Book

During the holidays, i read a book by Jack London called White Fang which depicts the harsh life of a part wolf, part dog in the wilds of Alaska. It is a sequel to "The Call of the Wild. The story begins with two prospectors, Bill and Henry traveling across Alaska with a team of sled dogs. The men are low on food, provisions and ammunition. They are being stalked by a vicious and hungry pack of Arctic wolves. One by one, the wolves kill and eat the sled dogs. Even Bill is killed by the wolves and Henry finds himself alone. Eventually, after a grueling struggle with the pack, Henry is rescued by a group of prospectors.

The story then follows the wolves. The leader of the pack fathers a litter of cubs, only one of which survives. The surviving cub, named White Fang eventually finds himself in the care of a tribe of Alaskan Indians. White Fang is not accepted by the tribe's resident dogs and is treated harshly by them. This harsh treatment forces White Fang to grow into a rugged, strong and clever animal. After the dog is fully grown, the Indians trade White Fang to an unscrupulous man named Beauty Smith. Smith purchased White Fang in order to gamble on him as a fighting dog.

White Fang's toughness and strength make him almost unbeatable and he defeats every challenger. One day, for the first time, White Fang faces a stronger dog that nearly kills him. Fortunately, White Fang is saved from the fight by Weeden Scott. Scott adopts White Fang and spends a great deal of time trying to domesticate him. Eventually White Fang yields to Scott's attempts and the two become friends. Scott takes White Fang home to California with him, where the wild animal slowly adjusts to the peaceful and easy life of a domestic dog. At the end, White Fang becomes the protector of the Scott family when a criminal attempts to take the life of Judge Scott. White Fang is injured during the altercation, but saves the Judge. This story closes the circle with The Call of the Wild. White Fang now lives comfortably in the Scott home, exactly the same place that Buck started his adventures in the Call of the Wild.

White Fang is in many ways, the opposite of The Call of the Wild. The first story depicts the transformation of a domestic dog into the leader of a pack of wild wolves. The second depicts the transformation of a wild animal into a peaceful domestic dog.