Friday, August 31, 2012

In The Call of the Wild by Jack London, how does Buck perform when he succeeds Spitz as lead dog?

In The Call of the Wild by Jack London, Buck performs exceedingly well when he succeeds former lead dog Spitz. At first, the drivers want to use another lead dog, but Buck refuses to allow it, inserting himself in the lead dog position until finally he is allowed to stay there. 



"Francois complied, whereupon Buck trotted in, laughing triumphantly, and swung around into position at the head of the team. His traces were fastened, the sled broken out, and with both men running, they dashed out on to the river trail" (London Chapter 4).



The drivers, Francois and Perrault, soon learn that they have underestimated Buck. Though they thought Sol-leks would be the better lead dog, they quickly realized they were wrong. Buck, not only did his job, but he also made sure the other dogs did theirs. Francois had thought Spitz was the best lead dog he had ever worked with, but now Buck was proving to be even better. 



"'Never such a dog as dat Buck!' he cried. 'No, never! Him worth one thousand dollair, by Gar! Eh? What you say, Perrault'" (London Chapter 4)?



Buck was such a good leader, in fact, that the team had a record run and made it to Skagway in just two weeks time.  

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