“A Study on the Humanity in the Novel “White Fang” by Jack London”

i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude for
all who have supported me during the process of writing the graduation
paper.
First of all, I would like to show my heartfelt gratitude and
appreciation to my mentor, Mrs. Pham Thi Thu Huong, MA – Foreign
Language Department – Hung Vuong University, who has offered me patient
instruction, meticulous critisim, and constant

encouragement which are

extremely helpful to me to complete my graduation paper.
In addition, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Mrs. Vu Thi
Quynh Dung, Deam of Foreign Language Department who has created good
condition for me to complete my graduation paper and to all the lectures for
their teaching.
In addition, I would like to thank all the lectures, teachers and staffs at
Hung Vuong University, especially those in the Department of Foreign
Language who have created favorable conditions for me to complete my
graduation paper.
Last but not least, I am deeply grateful to my family, my friends for
their support and encourage during my work.

Viet Tri, May 2016

Nguyen Thi Kim Anh


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ABSTRACT
In America literature‟s history, especially in the early 20 th century, the
literature of United State continued developing with many famous authors and
works. So as to have information about American humanity, the study deeply
analyzes the novel “White Fang” by Jack London. In this study, the
researcher begins from the idea of understanding the humanity in the novel
“White Fang” The research supposes the background on American society in
the 20th century, American literature in the 20th century, humanism and
humanity, the humanity in literature, Jack London‟s life and his novel “White
Fang”
The study has analyzed the humanity in the novel “White Fang”
expressed through three aspects: the humanity expressed through the struggle
and desire for life, through the humanity expressed through the evolution of
White Fang in the relationship with his masters and, and the humanity
expressed through the effort of White Fang to become a civilized wolf.
The major findings of the study can help readers have more
understanding about literature, the country and language they are studying. In
addition, the messages withdrawn from the novel can lead readers to explore
the profound meaning of life.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................... i
ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................... ii
Part A: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 1
1. Rationale .................................................................................................... 1
2. Research purpose ....................................................................................... 3

3. The Object and Scope of the research ....................................................... 3
3.1. The Object of the research ................................................................... 3
3.2. The scope of the research..................................................................... 3
4. The significance of the research ................................................................ 3
5. Research methods ...................................................................................... 3
6. Research questions..................................................................................... 4
7. Research design ......................................................................................... 4
Part B: THE OVERALL STUDY ..................................................................... 6
1. Foreign Research ....................................................................................... 6
2. Research in Vietnam .................................................................................. 6
Part C: THE STUDY ........................................................................................ 6
Chapter 1: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................ 7
1.1. American society in the 20th century ...................................................... 7
1.2. American Literature in the 20th century .................................................. 9
1.3. Definition of Humanity......................................................................... 10
1.3.1. Definition ........................................................................................ 10
1.3.2. Features ........................................................................................... 11
1.4. Jack London and his works .................................................................. 12
1.4.1. Jack London‟s life time................................................................... 12


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1.4.2. Jack London‟s works ...................................................................... 14
1.5. “White Fang” by Jack London ............................................................. 16
1.5.1. The historical context of the novel ................................................. 16
1.5.2. The plot of the novel ....................................................................... 17
1.5.3. The characters ................................................................................. 20
Chapter 2: THE HUMANITY EXPRESSED IN THE NOVEL “WHITE
FANG” ............................................................................................................ 23

2.1. The struggle and desire for life ............................................................. 23
2.1.1. The harsh environment and the famines ......................................... 23
2.1.2. The enemies and the death .............................................................. 26
2.2. The evolution of White Fang in the relationship with his masters ....... 30
2.2.1. The relationship between White Fang and Gray Beaver ................ 30
2.2.2. The relationship between White Fang and Beauty Smith .............. 34
2.2.3. The relationship between White Fang and loving master .............. 38
2.3. The efforts of White Fang to become a civilized wolf ......................... 42
Chapter 3: JACK LONDON‟S MESSAGES THROUGH THE NOVEL
“WHITE FANG”............................................................................................. 46
3.1. Life lessons ........................................................................................... 46
3.2. The power of love ................................................................................. 47
Part D: CONCLUSION................................................................................... 51
1. Major findings.......................................................................................... 51
2. Implications ............................................................................................. 52
3. Limitations and suggestions for further research .................................... 53
4. Conclusion ............................................................................................... 53
REFERENCES ................................................................................................ 54


