The Connotation of “Return” in The Call of the Wild英语专业毕业论文《野性的呼唤》.doc

The Connotation of “Return” in The Call of the Wild摘 要野性的呼唤是杰克·伦敦的第一本畅销书，也是二十世纪早期美国最受欢迎的小说之一。这是一部使作者享誉文坛的作品，虽然它只有简单的情节但是它被看作是美国文坛的典范。文章生动地分析了杰克·伦敦作品主题的特点，那就是对人与自然冲突的描写。就野性的呼唤这本书来说，它的主人公巴克最终的回归行为是作者渴望自由的象征，也是在当时社会环境下受压迫人们的迫切愿望。它指出了作者的写作思想，那就是人们在与自然斗争中展示出的坚强意志。本文试图通过剖析作品的几大主题回归自然，适者生存，社会生活的折射，抗争精神和人道主义，以揭示其主体的深刻内涵，从而探寻其长盛不衰的艺术魅力。该篇论文深刻分析了“回归”的含义，在对原著透彻理解的基础上阐述了环境对人类的重要性，揭示了主题。关键词： 野性的呼唤；自由；回归；AbstractThe Call of the Wild is the first seller of Jack London, one of the best novels in the early twentiethcentury America. It was this book that made its author famous in the republic of letters. Although it has a simple plot, it is considered as a classic of American literature. The article vividly analyzes the characteristics of Jack Londons writing theme that is the description of the conflicts between nature and human. Based on The Call of the Wild，the behavior of its protagonist Bucks final return is the symbol of yearning for freedom of the author as well as the urgent aspiration of people who were repressed at the social circumstance of that time. It points out the authors writing thoughts, that human show how strong they are in their fight against nature. This thesis undertakes an attempt to dissect its themesback to the nature, the survival of the fittest, the refraction of social life, struggles of the oppressed and humanitarianism so as to disclose the multiplicity of the theme in it.This thesis analyzes the connotation of “return” deeply. Basing on the thorough understanding of the novel, this thesis expounds the importance of environment to human beings, and reveals the theme. Key words：The Call of the Wild; freedom; returnContentsChapter 1 Introduction1Chapter 2 Leaving home to the wild32.1 Falling into cheat and leaving home32.2 Unable to get away from the club32.3 Going into the wild4Chapter 3 A painful struggle53.1 The initial practice53.2 The tribulation of the survival53.2.1 Following the law of the club and tooth53.2.2 Become a leader63.2.3 For the love of his benefactor73.3 The last choice8Chapter 4 Bucks gains94.1 How to become a sledge dog94.2 How to live in the north94.3 How to repay an obligation104.4 The cruel circumstance10Chapter 5 Conclusion12References17Acknowledgements18Chapter 1 IntroductionThe most famous novel about the animal from the American famous novelist Jack London (1876-1916) is The Call of the Wild. It is one of the masterpieces of the great American writer Jack London, and it has always been my favorite novel. It apparently is a dogs story. In the deep part, London makes a reflection of the real human life through Bucks life. He treats animals like human beings and human beings are just like animals, recognizing no essential difference between man and animal. Jack Londons uncanny understanding of animal and human natures give this novel a striking vitality and power. After reading it, people could not help pondering over his own life and thinking about what is the real meaning of human nature that always resounds in the inner heart like the Wild appealing Buck to return to its arms. Bucks story in fact is a humans life story. Some interesting comparisons will show how amazingly similar these two worlds are, and some inspirations can be drawn from this allegoric story. One of the characteristics of his novel lies in their themes, especially focusing on the fight between the human and the nature and his expression of respect for humans strong will in these fights. But his novel stands out among all this kind of humannature conflict stories because he is clever enough to make cruel story interesting and plotting. In this novel, the whole story is based on a smart dog, Buck, which makes it fresh beyond the outlook of a dog and the common description of it. This is a story that takes place in the original wilderness of the backland snow and icebound in North America, describing a dog who named Buck to be drawn in the wave of gold rush in Alaska. He experiences various sufferings struck with soulstirring, and be caused to remember his ancestry by instinct in the howl. Generally, the original innate wild of the wolf has revived in his deep soul. Finally, under the lure of the wolf, the wildness in the untamed nature brought to his life little by little and his social return to the nature from the civilization. Although the novel describes a dog, it gives the dog with the innate intelligence, using “he” and “they” to call them completely. The purpose lies in being reflected the pathetic life of the labor people in a capitalism society by the career of a dog, expressing the strong wild that they resist the exploitation and oppression and look forward to the freedom. Not only does the story tell that the hero returns to the great universe, but also it emphasizes the process that his soul returns to the wild. Use a new writing skill to announce the topic of the returning.This