The Call of the Wild narrates the story of a dog, Buck, who belongs to Judge Miller living in a warm valley in the South California of America and having gone through an education of civilization。 Then he was sold to the remote and freezing cold Alaska in Northern America to become a sled dog。 This novel demonstrates us how the dog who belongs to civilized world goes back to the wild world under the pressure of its owner, humankind, which doesn’t treat such dog as his equal。 Buck clearly knows that he must obey all orders from human。 And he has to put his desire for freedom in the bottom of his heart。 From here, we can find that people take human beings as the judge, which lead to the imbalance in the relationship between human and animals。 What’s more, it destroys the harmonious relationship between human and nature。 Some critics hold the view that the novel is a dog’s story and others believe that it is a wolf’s narration。 From my point of view, it’s a story about vitality and the faith that all the living creatures should be possessed the chance to unleash their own vitality under the beautiful sky, being free and pleasant。
Based on his life experience, the author shows his hatred towards anthropocentrism through Buck’s story to appeal to people to pay attention on the bad influence of anthropocentrism so as to keep a balanced relationship between human and nature。 (Nuremberg 231)
1。2 The purpose and significance of this thesis文献综述
Those previous studies of the call of the wild were greatly influenced and marked by culture difference。 The cultural exchanges between different countries have inevitable misunderstandings and omissions。 When Chinese readers and researchers try to read and study the works of Jack London according to the cultural orientation and the reading habits of themselves, the results they get are of Chinese style。 What’s more, these conclusions will change over time。 Based on the research towards anthropocentrism, this thesis will discuss some issues on the anthropocentrism reflected through the novel。 Under the tense atmosphere in the global eco-system, the research on the anthropocentrism is urgent in order to bring back the balanced relationship between human and nature。 By analyzing this work, I hope we can understand that the “life” of The Call of the Wild comes from the exploration and development of its deep meaning。 Through the constant interpretation and explanation, we can truly understand and get closer to the true nature of life (Thiroux and Krasemann 76)。 Through the description of Buck’s experiences, we are able to know Buck’s desire and yearning for happiness and freedom。 What’s more, the rebellion of Buck represents the idea of rebellion against anthropocentrism which deprives the equal status of other creatures and breaks the balance of ecosystem。 So this thesis will focus on the anthropocentrism on the basis of this magnification novel。