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Part A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
Ethics is the notions of good and evil, conscience, honor, responsibility
for dignity, justice, happiness, the evaluative rules, the behavior between
people and people, and the individual and society. Ethical values are regarded
as ethical tradition of each country.
Nowadays, the phenomenon of moral decadence becomes the concern of
many countries around the world. Many problems which relate to human

moral issue are increasing. Never before, unmoral and inhuman behaviors
appear with dense frequency in the press at present. Some bad acts such as
unmindfulness and emotionlessness of people when see an injured person on
the street, they do not help them, even the passers-by also take their wealth;
doctors kill their patients and non-evidences determination; children kill their
parents or siblings because of a little money, even fellow citizen do others
harm by chemical food which cause silently the death of many people if they
use it in a long time and so on.
There are many reasons that cause the bad reality, include both of direct
reasons and indirect reasons. Some reasons that effect directly to human‟s
awareness are the education at family, school and society or the process
management and dissemination. But the deep reason for the problem is the
lack of belief about life and good things.
As a result, the bad deeds influence on psychology, awareness of people,
especially, the young. This make them look misconception about human
society, even they lose gradually their human part and approach their animal
part. Like this, there are a lot of adverse effects on future generations. This is
a generation that will not sympathy, ready to step on each other for survival,
cannot distinguish good or bad things. The society without human love is not
different from the world wild of animals.


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See above, researcher has shown somewhat decadent moral situation in
society today. It relates to good and evil aspects between people and people,
this mention on the humanitarian nature. Thus, what can we do to spread the
humanity into spirit and action in each person. This is the question that make
researcher have to worry and want to do a study to propagandize and impact
to others, especially students who are easily to approach it.

The study concerns to literature, because learning through literature is an
effective method. It is regarded as a bridge which connect people to people
and countries to countries. Moreover, Literature also gives learners and
readers the opportunity to connect the real world issues at the time they can
learn true values for their life.
More detail, researcher wants to research deeply the novel “White Fang”
by Jack London. The work was published in 1906 and the name of the book
is eponymous with character, a wild wolf dog. Similarly with “The call of the
wild” novel – best known novel of Jack London, the two novels are related to
that while “The Call of the wild” tells the story of a dog which becomes wild
and “White Fang” is the life story of a wolf which comes back toward
civilization, after many hardships dealt him by both man and nature, to live a
dog's life with a loving master. Both novels are set in the land the author
called simply "The North" - the Yukon Territory, Canada.
“White Fang” of Jack London reflect the real human life. There is no
essential difference between men and animals. The novel is the portrayals of
nature's unforgiving harshness, humankind's capacity and both of shocking
brutality and unconditional love, and of the struggle for survival that is
common to all life. Prominently, White Fang shows the power of human
kindness to transform a savage beast into a devoted pet. The novel offers
more than an animal story about the taming of a wild wolf-dog, named White
Fang. It is also a human‟s life story.
Owning to the reasons above, I want to carry out a research named:
“A Study on the Humanity in the Novel “White Fang” by Jack London”


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2. Research purpose
The research aims at:

- Studying the author Jack London and his novel “White Fang”
- Analyzing humanity in the novel “White Fang”
- Finding out the messages of Jack London through his novel.
3. The Object and Scope of the research
3.1. The Object of the research
- The Subject of the research is: “A study on the Humanity”.
- The Object of the research is: “the Novel “White Fang” by Jack London”.
3.2. The scope of the research
- The study focus on humanity in the novel “White Fang” by Jack London.
4. The significance of the research
The results of the study help students and readers understand about the
novel “White Fang” as well as know more about Jack London, especially the
humanity in the work. Besides, it also transmits the love about American
Literature to the readers.
5. Research methods
So as to accomplish this thesis systematically and adequately, the
researcher uses some following research methods:
- Theoretical study: The method is used to collect and study necessary
materials and documents related to the study.
- Deductive and inductive method: The method is used to analyze humanity
expressed in the novel.
- Systematized method: The method is used to systematize materials related
to the study.


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6. Research questions
The research finds the answers to the following questions:
- How is humanity expressed in Jack London novel?

- What are massages the writer wants to send to readers through his novel?
7. Research design
The study consists of four parts and references
Part A: Introduction
In this part, the researcher gives an overall introduction about rationale,
research purpose, the Object and Scope of the research, the significance of the
research, research methods, research questions and research design.
Part B: The overall study
This part focuses on some previous researches and books which relate to
the humanity and other aspects about the novel “White Fang”.
Part C: The study
Chapter 1: Literature review
In this chapter, the researcher summaries the background knowledge of
literary context in Jack London‟s time, American Literature in the 20th
century, general information about Jack London‟s life and works and his
novel “White Fang”.
Chapter 2: The humanity expressed in the novel “White Fang”
This chapter analyzes the humanity expressed through the novel “White
Fang”. The first part analyzes the struggle and desire for life, the second part
shows the evolution of White Fang in the relationship with his masters and
the final part indicates the efforts of White Fang to become a civilized wolf.
Chapter 3: Jack London’s messages in the novel “White Fang”
In this chapter, the researcher finds out the messages that the author
wants to send to readers through the novel.


