美國文學論文-My-reviews-on-The-Call-of-the-Wild

word文檔可自由復(fù)制編輯7MyreviewsonTheCalloftheWildⅠ.Introduction1.Aboutthebook:itisanovellawrittenbytheAmericanauthorJackLondon,firstpublishedin1903.ItmainlytellsastoryaboutadognamedBuck.ThestorytakesplaceintheextremeconditionsoftheYukonduringthe19th-centuryKlondikeGoldRush.ThenovellavividlyportraitsBuck'sstruggletoadjustandsurvivethecrueltreatmentfromhumans,otherdogs,andeventhenature.Attheendofthestory,Buckfollowedthewolfintotheforestandansweredthecallofthewild.2.Abouttheauthor:anAmericanauthor,journalist,andsocialactivist.Hewasapioneerinthethen-burgeoningworldofcommercialmagazinefictionandwasoneofthefirstfictionwriterstoobtainworldwidecelebrity.HeisbestrememberedastheauthorofTheCalloftheWildandWhiteFang,bothsetintheKlondikeGoldRush.Inaddition,theSeaWolf,TheIronHeel,andMartinEdenarealsoamonghismostfamousnovels.Helivedinpovertythroughouthisyouth.HeremainedinschoolonlythroughtheeighthgradebutwasavoraciousreaderandafrequentvisitortotheOaklandPublicLibrary,whereheeducatedhimself.Also,atthattime,theKlondikegoldrush(inCanada'sYukonTerritory)hadbegun,andin1897LondonleftcollegetoseekhisfortuneinthesnowyNorth.While,thegoldrushdidnotmakeLondonrich.Allhisexperiencesfurnishedhimwithabundantmaterialforhiscareerasawriter,whichbeganinthelate1890sandcontinueduntilhisdeathin1916.Hepublishedoverfiftybooksandbecameoneofthemostfamousauthors.Heembodied,itwassaid,thespiritoftheAmericanWest.Hisportrayalofadventureandfrontierlifeseemedlikeabreathoffreshairincomparisonwiththenineteenth-centuryVictorianfiction,whichwasoftenoverlyconcernedwithtrivialandirrelevantsocialnorms.Ⅱ.ASummaryofthebook1.Thesetting:thestoryissetintheKlondikegoldrush.TheKlondikeGoldRush,alsocalledtheYukonGoldRush,theAlaskaGoldRushandtheLastGreatGoldRush,wasanattemptbyanestimated100,000peopletotraveltotheKlondikeregionoftheYukoninnorthwesternCanadabetween1897and1899inthehopeofsuccessfullyprospectingforgold.2.Themaincharacters:Buck-Theprotagonistwhoisapowerfuldog,halfSt.Bernardandhalfshepherd.Inthestory,hewasstolenfromaCaliforniaestateandsoldasasleddogintheArctic.Buckgraduallyevolvesfromadomesticpetintoafierce,masterfulanimal,learnstoholdhisowninthecruel,kill-or-be-killedworldoftheNorth.Thoughheloveshisfinalmaster,JohnThornton,hefeelsthewildcallinghimawayfromcivilizationandlongstoreconnectwiththeprimitiverootsofhisspecies.JohnThornton-Buck'sfinalmaster,agoldhunterexperiencedinthewaysoftheKlondike.ThorntonsavesBuckfromdeathatthehandsofHal,andaccordinglyBuckrewardsThorntonwithhistotallyloyalty.Thornton'srelationshiptoBuckistheidealman-dogrelationship.Spitz-Buck'sarchrivalandtheoriginalleaderofFrancois'sdogteam.Spitzisafierceanimal.Heisusedtofightingwithotherdogsandwinning.Untiloneday,HemeetshismatchwithBuckwhoisasstrongashimselfandismorecunning.Finally,Spitzwasbeatanddiedatthatfighting.Hal-AnAmericangoldseeker,HalcomestoCanadawithhissister,Mercedes,andherhusband,Charles,insearchofadventureandriches.ThethreebuyBuckandhisteamandtrytodrivethem,buttheirinexperiencemakesthemterriblemasters.Attheend,henearlybeatBucktodeath.Inthisnovel,Halandhiscompanionsrepresenttheweaknessofovercivilizedmenandembodytheman-dogrelationshipatitsworst.Theplot:Thisnovelmainlycontainssevenchapters.Thefirstchaptertellsabout"IntothePrimitive".ItmainlytellsaboutthechangeintermsofBuck'slife.Buck,apowerfuldog,halfSt.Bernardandhalfsheepdog,livesonJudgeMiller’sestateinCalifornia’sSantaClaraValley.Helivesacomfortablelifethere,butitcomestoanendwhenmendiscovergoldintheKlondikeregionofCanadaandagreatdemandarisesforstrongdogstopullsleds.BuckiskidnappedbyagardenerontheMillerestateandsoldtodogtraders.Thencomeschaptertwo-TheLawofClubandFang.ItmainlyportraitshowthetradersteachBucktoobeybybeatinghimwithacluband,finally,shiphimnorthtotheKlondike.Thethirdchapteris"TheDominantPrimordialBeast".IttellsaboutBuck'sfightandstruggle.ArrivinginthechillyNorth,Buckisamazedbythecrueltyheseesaroundhim.EspeciallyafterwitnessingCurly'sdeath,Buckvowsnevertoletthesamefatebefallhim.Gradually,helearnstofight,scavengeforfood,andsleepbeneaththesnowonwinternightsandalmostalltheskillsthatneededinthewildlife.Atthesametime,hedevelopsafiercerivalrywithSpitz,theterribleleaddogintheteam.ButatonefightBuckkillsSpitzandtakeshisplaceastheleaddog.Thisisalsotoldinchapterfour:WhoHasWontoMastership.Thenchapterfive:TheToilofTraceandTrail.ThischaptershowsusBuck'smiserablesuffering.AsBuck’snewmastersareinexperiencedandoutofplaceinthewilderness.Theyoverloadthesled,beatthedogs,andplanpoorly.Halfwaythroughtheirjourney,theybegintorunoutoffood.Ofanoriginalteamoffourteen,onlyfivearestillalivewhentheylimpintoJohnThornton’scamp,stillsomedistancefromtheirdestination.Thorntonwarnsthemthattheicewhichtheyaretravelingismeltingandthattheymayfallthroughit.Unfortunately,Halignoresthesewarningsandtriestokeepgoingimmediately.Theotherdogsbegintomove,butBuckrefuses.SoHalbeginstobeatBuckmadly.ThenthekindThorntoncannotbearsuchimmoralhurttoBuckanymore.Heintervenes,andsavesBuckfromthemarginofdeath.Sothefollowingchaptersix-FortheLoveofaMan,mainlytellsthewarmrelationshipbetweenThorntonandBuck.AfterBuckissavedbyThornton,Buckbecometotallyloyaltohisnewmaster-Thornton.HedoesalotforThornton.Butastimepasses,Buck’sloveforThorntonismixedwithagrowingattractiontothewild,andhefeelsasifheisbeingcalledawayfromcivilizationandintothewilderness.ThisfeelinggrowsstrongerwhenheaccompaniesThorntonandhisfriendsinsearchofalostminehiddendeepintheCanadianforest.Untiloneday,whenBuckreturnstoThorntonfromthewildhefindsYeehatIndianshaveattackedandkilledhismaster.Buckisragedcompletelyandkillsseveralandscatterstherest,andthenheadsoffintothewild,wherehebecomestheleaderofapackofwolves.Hebecomesalegendaryfigure,aGhostDog,fatheringcountlesscubsandinspiringfearintheYeehats.Theninthelastchapter-TheSoundingoftheCall,ittellsBuck'sreturntothewildandBuck'strueemotiontoThornton.EveryyearhereturnstotheplacewhereThorntondied,tomournhismasterbeforereturningtohislifeinthewild.Ⅲ.MyViewsontheBookTobehonest,beforeIreadthisnovel,Ijustconsideritanovelaboutadogwithoutmoredeepmeaning.While,afterreadingit,icometorealizethatit'snotonlyasimplenovelonanimal,itdisplaysaphilosophicaldepthabsentinmostanimaladventures.Ononehand,ifeelagreatpityforthemiserablelifethatBuckfaces.Certainly,survivalistheonlyimperative.KillorbekilledistheonlymoralityamongthedogsoftheKlondike.Afterall,thewildisacruel,unemotionalworld,whereonlythestrongprosperandsurvive.Ontheotherhand,thespiritofBuckisindeedinspiringandhisexperiencesmakeusawareofthemostimportantprinciple"thesurvivalofthefittest".Abouttheplot:Thestorymainlyportraitsaroundadog'slifeandvariedexperiences.Ingeneral,Buck,whoisthehero,takesajourney,istransformed,andachievesanapotheosis.Theformatofthestoryisdistinctlydividedintofourparts,Inthefirstpart,Buckexperiencesviolencesandstrugglesforsurvival;inthesecondpartheproveshimselfaleaderofthepack;thethirdpartbringshimtohisdeath(symbolicallyandalmostliterally);andinthefourthandfinalpartheundergoesrebirthandreturnbacktohimself.Inmyview,allthosefivepartsarewrittenattractive.Iammoveddeeply.Thereareplentyofplotsthatimpressedmealot.OneofthemisthepsychologicalportraitofBuckafterBuck'sknowingofhismaster'sdeath.Itsays:"death,asacessationofmovement,asapassingoutandawayfromthelivesoftheliving,heknew,andheknewJohnThorntonwasdead.Itleftagreatvoidinhim,somewhatakintohunger,butavoidwhichachedandached,andwhichfoodcouldnotfill."Ittrulyshowsusasincereemotionbetweenthem,anditissotouching.Frankly,theplotofthisnovelisinterestingandmeaningful.2.Aboutthewritingmethod:ThenovelopenswiththefirstquatrainofJohnMyersO'Hara'spoem,Atavism,publishedin1902inTheBookman.Thestanzaoutlinesoneofthemainmotifsofthenovel,thatBuck,raisedinthe"sun-kissed"SantaClaraValley,willreverttoinnateinstinctsandcharacteristicsofhiswolfheritage.Itfallsintothegenreofanimalfictioninwhichananimalisanthropomorphizedandgivenhumantraits.Inthestory,theauthorattributeshumanthoughtsandinsightstoBuck.Thethemesareconveyedthroughtheauthor'suseofsymbolismandimagery.Thesettingisallegorical:thesouthrepresentsthesoft,materialisticworld,thenorthsymbolize