Buck as the “Superdog” in Jack London’s The Call of The Wild—— from the Perspective of Nietzsche’s Superman Theory

Abstract

American naturalistic writer Jack London’s masterpiece The Call of The Wild relates the story of a dog named Buck who grows from a house-dog to a lead-dog in the wild progressively. The years since the publication have seen various theories applied to the interpretation of Buck, such as ecocriticism, environmental ethics, Jung’s theory of myth and archetype, atavism and so forth. This paper will deal with the spirit of constant self-surpassing and the will to power in terms of Buck’s change and growth as a lead-dog, which is in correspondence with the essence of Friedrich Nietzsche’s theory of the Superman. Based on the Superman spirit exhibited in Buck and Buck’s identity as a dog, this thesis labels Buck the Superdog and will make an analysis accordingly from Nietzsche’s Superman theory.