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Part D: Conclusion
This chapter summarizes the major findings of the study, proves

implications and offers the limitations as well as suggestions for further
research.
References


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Part B: THE OVERALL STUDY
1. Foreign Research
There have been different authors doing researches in many aspects
related to “White Fang” by Jack London
In the world, there are many books and papers review about Jack London and
“White Fang” novel such as “In Steps of Jack London”, Vil M. Bykov (2004). The
book showed that Jack London‟s works are full of sympathy for laboring people,
for people of high dignity and courage, the characteristics of his writing.
Moreover, in a literature essay “The Philosophy of Jack London Exposed
in White Fang” from website www.gradesaver.com, establishes the key
theme of the White Fang novel. Through this novel, London seeks to portray
his conception of nature, which is dark, ominous and powerful. In order to
convey this belief, he utilizes unique personification and symbolism, a wild
setting and particular vocabulary. In addition, he reveals his belief that human
life is infinitesimal when compared to the all-encompassing power of nature.
2. Research in Vietnam
In Vietnam, there are some researches about Jack London and his works
such as “Thế giới nhân vật trong tác phẩm của nhà văn vô sản Mĩ Jack
Lodon” by Le Huy Bac (2005) help readers understand clearly about
characters in Jack London‟s works and the way to build characters of him.
Besides, the master thesis named “Loài vật trong “Tiếng gọi nơi hoang
dã” và “ Nanh Trắng” của Jack London” by Tran Thi Le (2012) points out
the special art of building the character of Jack London.

From the information which are mentioned above, the researcher moves
a conclusion that there are many studies and books about the novel “White
Fang” by Jack London. However, the researcher realizes that many people
who do not make on humanity in the novel “White Fang” by Jack London,
especially at Hung Vuong University.Part C: THE STUDY


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Part C: THE STUDY
Chapter 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1. American society in the 20th century
The 20th century was a time of great changes in American life. The
beginning of the 21st century seems a suitable time to look back over the past
100 years and see how the United States has developed, for better and worse,
during that period of its history. According to Nguyen Xuan Thom‟s opinion
in “A History of English and American Literature”, the first downing of a
new century marked distinctive changes of American society on many aspects
such as politic, economy, society and so on. In other words, the early decades
of 20th century is one of the most developmental period times in American
history. It is one of the few decades with universally known name – the
Koaring Twenties. This period with many events affects to the United State,
especially, the World War I (1914 – 1918) and the World War II (1939 –
1945). The events affected to politics, economy and society in the United
State.
Politically, in the 1920s, there were many changes in US political system
and foreign policies. American people concerned how to deal with difficult
problems of economy. American took advantage of weapons trading to be
rich. At the end of the World War II, the US became the richest country in the
world.

From the 1920s to 1930s, there was a positive change in the US
economy. The other way, the economy boomed in the 1920s and lasted the
entire decade. Business activities increased and their prosperity plunged wild
dreams of the American. The government supported industrial growth by
enacting protective tariffs, welcoming crowd of immigrants providing railroad
subsidies, maintaining a patent system and looking the other way when abuses
occurred. The United State cared about obtaining higher diplomas which led


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to the double of the number of universities in the 1920s. At that time,
American became those with the highest standard of living in the world.
Society became very liberal because of the wealth and the large amounts
of spare time. The great division between low and high culture shows the
division between classes. The desire to keep the boom within American
created isolationism from foreign countries. However, the 1930s was a
complete 180 degrees or reveal from the 1920s. The political climate became
liberal and American began concern more their spiritual life. In the 19th
century, it is the first time when women were allowed to vote by the
innovative politic. However, in the 1920s, it was also the time of change in
equality of gender. Women were pleased with being set free from the sex
discrimination. They had the right to wear short skirts and dresses, to cut short
hair, especially, they had the right to go to the polls, which was ratified
Supplementary Law number 19 in Constitution with the law. They were
allowed to speak out what they thought legally and frankly and to be able to
get important positions in society.
In the times, one of the most exciting and significant events appeared in
American history in 1866 – The Great Gold Rush in Arctic region, which was
also known The Great Klondike Stampede. Thousands of prospective gold

