Suggestions

Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.
  • Shakespeare dark gray
    • No Fear Shakespeare Translations
    • Shakespeare Study Guides
    • Shakespeare Life & Times
    • Glossary of Shakespeare Terms
  • Literature dark gray
    • No Fear Literature Translations
    • Literature Study Guides
    • Glossary of Literary Terms
    • How to Write Literary Analysis
  • Other Subjects dark gray
    • Biography
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Computer Science
    • Drama
    • Economics
    • Film
    • Health
    • History
    • Math
    • Philosophy
    • Physics
    • Poetry
    • Psychology
    • Short Stories
    • Sociology
    • US Government and Politics
  • Test Prep PLUS dark gray
    • Test Prep Lessons
    • AP® English Literature
    • AP® English Language
  • Teacher dark gray
    • SparkTeach
    • Teacher's Handbook
  • Blog
My PLUS Dashboard
  • Account Details
  • Subscription & Billing

Please wait while we process your payment

Reset Password

  • Please wait while we process your payment

    Log in Create account

    Sparknotes

  • By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy.

    Don’t have an account? Subscribe now

    Step 1 of 4

    Create Your Account

    Sign up for your FREE 7-day trial. Get instant access to all the benefits of SparkNotes PLUS! Cancel within the first 7 days and you won't be charged. We'll even send you a reminder.

    • Ad-free experience
    • Study notes
    • Flashcards & Quizzes
    • AP® English Test Prep
    • Plus much more

  • Already have an account? Log in

    Step 1 of 4

    Create Your Account done

    Step 2 of 4

    Choose Your Plan

    BEST VALUE

    Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan!

    Step 2 of 4

    Choose Your Plan done

    Step 3 of 4

    Add Your Payment Details

  • We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country.

  • Step 3 of 4

    Add Your Payment Details done

    Step 4 of 4

    Payment Summary

    SparkNotes Plus

     Change

    US + tax

    You'll be billed only after your free trial ends.

    7-day Free Trial

    DUE NOW

    $0.00

    Total due on July 8, 2022

    This is not a valid promo code.

    Promo Code

    SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Free trial is available to new customers only.

    Step 2 of 4

    Choose Your Plan

    Step 3 of 4

    Add Your Payment Details

    Step 4 of 4

    Payment Summary

    Suggestions

    Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.
    • My Account Icon My Account white
      • Account Details
      • Subscription & Billing
      My PLUS Dashboard
    • Shakespeare white
      • No Fear Shakespeare Translations
      • Shakespeare Study Guides
      • Shakespeare Life & Times
      • Glossary of Shakespeare Terms
    • Literature white
      • No Fear Literature Translations
      • Literature Study Guides
      • Glossary of Literary Terms
      • How to Write Literary Analysis
    • Other Subjects white
      • Biography
      • Biology
      • Chemistry
      • Computer Science
      • Drama
      • Economics
      • Film
      • Health
      • History
      • Math
      • Philosophy
      • Physics
      • Poetry
      • Psychology
      • Short Stories
      • Sociology
      • US Government and Politics
    • Test Prep PLUS white
      • Test Prep Lessons
      • AP® English Literature
      • AP® English Language
    • Teacher white
      • SparkTeach
      • Teacher's Handbook
    • Blog
    • Help

    Please wait while we process your payment

    expired-logo

    Your PLUS subscription has expired

    • We’d love to have you back! Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools.
    Renew your subscription

    Please wait while we process your payment

    expired-logo

    snpromo-logo
    • Looking for exclusive, AD-FREE study tools? Look no further!

    The Call of the Wild

    Jack London

    Study Guide Full Text
    • Study Guide
    • Full Text
    • Summary
      • Summary & Analysis
      • Chapter I: Into the Primitive
      • Chapter II: The Law of Club and Fang
      • Chapter III: The Dominant Primordial Beast
      • Chapter IV: Who Has Won to Mastership
      • Chapter V: The Toil of Trace and Trail
      • Chapter VI: For the Love of a Man
      • Chapter VII: The Sounding of the Call
      • Full Book
      • Full Book Summary
      • Key Facts
    • Characters
      • Character List
      • Buck
      • John Thornton
      • Hal, Charles, and Mercedes
    • Literary Devices
      • Themes
      • Motifs
      • Symbols
    • Quotes
      • Important Quotes Explained
      • By Theme
      • Law and Order
      • Primitiveness
      • Mastery
      • By Section
      • Chapter I: Into the Primitive
      • Chapter II: The Law of Club and Fang
      • Chapter III: The Dominant Primordial Beast
      • Chapter IV: Who Has Won to Mastership
      • Chapter V: The Toil of Trace and Trail
      • Chapter VI: For the Love of a Man
      • Chapter VII: The Sounding of the Call
      • By Character
      • Buck
      • John Thornton
      • Hal, Charles, and Mercedes
      • Spitz
      • Dave
    • Quick Quizzes
      • Book
      • Full Book Quiz
      • Chapter 1: Into the Primitive
      • Chapter 2: The Law of Club and Fang
      • Chapter 3: The Dominant Primordial Beast
      • Chapter 4: Who Has Won to Mastership
      • Chapter 5: The Toil of Trace and Trail
      • Chapter 6: For the Love of a Man
      • Chapter 7: The Sounding of the Call
        • More
        • Context
        • Plot Overview
        • Character List
        • Analysis of Major Characters
        • Themes, Motifs & Symbols
        • Essays
          • Mini Essays
          • Suggested Essay Topics
        • Further Study
          • Suggestions for Further Reading
          • Jack London and The Call of the Wild Background

        Please wait while we process your payment

        snplus-logo

        Unlock your FREE SparkNotes PLUS trial!

