Illustration of Buck in the snow with mountains in the background

The Call of the Wild

by Jack London

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In The Call of the Wild, what does Francois mean by calling Buck "two devils"?

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Francois calls Buck "two devils" to emphasize Buck's superior strength, intelligence, and ferocity compared to Spitz, the dominant sled dog. This phrase suggests Buck's exceptional qualities as a sled dog, reflecting his natural gifts and the resilience developed from his harsh transition from a comfortable life to the brutal Northland. Buck's unique abilities and his ability to thrive in this environment indicate his potential to surpass Spitz and become a leader.

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The obvious answer to this is that Buck, in Francois's view, has twice what his rival Spitz has in strength, courage, and the other characteristics required of the sled dogs. There is more to it, however, than a quantitative difference between the dogs' abilities.

Buck has a special quality about him, as if he's a kind of genius in the canine world. Part of this is simply due to his natural gifts and the fact that he is smarter and stronger than other dogs. However, another thing that sets him apart is his history, his having come from a comfortable life in the "Southland" and been plunged into a primitive world governed by the violence and ruthlessness of both animals and humans. Buck's story is a tragic one. In one respect, it's the animal equivalent of the journey of Humphrey van Weyden in London's The Sea Wolf from civilization to...

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the savagery of Wolf Larson's ship. In both cases, a being is torn from a world of peace and happiness and thrust into one of terror but learns to survive and even flourish in the new world.

Buck's journey is somehow more moving than Humphrey's because Buck, in the Northland, finds a second idyll in his bonding with John Thornton—and then this, too, is taken away from him when Thornton is killed. Although the episode we're dealing with in the story occurs before Thornton has come on the scene, Francois's description of Buck relates to an almost supernatural quality Buck possesses. This is what enables his survival among the pack dogs, his extraordinary attachment to Thornton, and, finally, his rise in the wild world, now totally apart from humans, to become a leader in spite of the harsh and tragic circumstances of his journey.

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Francois makes this comment in response to Perrault, who has just observed that Spitz, the most dominant dog on the team, is "one devil, dat Spitz".  Francois replies, "Dat Buck two devils", meaning that, in his opinion, Buck is an even more formidable opponent than Spitz.  Although Buck, new to the pack, has held back and avoided confrontation as much as possible, "in the beiiter hatred between him and Spitz...betray(ing) no impatience, shunn(ing) all offensive acts", on the few occasions when the two have tangled, Buck has shown a ferocity and strength that makes Francois believe he will one day vanquish the lead dog and take his place.

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