novel has 7 chapters. The launch, development and the end of the story is by the clues of the living environment and mind variety of Buck. It can be divided into four importance parts: Buck was born in Judge Millers house in the sunny valley of Santa Clara in Southern and he had the comfortable life but because of the pan for gold, he was thrown into the abyss of pain and sufferings; The difficult life after Buck become a sledge dog and the maltreatment which he was subjected and his resists; The fights between dog and dog and finally Buck acquired the master policy; Buck ruptured the relation to the persons at last, and the call of the wild makes him bring his life to the untamed nature, becoming one member of wolves. Chapter 2 Leaving home to the wild2.1 Falling into cheat and leaving homeFirst, in the life of the first four years, Buck was in Judge Millers official residence with satisfied food all day long and did nothing day by day. He received the great favors fully, did not contend for the life with anyone, and did not need to rush out to work hard at the chores. So he formed the good habits such as gentleness and docility in his personality. One day, an assistant of the garden of Judge Millers official residence lost money because of a gamble; he was being eager to repay the loan so he abducted Buck to go out of the house and sold him to a dog trader by the price of 100 dollars as a result. 2.2 Unable to get away from the club In the judges official residence, there was more superiority with Buck than other dogs, but can not adapt the weather that the chill of great universe changed. He could not fight with others because he was in a habit of a high-fed life; he always showed self-satisfaction even more a little gasconade. But, his thought was completely pure and immature. He easily believed the gardener assistant who he had known.He struggled indignantly and howled when he was aware of that he had fall into cheat already. But it was late. He had been educated immediately from the stick in the hand of a dog trader who is in a red coat. These were maltreatment and humiliation that he never been subjected to from birth. And this made him become red eyes devil. He tried his best to resist but still failed in the end. In the failure he accepted the law of the club and tooth painfully. Should say, thanks to the dog trader, he beat this basic and initial rule into the bottom of his heart. He beat the blindfold braveness and the cursory style of Buck, made his soul be collided with and forced him to return to the most original appearance. He has to accept that he is original and the most common animal in the great universe, although he was born under a very harmonious environment, now that he has already left there, he should go where he exists originally, so he has to return to look for his own marriage in the nature, returning to nature.2.3 Going into the wildAnd then Buck took the train and traveled by boat, being taken to the north which is unfamiliar and faraway from the south. The people who pine for gold needed the sledge dogs because just now the north discovered gold mine. From then on, he had been taken from the heart of civilization and thrown into the life of the primitive that was full of hardships and struggle. Undoubtedly, it is a great turn for him.Chapter 3 A painful struggle3.1 The initial practiceOn the way north, Buck was tortured badly. He was strapped by ropes, starved, and beaten by clubs. Buck was in such a rage at being treated so badly that he struggled to throw off the rope that tied him, rushed to the cage that chained him, and bit the club that beat him with his fang. After he was defeated again and again, Buck realized he stood no chance against a man with a club. Seeing that groups and groups of new-coming dogs struggled furiously and barked until exhausted, and were yet defeated by the man in the red sweater one by one, at last when being driven home, Buck drew a lesson that “again an again, as he looked at each brutal performance, a man with a club was a lawgiver a master to be obeyed.”(Stone Irving 1938: 55)In the north, there was a world of freezing ice and the drifting snow. Buck started the career as a sledge dog. He was against the strict cold, started journey at dawn and stopped at dusk, endured hunger, trailed the sledge to walk along lakes and glacier which extended more than 100 miles with his companions from Skagway to Dawson. After finished running 2500 miles less than five months, he is already utterly exhausted, on the brink of death. Unfortunately, after this long journey he resale to Charless. So the life became harsher with pain and sufferings. Buck and his colleagues trailed their scrawny body climb to Dawson unsteadily. Under the leather whip they walked on the road difficultly and after being fried the last blood, some of them had been beaten to die or tired to death. Buck is also almost tired to death; the