Animal Rights Under the Call of the Wild

Abstract：The Call of the Wild is jack London's famous novel about Buck's transformation from a domesticated pet dog to a wolf king. The book presents themes such as civilization and barbarism， human and nature. The way humans treat animals determines their own welfare and human development. Animal rights is an issue that society will inevitably pay attention to when it develops to a certain stage. This article analyzes buck's transition from human civilization to nature. It explores the necessity for human beings to respect nature and return animal rights.

Key Words：animal rights; wildness; human and nature; civilization

1.Introduction

The Book the Call of the Wild written by Jack London describes the story of a domestic dog named Buck who was sold to the primitive to pull the sled because of the Gold Rush. He struggled to survive in the harsh environment and finally restored the wild to become the Wolf king. Before he was abducted， Buck lived a comfortable life in Judge Miller's place. In the center of civilization， he trusted human completely. However， after being trafficked to the harsh north， he had to struggle to survive in the tough environment. Buck showed a strong desire to survive. And dominated by this desire， he managed to overcome all unimaginable difficulties and became a sled dog adapted to the laws of wilderness survival and competition. Eventually he returned to nature after his last master Thornton died and became the Wolf king.

2.Buck's transformation from animal rights perspective

2.1 break away from civilization

Novels featuring animals， especially those that transcend human morality， tend to restore the characteristics of the creatures themselves. They often shock the reader， evoking a biological essence that humans have forgotten about themselves. In the eyes of humans， like other domestic animals， after thousands of years of training， dogs can submit to human consciousness and serve humans faithfully. For they have no thoughts of their own， but are mere appendages of human life. Jack London tried to find the wildness in the domestication of animals， explored the disappearance of animal wildness， hoping that animals can escape from urban civilization to return to the wilderness and find the wild.

In the naturalist's view， Buck's role is that of a pet dog enslaved in captivity， whether it is the comfort or the brutality of life in captivity. “His father， Elmo， a huge St. Bernard， had been the Judge's inseparable companion， and Buck bid fair to follow in the way of his father. He was not so large，he weighed only one hundred and forty pounds，—for his mother， Shcp， had been a Scotch shepherd dog. Nevertheless， one hundred and forty pounds， to which was added the dignity that comes of good living and universal respect， enabled him to carry himself in right royal fashion. ”（3） Buck was born on Judge Miller's estate in California and lived a comfortable life. “During the four years since his puppyhood he had lived the life of a sated aristocrat; he had a fine pride in himself， was even a trifle egotistical， as country gentlemen sometimes become because of their insular situation. But he had saved himself by not becoming a mere pampered house-dog. Hunting and kindred outdoor delights had kept down the fat and hardened his muscles; and to him， as to the cold-tubbing races， the love of water had been a tonic and a health preserver.”（3） Being domesticated from his ancestors and enslaved from birth， Buck had no sense or desire for freedom at first. However， Manuel secretly sold him， driving him on the road back to the wild. He was quietly tied around his neck with dignity， because he had grown accustomed to trusting people he knew， believing that human intelligence was beyond his reach.

Suddenly transported from the center of civilization to the center of the primitive， Buck was surprised and terrified by everything around him. Buck， who had never been bludgeoned before， was knocked unconscious， giving him an introduction to the wild. “The law of club and fang” taught him to yield outwardly and endure inwardly. “The facts of life took on a fiercer aspect; and while he faced that aspect uncowed， he faced it with all the latent cunning of his nature aroused.”（9） It was from this point that Buck's wildness began to come back.

In the process of breaking away from civilization， Buck experienced the suffering of moral disappearance， competition of the same kind and adapting to the difficult situation. Fatigue and hunger cured him of his fussiness. His survival instinct forces him to abandon his dignity and virtue， and he slyly steals his master's food while pretending to be innocent. The theft was a sign that Buck's moral sense was crumbling.“And not only did he learn by experience， but instincts long dead became alive again. The domesticated generations fell from him. In vague ways he remembered back to the youth of the breed， to the time the wild dogs ranged in packs through the primeval forest and killed their meat as they ran it down. It was no task for him to learn to fight with cut and slash and the quick wolf snap. In this manner had fought forgotten ancestors. They quickened the old lite within him， and the old tricks which they had stamped into the heredity of the breed were his tricks. They came to him without effort or discovery， as though they had been his always.”（19） As far away from civilization， Buck's thoughts gradually moved toward primitive barbarism.

