The Call of the Wild

Buck’s wild, ancestral strength continues to awaken, but he keeps his newborn prowess to himself. He wants to fight Spitz but avoids being rash: “A certain deliberateness characterized his attitude. He was not prone to rashness and precipitate action; and in the bitter hatred between him and Spitz he betrayed no impatience, shunned all offensive acts” (12). Spitz, meanwhile, continues to bite and snap at Buck every chance he gets. During another cold and harsh day, Buck makes a sleeping nest beneath a large rock. Spitz steals Buck’s nest, and Buck finally lashes out. As the two dogs fight, starving huskies invade the camp, lured by the smell of food. Buck and the other dogs fight with the wild huskies. Amidst the commotion, Spitz uses the opportunity to attack Buck again, but Buck evades him. The team fights off the invading dogs, but they are badly wounded, and their food supply is halved. With no other choice but to keep going, they resume their journey.

Perrault pushes the dogs. He doesn’t overextend them, but he knows that if they don’t make it to their destination, they’ll run out of food and die. The journey is difficult.