        Unlock your FREE Trial!

        Sign up and get instant access to bookmarks.
        • Ad-Free experience
        • Easy-to-access study notes
        • Flashcards & Quizzes
        • AP® English test prep
        • Plus much more
        Already have an account? Log in
        Characters

        Character List

        Characters Character List
        • Buck

          A powerful dog, half St. Bernard and half sheepdog, who is stolen from a California estate and sold as a sled dog in the Arctic. Buck gradually evolves from a pampered pet into a fierce, masterful animal, able to hold his own in the cruel, kill-or-be-killed world of the North. Though he loves his final master, John Thornton, he feels the wild calling him away from civilization and longs to reconnect with the primitive roots of his species.

          Read an in-depth analysis of Buck .

        • John Thornton

          Buck’s final master, a gold hunter experienced in the ways of the Klondike. Thornton saves Buck from death at the hands of Hal, and Buck rewards Thornton with fierce loyalty. Thornton’s relationship to Buck is the ideal man-dog relationship: each guards the other’s back and is completely devoted to the other. The strength of their bond is enough to keep Buck from acting on the forces he feels are calling him into the wild.

          Read an in-depth analysis of John Thornton .

        • Spitz

          Buck’s archrival and the original leader of Francois’s dog team. Spitz is a fierce animal—a “devil-dog,” one man calls him—who is used to fighting with other dogs and winning. He meets his match in Buck, however, who is as strong as Spitz and possesses more cunning. Spitz is an amoral being who fights for survival with all of his might, disregarding what is right and wrong.

        • Francois

          A French Canadian mail driver who buys Buck and adds him to his team. Francois is an experienced man, accustomed to life in the North, and he impresses Buck with his fairness and good sense.

        • Perrault

          A French Canadian who, together with Francois, turns Buck into a sled dog for the Canadian government. Both Perrault and Francois speak in heavily accented English, which London distinguishes from the rest of the novel’s dialogue.

        • Hal

          An American gold seeker, Hal comes to Canada with his sister, Mercedes, and her husband, Charles, in search of adventure and riches. The three buy Buck and his team and try to drive them, but their inexperience makes them terrible masters, as they run out of food during the journey and bicker among themselves. Hal and his companions are meant to represent the weakness of overcivilized men and to embody the man-dog relationship at its worst.

          Read an in-depth analysis of Hal .

        • Mercedes

          Charles’s wife and Hal’s sister. Mercedes is spoiled and pampered, and her unreasonable demands slow her, Hal, and Charles on their journey and contribute to its disastrous ending. Her civilized manner, however, contrasts that of her unprepared brother and husband in that she initially feels sympathetic for the worn-out sled team. Her behavior, London suggests, demonstrates how civilized women are unsuited for life in the wild, having been spoiled and babied by the men around them.

          Read an in-depth analysis of Mercedes .

        • Charles

          Hal’s brother-in-law and Mercedes’ husband. Charles shares their inexperience and folly.

          Read an in-depth analysis of Charles .

        • Dave

          A dog on Buck’s team. Dave becomes ill on one of the team’s journeys but refuses to leave the harness, preferring to die pulling the sled. In his stubbornness at this task, Dave is an example of gritty determination.

        • Sol-leks

          An older, more experienced dog on Buck’s team.

        • Curly

          A friend of Buck’s, met on the journey to the North. Curly’s death, when she naively tries to be friendly to a husky, acts as a warning to Buck of the harshness and cruelty of his new home.

        • Judge Miller

          Buck’s original master, the owner of a large estate in California’s Santa Clara Valley.

        • Manuel

          A gardener’s helper on Judge Miller’s estate. Manuel kidnaps Buck and sells him in order to pay off his gambling debts.

        Next section Buck
        Test your knowledge

        Take the Character List Quick Quiz

        Take a study break

        Every Shakespeare Play Summed Up in a Single Sentence

        Take a study break

        The 7 Most Embarrassing Proposals in Literature

        Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? x

        Popular pages: The Call of the Wild

        • Buck: Character Analysis CHARACTERS

        • Quotes by Theme QUOTES

        • Themes LITERARY DEVICES

        • Review Quiz FURTHER STUDY

        Take a Study Break

        • Every Shakespeare Play Summed Up in a Single Sentence

        • The 7 Most Embarrassing Proposals in Literature

        • The 6 Best and Worst TV Show Adaptations of Books

        • QUIZ: Which Greek God Are You?

        Sign up for our latest news and updates!
        By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. You can view our Privacy Policy here. Unsubscribe from our emails at any time.

        SparkNotes—the stress-free way to a better GPA

        • Popular
        • No Fear Shakespeare
        • Literature Guides
        • Other Subjects
        • Blog
        • Teacher’s Handbook
        • SparkNotes PLUS
        • Why choose PLUS?
        • Sign Up
        • Log In
        • PLUS Help
        • More
        • Help
        • How to Cite SparkNotes
        • How to Write Literary Analysis
        • About
        • Contact Us
        • Advertise

        Copyright © SparkNotes LLC

        • Terms of Use
        • |
        • Privacy
        • |
        • Cookie Policy
        • |
        • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
               
        >