Tuesday, November 15

A little bit of literature

“One night he sprang from sleep with a start, eager-eyed, nostrils quivering and scenting, his mane bristling in recurrent waves. From the forest came the call (or one note of it, for the call was many noted), distinct and definite as never before,—a long-drawn howl, like, yet unlike, any noise made by husky dog. And he knew it, in the old familiar way, as a sound heard before. He sprang through the sleeping camp and in swift silence dashed through the woods. As he drew closer to the cry he went more slowly, with caution in every movement, till he came to an open place among the trees, and looking out saw, erect on haunches, with nose pointed to the sky, a long, lean, timber wolf." 

"He had made no noise, yet it ceased from its howling and tried to sense his presence. Buck stalked into the open, half crouching, body gathered compactly together, tail straight and stiff, feet falling with unwonted care. Every movement advertised commingled threatening and overture of friendliness. It was the menacing truce that marks the meeting of wild beasts that prey. But the wolf fled at sight of him. He followed, with wild leapings, in a frenzy to overtake. He ran him into a blind channel, in the bed of the creek, where a timber jam barred the way. The wolf whirled about, pivoting on his hind legs after the fashion of Joe and of all cornered husky dogs, snarling and bristling, clipping his teeth together in a continuous and rapid succession of snaps.” 

Vocabulary build-up

The verb bristle is intransitive and means “(hair or fur) stand upright away from the skin, especially in anger or fear”.

The noun howl means “a long, loud, doleful cry uttered by an animal such as a dog or a wolf”. It is somewhat important to be familiarized with all sorts of nature vocabulary, especially for the first phase. But in 2013 an intricate text appeared in the second phase to be translated. 

In this context, the verb spring is intransitive and means “to move or jump suddenly or rapidly upward or forward”. Close synonyms are “leap”, “jump”, or “bound”.

The adjective unwonted means “being out of the ordinary; rare, unaccustomed, or unusual”.

In this context, the verb commingle is intransitive and means “to become commingled” or “to blend thoroughly into a harmonious whole”.

Comments

Reading Jack London is an immersive experience into the wild northern part of America. He was one of the most talented naturalist and realist American writers who was extremely successful in depicting the life of men and animals in the wild West gold rush. He has been deeply influenced by Darwin's ideas of constant struggle in nature and “the survival of the fittest”. In The call of the wild, London portrays a story in which the environment controls one's (here dog's and wolf’s) life. As an animal, Buck made himself accustomed to the new environment, so he won the right of survival. At the same time, Buck ensured himself the safety with his courage and wisdom in the severe north. The book also demonstrates society's inability to stand up in the face of nature. It shows one way, and only one way, that our existence can easily slip back to a natural state in spite of our best efforts to resist it. In essence, The call of the wild introduces a character that, whilst its transition from society to nature, faces constant trouble and learns that to survive is the most important thing.