Jack London's The Call of the Wild: “Nature Faker”?
[The] line between fact and fiction is repeatedly crossed and… a deliberate
attempt is made to induce the reader to cross too… Mr. Thompson Seton says in
capital letters that his stories are true and it is this emphatic assertion that
makes the judicious grieve. —John Burroughs on Ernest Thompson Seton's Wild
Animals I Have Known, in "Real and Sham Natural History," Atlantic Monthly,
vol. 91, no. 545 (March 1903), p. 299 True it is that all the animals whose
lives are portrayed… are simply human beings disguised as animals; they think,
feel, plan, suffer as we do… But in other respects they follow closely the facts
of natural history and the reader is not deceived. —John Burroughs on Charles
D. Roberts' Kindred of the Wild, in "Real and Sham Natural History," Atlantic
Monthly, vol. 91, no. 545 (March 1903), p. 299 IntroductionJack
London published The Call of the Wild and White Fang after a new
kind of animal story had become wildly popular. Most of the authors of such tales
(Anna Sewell and Ernest Thompson Seton, for example) wrote with the specific goal
of increasing public awareness of wild and domesticated animals and often represented
the animal's point of view, sometimes in the first person. Some, like Thompson
Seton, purported to describe the natural world and the consciousness of animals
with a high degree of scientific accuracy. Others, like Sewell, used anthropomorphism
unapologetically—to enhance the reader's identification with their animal protagonists.
In 1903—the same year in which Jack London
published The Call of the Wild—John Burroughs, the renowned naturalist,
attacked popular nature writers such as Ernest Thompson Seton and William J. Long,
whom he called "nature fakers" for portraying animals in what he claimed was a
sentimental and anthropomorphic fashion ("Real and Sham Natural History," Atlantic
Monthly 91, 545 [March 1903]: 298-310). Eventually, London became embroiled
in the controversy, accused of being a "nature faker" by Burroughs and even the
President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt. Some critics dubbed London's
animal heroes "men in fur." Yet London himself
shared many of Burroughs reservations, as he argues in his essay,"The
Other Animals" (available here as a link on the EDSITEment-reviewed Center
for the Liberal Arts). Responding to the charge of being a "nature faker,"
London maintained that his own animal stories in fact represented
…a protest against the "humanizing" of animals, of which
it seemed to me several "animal writers" had been profoundly guilty…I did it in
order to hammer into the average human understanding that these dog-heroes of
mine were not directed by abstract reasoning, but by instinct, sensation, and
emotion, and by simple reasoning. Also, I endeavored to make my stories in line
with the facts of evolution; I hewed them to the mark set by scientific research.
To what extent has London succeeded
in these aims? How does he solve the technical problems of portraying Buck, the
animal hero of The Call of the Wild, without the sort of "humanizing" he
faults in other nature writers? Is Buck truly "not directed by abstract reasoning"?
Can any writer create a believable and compelling nonhuman character without being
a "nature faker"? Why might London have chosen to attempt this difficult technical
feat and what is he trying to communicate to readers through his portrayal of
Buck? Note: This lesson may be taught
either as a stand-alone lesson or as a sequel to the complementary EDSITEment
lesson Metaphorical Gold: Mining
the Klondike Gold Rush for Stories. Guiding Questions:How
does Jack London approach the literary problem of telling a story from the point
of view of an animal? How well has he succeeded in his aims? Why might London
have chosen to write from an animal's perspective? In doing so, what was he trying
to convey to his readers? Learning ObjectivesAfter
completing this lesson, students will be able to: - Take
a stand on whether or not London could be dubbed a "nature faker"; support position
with evidence either historical or from the text.
- Take
a stand on what London is attempting to communicate through his portrayal of Buck; support position with evidence either historical or from the text.
- Write
an essay, complete with hypothesis and textual support, on London's approach
to the animal story in The Call of the Wild.
Preparing
to Teach this Lesson- Review the lesson plan.
Locate and bookmark suggested materials and other useful websites. Download and
print out documents you will use and duplicate copies as necessary for student
viewing.
- Download the worksheet, Is
Jack London a "Nature Faker"?, available here as a PDF file. Print out and
make an appropriate number of copies of any handouts you plan to use in class. Please note that this worksheet packet includes answers for the teacher as well as worksheets for student use.
- This lesson is designed for students who are reading or have completed
The Call of the Wild.
- Animal tales, especially those purporting to
be based on the truth about the natural world, were in vogue by the time Jack
London published The Call of the Wild. Central to London's novel is the
journey from civilization to the wild of an animal hero. The reader's ability
to identify with the hero will be enhanced if the tale is told from the point
of view of the animal; but that is a point of view no human can truly understand,
much less communicate. Having to use words to describe the consciousness of an
animal puts an immediate limitation on what an author can accomplish. The human
point of view will necessarily intrude. This lesson asks students to consider:
How have writers attempted to tell a story from the point of view of an animal?
How did London approach the problem in The Call of the Wild? What was London
attempting to communicate through his portrayal of Buck?