2.2 restore the wildness

The primal instincts in Buck were gradually activated. He recalled vaguely the infancy of his own species， the savage days of dogs， who roamed the primeval forest in packs， hunting animals. Buck soon learned to bite， or tear， or even bite like a wolf， for these skills had always been in his blood and that was how his forgotten ancestors had fought. No matter how long an animal has been domesticated by human civilization， given the opportunity to trigger his primal instincts， he will embark on a journey back to the freedom it craves. In order to survive， Buck tried to adapt to the new environment and learn new survival skills. Soon he learned to pull a sleigh， sleep under the snow and steal his master's food， changing his lazy habits completely. Buck later joined Spitz in the race for the leadership of the dogs and honed his great strength and strong will. “He wanted it because it was his nature， because he had been gripped tight by that nameless， incomprehensible pride of the trail and trace—that pride which holds dogs in the toil to the last gasp， which lures them to die joyfully in the harness， and breaks their hearts if they are cut out of the harness. ”（27）

The fighting among the dogs brought out the wildness in Buck， but it did not bring him back to nature. Buck's return to wildness was a gradual separation from human and dependence on his master. “He was mastered by the sheer surging of life， the tidal wave of being， the perfect joy of each separate muscle， joint， and sinew in that it was everything that was not death， that it was aglow and rampant， expressing itself in movement， flying exultantly under the stars and over the face of dead matter that did not move.”（29） As buck hunted again and again， his wild free instincts returned. He likes to run tirelessly through forests and wastelands， showing his instinct and strength and experiencing the joy of life brought by this natural life.

Finally， with the death of His benefactor Thornton， Buck's last link to civilization was broken. Nothing could stop Buck from pursuing the wild and he finally returned to the wilderness and became the leader of the wolves. Buck's heart was completely back in the wild and primitive times. They coexist with humans as equals， not as pets or accessories.

3.Return of animal rights

3.1 animals deserve to have rights

Buck had a strong sense of self-respect. When Buck was the judge's dog， he enjoyed all sorts of social activities with his master， swimming in the pool， going out hunting， and frolicking with other members of his master's family. In the process， he felt the importance and respect of mankind and was full of trust and obedience to all people. However， just because of buck's strong self-esteem， after his fate changed， he felt angry and confused about the new master's brutal beating on it. Although he finally succumbs to the law of the club and fang， it does not mean that Buck has completely given up his self-esteem but only temporarily compromise in order to survive. And it was because of his strong pride that Buck was never content with being a sled dog. When the conditions are ripe， he finally defeated the dog leader Spitz to regain his dignity.

Buck also showed a virtue beyond the ordinary human kindness. This virtue is concentrated in his attitude towards his benefactor Thornton. After Buck endured extreme cold， excessive weight and merciless beatings， Thornton rescued him and took good care of him. Buck felt that “Love， genuine passionate love， was his for the first time.”（56） Driven by this love， Buck returned to Thornton even in the cold of the night just to see him. He could obey Thornton's orders unconditionally， even helping Thornton gamble. When Thornton fell into the water and was in danger， Buck did his best to save Thornton regardless of his own safety. When Thornton was finally killed， he was desperate to find traces of his enemy and kill him. Even after that， he visited the valley where Thornton died every year to pay his respects and remember him. Buck's unreserved love for Thornton is better than the indifference of the vast majority of human beings so that people fully feel the glory of the human nature of Buck as the leader of dogs and wolves.

Buck dared to defy fate. Buck did not completely abandon his dignity and perseverance in the harsh environment. Not only does it adapt quickly cold weather and hatred for the dog dealers. Despite the threat of the club， he did not give up resistance even when he was repeatedly knocked unconscious. And equally unrelenting in his battle with Spitz for the position of lead dog， despite his owners repeated interventions. He succeeded in obtaining the position of lead dog by forcing his master to make a final concession. In pulling the sledge， Buck still trusted his own judgment and never yielded to the man in the sledge. Buck's tenacious resistance to his fate not only made him adapt quickly to the harsh environment he was in， but also improved his position. Eventually he became a famous pack leader， taking control of his own destiny.