miners left their homes and set out on their prosperous and adventurous way
to the Klondike area in their hope for finding gold and fortune. In the
following times, Jack London and his sister‟s husband Captain Shepard sailed
to join the Klondike Gold Rush because he was fond of adventurous life and
brought up in the poverty. However, his purpose in finding gold became
unsuccessful. London‟s time in the harsh Klondike was detrimental to his
health. He was malnourished in the goldfields and developed scurvy. He spent
the winter near Dawson city to receive shelter, food and any available
medicine, so he had no choice but to return to San Fransisco. As he himself
said: “It was in Klondike I found myself. There nobody talks. Everyone thinks.
You got your perspective. I got mine”. Jack London gained a tremendous


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amount of insight and perspective and got an abundance of notes and
memories of the Northland although he did not search for gold which also
proves to be a rich resource for the rest of his life.
1.2. American Literature in the 20th century
During America‟s early history, it was a series of British colonies on the
eastern coast of the present-day United States. Therefore, America‟s literary
tradition begins as linked to the broader tradition of English literature.
However, unique American characteristics and the breadth of its production
usually now cause it to be considered a separate path and tradition.
American literature experienced some stages, however, the history of
American literature really began with the advent of romanticism in the 19 th
century. Then, American literature continues developing, especially in the 20th
century. In the period, there are three prominent themes in American
literature. They are “get-rich-quick” theme, the war theme and the Negro
theme.

The “get-rich-quick” theme originated from the days of the gold-rush
and the westward movement which started at the beginning of the 20 th
century. At the beginning of the 20th century, the theme also penetrated
deeply novels and stories about the gold rush where man and nature wrestled
with each other for predominance as known in Jack London‟s works about the
North land. “The call of the wild” (1903) and “White Fang” (1906) was
known as two typical works of the theme in the 20th century.
The theme of war described as horror and brutal reality that war brought
about, had a lasting impact on American imagination. Some particular novels
of the theme as Soldier‟s Pay (1926) by William Faulkner and Tlie Aslo Rises
(1926) and Farewell to Arm by Earnest Hemmingway portray war as
something barbarian and dishonorable. In the theme, some prose writings that
is based on facts, the Viet Nam War (1954 – 1975) has been the subject of
extensive, often highly critical analysis. “My Lai 4” (1970) is the detailing the


10

massacre of Vietnamese civilians, women and children, by American troops
in 1968.
The Negro theme, on the other word, The Harlem Renaissance theme
developed from 1920 to 1930. In the period, an outburst of activity was a
notable among black Americans in all fields of art. The focus of this activity
was in Harlem New York, as a result, this Negro art outburst was often
referred to as the Harlem Renaissance. From the Harlem renaissance came a
number of notable names. Greatest of all was the name of the famed poet and
short story writer Langston Hughes.
1.3. Definition of Humanity
1.3.1. Definition
The

simple

definition

of

humanism

following

the

website

, “Humanism is a philosophical and ethical
stance that emphasizes the value and agency of human beings, individually
and collectively and generally prefers critical thinking and evidence
(rationalism, empiricism) over acceptance of dogma or superstition”. The
other simple definition of humanism “Humanism is a system of values and
beliefs that is based on the idea that people are basically goo d and that
problems can be solved using reason instead of religion”.
Humanity is an important incarnation of humanism. Humanity focuses
on using human efforts to meet human needs and wants in this world. History
shows that those efforts are most effective when they involve both
compassion and the scientific method – which includes reliance on reason,
evidence, and free inquiry. Humanity is a democratic and ethical life stance,
which affirms that human beings have the right and responsibility to give
meaning and shape to their own lives. It stands for the building of a more
humane society through an ethics based on human and other natural values in

a spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities.


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According to the website />“The humanity is a set of strengths focused on tending and befriending
others. The three strengths associated with humanity are love, kindness and
social intelligence. Humanity differs from justice in that there is a level of
altruism towards individuals included in humanity more so than the fairness
found in justice. That is, humanity, and the acts of love, altruism, and social
intelligence are typically person to person strengths while fairness is
generally expanded to all”.
According to website />the humanity defines as “The quality of being humane; the kind feelings,
dispositions and sympathies of man; especially, a disposition to relieve persons
or animals in distress, and to treat all creatures with kindness and tenderness”.
In essence, the humanity affirms the dignity of each human beings, it
supports the maximization of individual liberty and opportunity consonant
with social and planetary responsibility. It advocates the extension of
participatory democracy and the expansion of the open society, standing for
human rights and social justice. Humanity derives the goal of life from human
need and interest rather than from theological or ideological abstractions and
asserts that humanity must take responsibility for its own destiny.
1.3.2. Features
Following Jean Vanier, a Canadian Catholic philosopher, theologian,
humanitarian and author of “Becoming Human”, there are five main features
of humanity.
First of all, the humanity asserts that all humans are sacred. It does not
matter what their race, religion, culture, capacity or incapacity, weakness or
strength. Each of us needs help to become all that we might be. The humanist
tries to follow the Golden Rule (or Ethic of reciprocity) – a moral maxim

