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Character List
Buck
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A powerful dog, half St. Bernard and
half sheepdog, who is stolen from a California
estate and
sold as a sled dog in the
Arctic. Buck gradually evolves from a pampered pet
into a fierce, masterful
animal, able
to hold his own in the cruel, kill-or-be-killed
world of the North. Though he loves his final
master, John Thornton, he feels the
wild calling him away from civilization and longs
to reconnect with
the primitive roots
of his species.
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in-depth analysis of Buck.
John Thornton
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Buck’s final master, a gold hunter
experienced in the ways of the Klondike. Thornton
saves Buck from death at the hands of
Hal, and Buck rewards Thornton with fierce
loy
alty. Thornton’s
relationship to Buck is the ideal
man-
dog relationship: each guards the
other’s back and is completely
devoted
to the other. The strength of their bond is enough
to keep Buck from acting on the forces he feels
are calling him into the wild.
Read an
in-depth
analysis of John Thornton.
Spitz
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Buck’s
archrival and the original leader of Francois’s
dog team. Spitz is a fierce animal—
a
“devil
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dog,” one
man c
alls him
—
who
is used to fighting with other dogs and winning.
He meets his match
in Buck, however,
who is as strong as Spitz and possesses more
cunning. Spitz is an amoral being who
fights for survival with all of his
might, disregarding what is right and wrong.
Francois
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A French Canadian mail driver who buys
Buck and adds him to his team. Francois is an
experienced man, accustomed to life in
the North, and he impresses Buck with his fairness
and good
sense.
Perrault
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A
French Canadian who, together with Francois, turns
Buck into a sled dog for the Canadian
government. Both Perrault and Francois
speak in heavily accented English, which London
distinguishes
from the rest of the
novel’s dialogue.
Hal
-
An
American gold seeker, Hal comes to Canada with his
sister, Mercedes, and her husband,
Charles, in search of adventure and
riches. The three buy Buck and his team and try to
drive them, but
their inexperience
makes them terrible masters, as they run out of
food during the journey and bicker
among themselves. Hal and his
companions are meant to represent the weakness of
overcivilized men
and to embody the
man-dog relationship at its worst.
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in-depth analysis of
Hal.
Mercedes
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Charles’s wife and Hal’s sister.
Mercedes is spoiled and pampered, and her
unreasonable
demands slow her, Hal, and
Charles on their journey and contribute to its
disastrous ending. Her civilized
manner, however, contrasts that of her
unprepared brother and husband in that she
initially feels
sympathetic for the
worn-out sled team. Her behavior, London suggests,
demonstrates how civilized
women are
unsuited for life in the wild, having been spoiled
and babied by the men around them.
Read an
in-depth analysis of
Mercedes.
Charles
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Hal’s
brother
-in-
law and Mercedes’
husband. Charles
shares their
inexperience and folly.
Read an
in-depth analysis of
Charles.