Discussion Topic
Factors leading to the deaths of Hal, Charles, Mercedes, and the dog sled team in The Call of the Wild
Summary:
The deaths of Hal, Charles, Mercedes, and the dog sled team in The Call of the Wild are primarily due to their inexperience, poor judgment, and mistreatment of the dogs. They overburden the sled, lack survival skills, and ignore warnings about the dangers of the trail, ultimately leading to their demise.
What three factors led to the deaths of Hal, Charles, Mercedes, and the dog sled team in Chapter 5 of Call of the Wild?
These three "chechaquos" learned about the terrible hardships of the Yukon the hard way. Although they were anxious to find the riches of gold, they were not willing to learn the rules of survival that faced them on their journey. Everything Buck saw about them was in "disorder," from the dirty dishes to the "slipshod" manner that they set their tent. The group was totally out-of-place in the harsh environment, and they made many mistakes along the way. Perhaps their biggest mistakes were:
- Overloading their sled with unnecessary items, such as canned goods, excessive clothing, and personal items. The woman, Mercedes, refused to walk, so she further weighed down the sled by riding on it.
- Using fourteen dogs, an excessive number, in part because enough food could not be carried.
- Spending too much time in camp and not leaving early enough each morning.
- Overfeeding the dogs, which caused them to...
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- run out of food even sooner.
- Not heeding the good advice that they would arrive at the White River too late, and that they would not be able to travel over the thin ice.
How did Hal, Charles, and Mercedes die in The Call of the Wild?
Hal, Charles, and Mercedes die when the ice on which they are running gives way, throwing them into the freezing water, where they drown.
Hal, Charles, and Mercedes had been warned numerous times that it would be foolhardy to try to cross the frozen water so late in the season, but they wouldn't listen. Arrogant novices, they insisted on doing things their way, scoffing at those with more experience who cautioned that "the bottom's likely to drop out at any moment". Not only did they refuse to heed the counsel of others, but they were also vicious in their treatment of their dogs, relying on the whip to push them far beyond their capacity, feeding them insufficiently, and doing nothing to lighten the load they were expected to pull. John Thornton rescues Buck from the foolish trio when Buck is "too near dead to be of further use in hauling the sled". The two of them watch as Hal drives the "limping and staggering" remnant of the team over the ice, with Mercedes selfishly riding the overloaded sled and Charles stumbling along behind. Suddently, when the sled is about a half-mile away, they see "its back end drop down, as into a rut, and the gee-pole, with Hal clinging to it, jerk into the air...Mercedes's scream (comes) to their ears...then a whole section of ice give(s) way and dogs and humans disappear...a yawning hole (is) all that (is) to be seen" (Chapter V).
References