found in nearly every human culture and religion: “One should treat others as
one would like others to treat oneself”. It means treat others people as you


12

would like them to treat you, avoid harming others. They also value all human
beings, celebrating both our common humanity and shared values.
Secondly, the world and also our own lives are in the process of
evolution. In other words, evolution is a part of life. The past flows into the
present and leads us into the future. We need to love the essential values of
the past and think about how they are to be lived in the new. These values
contain love, openness, wholeness, unity, peace, the human potential for
healing and redemption, and most important, the necessity forgiveness.
Thirdly, maturity comes through working with others. It means the
maturity will come through dialogue, a sense of belonging and a searching
together. So that people can move into insecurity, take ricks, change of life
and evolve toward the new.
Fourthly, human beings need to be encouraged to make choices. People
need to choose to be responsible for own lives and for the lives of others.
Thus, people need to be encouraged to evolve and break out of the shell of
self – centeredness.
Finally, people need to reflect and to seek truth and meaning together. To
be human means to remain connectedness. To be human is to accept ourselves
just as we are, with our own history, and to accept others as they are.
1.4. Jack London and his works
1.4.1. Jack London’s life time
Jack London – a famous American novelist, short story writer, journalist
and social activist. He is a pioneer in the burgeoning world of commercial
magazine fiction and is one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide

celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone. In other way, he is one of
the first American success in financial from writing career.
John “Jack” Griffith Chaney was born on 12 January 1876 in San
Francisco, California. He was deserted by his father, William Henry Chaney,
a itinerant astrologer, and raised in Oakland by his mother Flora Wellman, a


13

music teacher and spiritualist. In 1876, after Chaney left Flora, she wed John
London – a failed storekeeper, he was given his last name and now had two
step-sisters Eliza and Ida. London‟s youth was marked by poverty. He was
selling newspapers and learning some hard lessons in life at his age of ten. At
the same time, he became an avid reader, and borrowed books from the
Oakland Public Library.
When London was fourteen, after leaving school, he worked as a
seaman, rode in freight trains as a hobo and adopted socialistic views as a
member of the protest armies of the unemployed. In 1894, he spent one month
for vagrancy in the Erie County Penitentiary at Buffalo, New York. These
years made him determined to raise himself out of poverty but they also gave
later material for such works as The Sea-Wolf (1904), which was partly based
on his horrific experiences as a sailor in the Pacific Ocean. The Road (1907)
is a collection of short stories, inspired later writers like Steinbeck and Jack
Kerouac. In The Road story, he wrote: “Man-handling was merely one of the
very minor unprintable horrors of the Erie County Pen. I say „unprintable‟;
and in justice I must also say undescribe able to me until I saw them, and I
was no spring chicken in the ways of the world and the awful abysses of
human degradation. It would take a deep plummet to reach bottom in the Erie
County Pen, and I do but skim lightly and facetiously the surface of things as I
there saw them”.

Although he had informal education, London spent much time in public
library reading fiction, philosophy, poetry, political science and at the age of
19 gained admittance to the University of California in Berkeley. During this
period, he had already started to white. He left the school before the year was
over and went to seek a fortune in the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897 which
was a failure but provide him with abundant materials for later writing.
In 1901, London ran unsuccessfully on the Socialist party ticket for
mayor of Oakland. He started to produce steadily novels, nonfiction and short
stories. Then he becomes one of the most popular authors. The first novel of


14

Jack London is The Son of the Wolf in 1900. By 1904, Jack London was the
author of 10 books. The Son of the Wolf gained a wide audience as his other
Alaska stories, The Call of the Wild (1903), White Fang (1906) and Burning
Daylight (1910).
In 1902, London went to England, where he studied the backside of the
British imperium: the living conditions in East End and working class area of
capital city. Originally, he set out for South Africa to report the Boer War. His
book about the economic degradation of the poor, the people of the Abyss
(1903), was a surprise success in the US, but criticized in England.
In 1907, London and Charmian started aboard the Snark, a sailing trip
around the world. On the voyage, he began to write Martin Eden. After
hardships, London‟s financial affairs were in chaos, his teeth gave him
incessant pain and he began to buy plots from a struggling writer, Sinclair
Lewis, to produce more articles and stories for sale.
At the age of forty, Jack London died at his ranch cottage on 22
November 1916 in Hawaii.
1.4.2. Jack London’s works