spark of the life is weakly to gleam in the body.3.2 The tribulation of the survival3.2.1 Following the law of the club and toothThe first time when Buck was fastened by an arrangement of straps and buckles to haul a sled, he became a draught animal and this sorely hurt his dignity, but he was too wise to rebel. He buckled down with a will and did his best. Buck was a good learner, under the combined tuition of his two mates and Francois, the first time he went to the woods to haul wood, “Every time they returned to camp he knew enough to stop at ho, to go ahead at mush, to swing wide on the bends, and to keep clear of the wheeler when the loaded sled shot downhill at their heels.” (Fred Medics 1994: 16)Back was so good at learning that the first day before it became dark, he could manage quite well under the law of club and tooth. But that night Buck faced the great problem of sleeping. Buck, as a matter of course, entered his matters tent, only to be bombarded with curses and cooking utensils. Fleeing into the outer cold, an idea came to him. He would return and see how his own teammates were making out. And Buck found out that they slept in the holes they made them selves. So Buck learned to dig a hole in the snow and sleep in it. Later on he was so good at making a sleeping hole because he had an ability to scent the wind and forecast it the night in advance, so he could give himself a warm and cold-proof shelter.3.2.2 Becoming a leaderSecondly, during his following time in the north he had to learn how to live in the snow and how to become a leader in the team of the dogs.Buck soon adapted to survival in the Northland environment. This north world of the dogs was the same as the human society that intrigue against each other and law of the jungle. Control or be controlled, kill or be killed, was the law. Only the stronger can survive in this world. Therefore, the ferity resumed in the body of Buck, and the cruel and craftiness got ahead of all the other north dogs. He showed hid wisdom, when he fought against Spitz for the leadership. Buck obeyed and learned to haul a sled when he first came to the northern land; he was too busy adjusting himself to the new life to think of anything else. But when he had learned the secrets of survival, he challenged Spitz leadership. Francois backed up Spitz with his whip, while Buck backed up the remainder of the team. The decisive battle finally came. Time and time again Buck tried for Spitzs throat, and each time Spitz slashed him and got away. But Buck won the battle all the same. Now that Buck became a victory of fight and had the reigning position in the dogs, why did he still want to go in the wilderness? This is exactly what the author wants to tell us in the fourth part. The author took The Call of the Wild as the title of this book, so we can see where the center of gravity in this story is. The novel mentioned that in silent cold night with flaming fire Buck heard the mysterious voice from the wilderness for many times, and this kind of magic power which made him have magic, he could not resist it. He dreamed that he returned to the wildness ground which his ancestries lived in. Therefore, he usually concentrated his attention on listening to the special voice and produced a kind of feeling of being eager to go to the wild world. He could not help walking into the forest to find and pursue. Because this kind of call meant a kind of wonderful hope and a bright future for Buck who suffered a lot in the human society. It could make him get away from the mankinds fetters thoroughly and acquired freedom that he desired greatly. Obviously, this also symbolized the authors ideal objective of getting away from reality, pursuing freedom.3.2.3 For the love of his benefactorHowever, people cant help thinking that Buck had already been accustomed to the cold weather and the labor of north life and finally stayed with his ideal host Thornton for the rest time. His life might became comfortable to stabilize, they once saved the life of the other and lived with each other and they could be regarded as a rightness of life and deaths with total, depending on each other for life as good friend. Why didnt Buck stay with his host abiding by the law and behave oneself while he had the strong will to rush into the forest to follow the call of the wolf? Indeed, Thornton saved Bucks life, and treated him equally and Buck got warmth and fondle from him. This was absolutely different with other hosts but Buck had to listen to the human to order at any time, as a result he still cant enjoy the full freedom. He is still regarded as a slave under peoples control, but he received great favors. Once, Thornton signals hint Buck to jump down the cliff imprudently, Buck didnt hesitate and prepared to sacrifice his life; for the sake of saving Thornton from falling into the water, Buck jumped into the water to chase him from the torrent current thr