The Call of the Wild Group

Question:

mgn
mgn
Student
High School - 10th Grade

Sometimes loving someone can cause a person to feel afraid of losing them. How did Buck demonstrate this fear in The Call of the Wild?

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Posted by mgn on Wednesday October 21, 2009 at 2:48 PM and tagged with buck, characters, fear, love.

Answers:


  1. akannan Teacher
    Middle School

    eNotes Editor

    Buck has an undeniable love for Thornton.  I think this is evident in the fact that he helps Thornton win the bet and learns to trust humans again through the love demonstrated by Thornton for Buck.  After being mistreated and abused as a means to an end, Buck finally finds some level of comfort and care within Thornton's affection.  When he dies, there is little left for Buck, causing him to sever all ties with humanity except for the yearly visit to Thornton's grave.  Certainly, within Buck's psyche, which has endured repeated abuse and betrayal, there was a fear of abandonment and betrayal.  Buck did not experience this with Thornton, but rather with those who killed him.  This might have fed Buck's fear of love and loss, causing him to take the extreme actions he did.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/call-wild/summary

    Rate answer:

    Posted by akannan on Wednesday October 21, 2009 at 5:44 PM