Jack London contributed to American literature and world literature
during his 20 years of writing. He was one of those who laid the background
for American Socialist literature. He was a successful writer, this originated
from all his experience in life and great efforts.
Jack London published his first collection of stories “The Son of the
Wolf” in 1900. He wrote over two hundred short stories in the next twenty
years. During that time, he also published twenty novels, more than four
hundred nonfiction pieces and three plays.
In 1903, London wrote “The Call of the Wild”, an all-time best seller.
The book made him immediately popular in his time. “White Fang” – a
popular tale, was published in 1906 and the name of the book‟s eponymous
character, a wild wolf dog becoming domesticated. Similarly, “The call of the


15

wild” and “White Fang” are adventure novels, and both of them are set in the
land the author called simply "The North" - the Yukon Territory, Canada.
While “The Call of the wild” tells the story of a dog which becomes wild,
“White Fang” is the life story of a wolf which comes toward civilization, after
many hardships dealt him by both man and nature, to live a dog's life with a
loving master. “White Fang” of Jack London reflect the real human life. There
is no essential difference between men and animals. The novel is portrayals of
nature's unforgiving harshness, of humankind's capacity for both shocking
brutality and unconditional love, and of the struggle for survival that is
common to all life. Prominently, White Fang shows the power of human
kindness to transform a savage beast into a devoted pet. The novel offers more
than an animal story about the taming of a wild wolf-dog, named White Fang.
Next, there are some popular works such as: The Sea – Wolf (1904), The
Iron Heel (1908), which became popular in the Soviet Union, The Cruise of

the Snark (1911), a travel book from his journeys in South Pacific and semiautobiographical Martin Eden, etc.
At the end of 19th century in America, people were tired of the
romanticism and sentiment of Victorian Age. The rough and tough things in
life began to have a popular appeal. London‟s work came at the right time as a
fine specimen of scathing social criticism. His idea began to be copied y many
other writers.
The marked decline of his writing after 1913 coincides with his drifting
away from the socialist movement. London became millionaire. He spent
money on the building of his ship for the voyage around the world and on his
splendid “wolf house”, but both ventures failed. In 1914, he resigned from the
socialist Party because he could not resolve the tension exemplified in his
fiction. London was an unhappy man who could not reconcile his own
success with the things he had seen and endured.


16

1.5. “White Fang” by Jack London
1.5.1. The historical context of the novel
In 1897, about one hundred thousand men set off for the Yukon to make
their fortune, then, they discovered the gold. Consequently, Canada made the
rules and regulations whereby gold – seekers could enter the territory.
Canadian police decreed that in order to enter the territory, travelers
must carry a years‟ worth of gear and supplies. This was such a prodigious
weight that many were obliged to abundant most of their supplies along the
trail when they proved too heavy to bear. Consequently, the gold – rush
proved to be for those selling supplies and providing other services at unheard
of premiums.
London was soon caught in the gold rush frenzy. In 1897, he sailed for
the Klondike abroad the SS Umatilla. He spent a single winter in the

Canadian North during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897 – 1898. The Gold
Rush did not make London rich, but it furnished him with plenty of material
for his career as a writer, which began in the late 1890s and continued until
his death in 1916. He worked as a reporter, covering the Russo – Japanese
war of 1904 and the Mexican Revolution in 1910s, meanwhile, he published
over fifty books and became American‟s most author. For a while, he was one
of the most widely read authors in the world. He embodied, it was said the
spirit of the American West and his portrayal of adventure and frontier life
seemed like a breath of fresh air in comparison with nineteenth century
Victoria fiction, which was often overly concerned with what had began to
seem like trivial and irrelevant social norms.
After the failed trip to the North, London came back home and wrote
about the North with much more success. London wrote “The Call of the
Wild” in 1903 and achieved much success. It was London‟s best known
novels.


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Following closely the success of “The Call of the Wild”, London
published continually a novel about dog, “White Fang”. It is amazing novel,
the main conflict in all of London‟s stories is man and nature, but in “White
Fang”, is dog-nature and wolf-nature. Although “White Fang” is not human,
the book illuminates the wolfish qualities of both men and animals and the
way that humans shape lesser creatures.
1.5.2. The plot of the novel
“White Fang” opens with a beautiful picture of the Yukon in Canada.