- To achieve a
better understanding of how The Call of the Wild compares with the animals
stories of London's peers, students will compare excerpts from some well-known
animal stories of the time with a selection from London. Each excerpt will enable
students to glimpse a particular approach. While reading the complete narratives
may be impractical, interested students should be encouraged to read any of the
texts completely. (All stories are available online, some with additional information
of interest; see the first bulleted item under Extending
the Lesson, below.)
- For further reading for students, consult the
Recommended Reading List provided
here as a PDF file.
Suggested Activities
1. Jack London and the Real Buck 2.
The Other Animals 3. The
Call of the Wild and Other Animal Tales 4.
How Does London Portray Buck?: Collecting the Evidence 5.
Taking a Stand 1. Jack London
and the Real Buck How did London approach
the literary problem of telling a story from the point of view of an animal? Two
primary documents from Jack London
International, a link from the EDSITEment resource
Center for the Liberal Arts, provide some evidence: Share the documents
with the class. The eulogy discusses the model for Buck and also offers first-hand
(though not unbiased) observations about London and how he related to dogs. In
the photo, students can see the dog on whom Buck was based.
In what way, if any, should knowledge that London based Buck on an actual dog
change the way a reader approaches The Call of the Wild? How, if at all,
does that knowledge add to our understanding of London's approach to portraying
an animal? 2. The Other
Animals In response to the accusations
of Burroughs and Roosevelt, London wrote the essay "The
Other Animals," available on The
Jack London Collection, a link from EDSITEment resource
Center for the Liberal Arts. London claimed he wrote his two dog novels as "a
protest against the 'humanizing' of animals, of which… several 'animal writers'
had been profoundly guilty." He also claimed to have "hewed them [his dog heroes]
to the mark set by scientific research." London considered it ironic, then, that
he was being criticized as a "nature faker." Also in the essay, "The
Other Animals," London suggests
his intentions in his portrayals of Buck and White Fang. Share this essay
with your class (it is about 10 pages long, downloaded)
or the "Selections from 'The Other Animals'" on pages 1-2 of the PDF
file (see Preparing to Teach This Lesson, above,
for download instructions). How does London describe his approach to portraying
Buck (and White Fang)? 3.
The Call of the Wild and Other Animal Tales Animal
tales, especially those purporting to be based on the truth about the natural
world, were in vogue by the time London published The Call of the Wild.
Download, copy, and distribute to students the handout "Selections for Comparison"
on pages 3-7 of the PDF file.
Read the brief selections from London and his peers and fill in the "Chart for
Comparison of Animal Stories" on page 8 of the PDF file. What variety of approaches
do the students find? Which excerpts make no pretense of portraying the natural
world? Which succeed in portraying the natural world with reasonable accuracy?
Which do a reasonable job of portraying the natural world even while over-humanizing
animals? Which, if any, would you label "nature fakers?" Which most resemble The
Call of the Wild? 4.
How Does London Portray Buck?: Collecting the Evidence Select
some examples of London's portrayal of Buck from the first chapter of The Call
of the Wild to share with the class. If desired, use excerpts from the handout
"Buck in Chapter 1" on pages 9-10 of the PDF
file (see Preparing to Teach This Lesson, above,
for download instructions). Is there a pattern among the selections to indicate
London's approach at this point in the book? Remind students that his approach
could change during the novel. Ask each student or small group to locate one or
two examples of the author's approach from each of the succeeding chapters the
class has completed. (Remind students to note a page number for each.) In this
way, the class can quickly build up a source of textual evidence for everyone
to use. Discuss what the excerpts and the hypotheses of individual students reveal.
Share and discuss each of the sample hypotheses on the chart "Hypotheses for Explaining
London's Portrayal of Buck in The Call of the Wild," on page 11 of the
PDF file, as well as any variations conceived by students. Collect the text excerpts
and make them accessible by posting them on a bulletin board or having students
enter them into a computer word processing file or database. Everyone should now
be ready to take a stand on London's approach to Buck. 5.
Taking a Stand Students should fill in
the chart "Hypotheses for Explaining London's Portrayal of Buck in The Call
of the Wild," on page 11 of the PDF
file (see Preparing to Teach This Lesson, above,
for download instructions), based on the hypothesis they have developed or accepted
about the portrayal of Buck in The Call of the Wild. Then, using the evidence
from the text that the class has compiled, students should take a firm stand on
the issue in the form of an essay, with a clearly stated hypothesis as its thesis.
How does Jack London portray Buck? Does London's approach change during the novel
as Buck changes? Is London faithful to scientific research as he claimed? Does
it matter? What is London trying to communicate to the reader through his portrayal
of Buck? Extending the Lesson
- Interested students can find online (via links from the EDSITEment
resource Internet Public Library) the complete
texts of the animal stories excerpted for this lesson:
- Jack London's other Klondike tales, among them White
Fang and the short story collection The Son of the Wolf, are part of
The Jack London Collection,
a link from the EDSITEment-reviewed website
Center for the Liberal Arts, and an excellent resource for everything London.
If desired, students can complete further research about London, including reading
some of his letters.
- A good place to start learning more about President
Theodore Roosevelt is the POTUS
Page on Roosevelt, which is available on the EDSITEment resource Internet
Public Library and lists many facts and provides links to online biographies
and other information.
- Further information on John Burroughs is available
from the following EDSITEment-reviewed websites:
Selected
EDSITEment Websites
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