewise, this also proves that he knows the way they sleep, survive and overall adapt to their surroundings.

In conclusion, Jack London is most definitely not a nature faker since he does not give them human-like characteristics, has a vivid and crystal clear description, and doesn’t exaggerate . On that account, Jack London is a strong, believable writer who helps you picture the story and really live it. Furthermore, Jack London also describes everything and intelligently presents Buck in a good and attractive way.