Two men, Bill and Henry, with six dogs pulling a sled on which is strapped a
coffin, are fleeing down a frozen waterway, a wolf pack in pursuit. At night, a

she-wolf lures the dogs in the team to their death. London paints a portrait of
the two men sitting around the campfire, seeing only the eyes of the wolves.
One morning, scared and discouraged, thus Bill decides to go out with his
rifle and three remaining cartridges. Bill does not return after three shots.
Henry knows that Bill was destroyed by the wolves. Therefore, he leaves
alone and night after night he feels the wolves coming closer and closer.
Finally, the wolves become so brazen that they come right up to the fire to
have their dinner, Henry. Henry literally climbs into the fire and begins
hurling brands from the fire at the encircling wolves. At the last moment he is
rescued as a search party looking for the dead body Henry and Bill were
transporting. That is the abrupt end of Part I. Henry drops out of the novel,
and the scene shifts to the wolf pack and the birth of White Fang.
Part II of the novel is quite different Part I, as the story tells about the
she-wolf and her child, White Fang. The famine is now over and the wolf
pack begins to separate. She-wolf begins to travel with three male wolves
which are all vying for her attention, but she has interest in any of them.
"One-Eye," an older, more experienced wolf eventually kills the other two
males, the inexperienced three-year-old and the wolf off-guard, then, the shewolf attends towards him. They roam the countryside and it is the she-wolf


18

who teaches One-eye how to raid Indian traps. After some time, the she-wolf
is restless, and she begins to look for a nesting place. She finds a rocky cave
where she can give birth to her cubs.
One day, coming back from a day of hunting, the One-eye wolf
surprised by the “remotely familiar” sound and finds five young cups in the
nest. He becomes a father, however, he has to keep distance to his cubs.
Because the she-wolf uses violently activities to threat him far away the cubs.
She knows that male wolves have often “eaten their new born and helpless

progeny”. The One-eye wolf accepts his role and position, thus he goes out
and search for food and bring it back to the she-wolf and his cubs.
Shortly after the birth of the she-wolf's cubs, the beginning of a famine
in the Northland and the One-eye cannot find the food for his family. The old
one eye wolf tries to kill a porcupine and a ptarmigan and brings back to his
nest for his family.
In the time of great famine, the old One-eye leaves to find food, however,
and never comes back. The she-wolf knows that he has been killed by the lynx
when he has tried to kill her for food. At that time, when the food become scare,
there is no more meet and there is no more milk from the mother‟s breast, all of
the little wolves die except the gray wolf cub. This gray cub is much stronger
and more active than the other cubs. The survival of the gray cub is a reiteration
of London‟s them concerning "the survival of the fittest".
The gray cub named White Fang, who is three-quarters wolf and onequarter husky, enters the story in the first month of his life, and London
describes his step-by-step development as he emerges from the lair and learns
how to hunt. One time when the she-wolf is out hunting for food, the grey cub
wanders out of the cave and has some good lesson by himself. The first lesson
is “kill or be killed”, the law of the wild. The next lesson is about survival –
water can be dangerous. The final lesson on the first time of adventure is “the
aim of life was meat”. Life is meat. Life lived on life. There were the eaters
and the eaten. The law was “Eat or be eaten”.


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Before he is one year old, White Fang is captured by an Indian, Gray
Beaver, who trains him as a sled dog. White Fang's life in the Indian village is
anything but pleasant as he is targeted for abuse by an older dog, Lip-Lip. His
only protection is his mother, but shortly she is traded by Gray Beaver to pay
a debt. When the gray wolf tries to follow his mother downstream, he is