3.2 human and nature

Human is incomparably small in the face of nature. Most of the human characters in the novel are frail and short-sighted. They arrived in the frozen world with dreams of gold but only to be swallowed up by the brutal wilderness world. They are far less able to survive than the sled dogs that protect them and they lack the courage and intelligence of animals in the natural environment. This was especially true of Buck's second masters in the north--Charles， Hal and Mercedes. Charles is a man with weak character， lack of field life experience and teamwork. His wife's brother， Hal， was a hairless and impulsive man “with a big Colt's revolver and a hunting-knife”（43）. Though he looks like a brave hunter， he is actually foolhardy. Charless wife， Mercedes， complains all the time but is unwilling to give. Driven by greed， the three blindly came to Alaska for gold. When in trouble， they only argued with each other and abused the sled dogs， eventually falling into the newly melted ice.

Human can also live in harmony with nature. Buck's last master was a strong hunter adapted to life in the wilderness. Not only does he have a great ability to survive in the wild， but he also has a reverence for nature. He is kind and sincere to all life and treats sled dogs like Buck in the cruel environment. Thornton gave Buck the last piece of human warmth. But Thornton eventually died in a vendetta by the local aborigines. He died in the struggle of the human race. After Buck revenged for Thornton， he was accepted by the local wolves， completely returning to the wild.

Albert Schweitzer advocated reverence for life. He believed that ethics should not only be about people， but also about all life. Human is ethical only when he considers all life sacred. Only when we accept that all lives are equal and have the same value can we develop a reverence for nature. Just as we do with vulnerable people， we must give animals certain basic rights to protect them from unnecessary harm. Animals are also subjects of life and have basic rights. So they cannot be seen as a tool for us to achieve any other end. In addition to respecting the rights of other people and animals， everyone has the responsibility to prevent any behavior that tramples on the rights of other people or animals. In other words， it is not enough not to do evil ourselves and we also have an obligation to protect the rights of other individuals. Animals and human beings are equal subjects of life and have the same value of life. In addition， animals  have feelings and a basic right to life like humans. Human should not be king over all creatures and other creatures do not exist because of human.

4.Conclusion

As an important part of nature， animals play an important role in the harmonious relationship between human and nature. In a practical sense， the protection of animals is the key to achieving harmony between human and nature and sustainable economic development. Humans have already been punished for their reckless abuse and killing of animals， as in the COVID-19 pandemic and other outbreaks. We should open the cage and give back animals their right to live， so that animals can coexist with humans freely. When human society develops to a certain stage， it is inevitable to pay attention to animal rights， which reflects the economic development and moral level of human society. Our planet is home to all features. It is important to change the concept of animal rights， revere life and nature and return the rights of animals. Only in this way， the concept of green earth and ecological care can be put into practice， and man and nature can live in harmony.

The rights of animals are roughly the freedom to hunt， migrate， live and reproduce. Human beings have the same rights. However， in order to occupy more resources， human beings exterminate and kill animals to cause ecological crisis， which objectively poses a threat to human survival. So human beings have written laws forbidding the killing of wild animals and protecting endangered animals.The protection of animal rights is essentially a restriction on human rights， not a restriction on human infringement of animal rights.

Moreover， we need to reflect that human beings are not the source of everything nor the measure of everything at all. Animals are not inferior to humans in large biological patterns. Human need to assume our moral obligations to other animals. It means anti-anthropocentrism. Human gradually began to abandon our long-rooted sense of superiority and to empathize with animals and revere nature. How one treat animals to some extent reflects how he treat “the other”. If human believe that pet dogs infected with Novel Coronavirus should be put to death and humans are of a different status from dogs， do human are of the same status as “the others” in other spheres？ Do men and women have the same status？ What about black and white？ They are all of a kind of “the other”. People who respect animals tend not to be sexist or racist because they don't discriminate against “the other”. It is the progress of civilization not to judge others as self-centered. How to treat animals reflects how a person views the world and reflects the value choices of human beings.

Works Cited：

[1]Ahmadreza Afshar，David P Steensma，Robert A Kyle. Albert Schweitzer： Humanitarian With a "Reverence for Life"[J]. Mayo Clinic Proceedings，2019，94（7）.

[2]London， Jack. the Call of the Wild[M]. the United States；Macmillan 1903.

[3]買春艳 . 对《野性的呼唤》中巴克形象的再解读 [J]. 盐城师范学院学报（人文社会科学版），2005（03）.

作者简介：夏芳菲（2003—），女，汉族，籍贯：山东安丘人，大连外国语大学高级翻译学院，21级在读本科生，学士学位，专业：翻译。