recaptured by the Indian and brutally beaten, learning that these men-gods are
to be obeyed. Responding to constant attacks from other dogs in the village,
White Fang gains a reputation for a savage ability to kill other dogs.
This reputation eventually proves to be a liability. On an excursion to
Fort Yukon, Gray Beaver is tricked into selling his dog to a man
named Beauty Smith. Beauty Smith, who is so ugly that his name was an
antithesis, is particularly impressed with the dog. Beauty does the cooking,
the dishwashing, and the drudgery for the other men in the fort, where he is
known for his "cowardly rages" and his "distorted body and mind."
Under Beauty Smith's tutelage White Fang becomes a "fiend", earning
a reputation as "The Fighting Wolf", living a public life in a cage. He is
taunted and tortured not only by Beauty Smith, but also most onlookers. As
the sourdoughs crowd around to place their bets, he beats all comers. But he
eventually meets his match with a bulldog, who gets a grip on him that White
Fang cannot shake. Just as he is about to die, the wolf is saved by Weedon
Scott, who slugs Beauty Smith and manages to free White Fang from the
bulldog. Scott, a mining engineer, buys the wolf-dog and takes him back to
his cabin. It is here that White Fang first learns about love and becomes
civilized. With great patience and great care, the young engineer teaches the
dog to trust someone for the first time in his life. When he packs to leave the
Yukon, White Fang senses what is coming, escapes from the house, and earns
a trip to the Southland.
Weedon Scott's father is Judge Scott, and it is to his estate, Sierra Vista,
in the Santa Clara Valley in California that White Fang is taken. Although
mostly wolf by two small children to caress him. But he does this only out of


20

love for his master, and his wild instincts never get out of him, as witnessed

by the fifty chickens he kills in the yard. The gray wolf even develops a loveinterest with a sheep-dog named Collie.
One night when Jim Hall breaks into the house to get the Judge for
"railroading" him to prison, White Fang, despite taking three bullets from
Hall's revolver, leaps on him and slashes his throat. White Fang is near death
but is able to survive injuries that would have left other dogs dead, once again
supporting the theme of the "survival of the fittest." The end of the novel
comes quite abruptly when White Fang ventures from the house on his first
excursion after his accident only to be greeted by his litter of puppies. White
Fang lives on to play with his puppies in the California and earns the undying
love of the Scott family through his courage and intelligence. The family,
from that night on, refers to him as "the Blessed Wolf", but he remains what
he his - three-quarters wolf - and can never by fully domesticated.
1.5.3. The characters
Bill: the sled driver who appears in the first section of the novel and is killed
by a pack of hungry wolves.
Henry: The sled driver who appears with Bill in the first section of the novel,
before White Fang is born.
Kiche: White Fang„s mother. She is a she-wolf who appears in the first parts
of the novel, she lures sled dogs away from the team of Henry and Bill.
One Eye: White Fang‟s father. He is an old one eye wolf that uses his
experience and trickery to attack and kill the inexperienced three-year-old and
the other wolf off-guard, then, he becomes the sole companion of the she-wolf
and the father of White Fang later.
White Fang: This dog is actually three-fourths wolf and one part dog. He
possesses all of the intelligence of the dog family, along with the quickness
and the slyness of the wolf family. From his very first weeks, White Fang
proves that he is the strongest of the litter; he survives in a famine that kills


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his siblings. Later, he gains a reputation for being one of the most savage dogs
in the North. However, under the tutelage of a gentle master, White Fang
eventually develops into a civilized animal in human society.
Gray Beaver: an Indian who first owns Kiche, and the man who later owns
White Fang. He represents a type of impersonal master in White Fang‟s life.
Gray Beaver will stand in contrast to savage owners, Beauty Smith but he
compassionate owners as Weedon Scott. He respects White Fang because of
his uses. Therefore, Gray Beaver is quite willing to give White Fang food,
protection and shelter in exchange for White Fang„s obedience and work.
When Gray Beaver falls in the addiction of alcohol, he exchanges White Fang
to the cruel Beauty Smith – simply, to get whiskey.
Kloo-kooch: Gray Beaver‟s wife who usually gives meat to White Fang.
Mit-sah: Gray Beaver‟s son; he is responsible for training White Fang for the
fan-like trace.
Lip-Lip: One of the dogs in Gray Beaver‟s camp, he makes life miserable for
the younger and smaller White Fang. Finally, he dies by White Fang‟s bite.
Beauty Smith: A deliberate, evil man, extremely hideous in appearance;
London calls him a “monstrosity”. His outer hideousness represents the
corruption of his soul. Smith, who is hated by the world, uses White Fang as
an object on which he can vent his own hatred. He seems to take an inner
satisfaction out of vicious tormenting White Fang physically, with jabs and
strikes and whips, or else tormenting White Fang mentally, with laughter and
derision. He uses White Fang to obtain money and to satisfy his
concupiscence; otherwise, he never treats the dog well.
Tim Keenan: The owner of a bulldog named Cherokee. When Cherokee and
White Fang fight, Keenan is somewhat of a passive onlooker, and he is not
resentful when Weedon Scott breaks up the fight between the two dogs.
Cherokee: A bulldog belonging to Tim Keenan, he almost kills White Fang
before Weedon Scott separates them.