Adaptation for survival in nature in

Recognized as one of the latest theories in the history of literary study, ecocriticism marks the beginning of works and studies concerned with environmental issues in the late 1980s in America and in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. “Simply defined, ecocriticism is the study of the relationship between literature and the physical environment” (Cheryll Glotfelty). This literary discipline appears extremely crucial and meaningful in the context of ecodegradation, climate changes and natural disasters spreading around the world, which proves an urgent need of comprehending environmental phenomena. In 1992, with the establishment of ASLE (the Association for Study of Literature and Environment), ecocriticism is gradually gaining a firm foothold in modern life. There exists radical studies on this emergent discipline, namely The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology (Cheryll Glotfelty, University of Georgia Press, 1996), The Green Studies Reader: From Romanticism to Ecocriticism (Laurence Coupe, Routledge, 2000), Practical Ecocriticism (Glen A.Love, Charlottesville: University of Verginia Press, 2003), Literature and Environtment (Lawrence Buell, Ursula K. Heise and Karen Thornber, Harvard University Press, 2011). In this literary trend, ecocritical interpretations of classics are well worth mentioning. In the new literary subdiscipline, Jack London and Earnest Hemingway, the outstanding authors, contribute invaluable materials; for one of their major themes is naturalism. Most of their works draw the inspiration from their long experience in wilderness. Though they hardly share the similarity in experience as a naturalist, both of them write prominent novels presenting compliments to nature. London spends years in the deep of snowy mountains in the Klondike Gold Rush collecting the materials for his animated story: The Call of the Wild, whilst Hemingway enjoys his adventures with hunting, fishing and camping seeing his soul imbued with the wilderness in The Old Man and the Sea. Ecocriticism brings a distinct approach to these novellas because it is “reading from an ecological rather than a narrowly humancentered perspective” (35, Practical Ecocriticism, Glen A. Love). However, the studies on this are still limited with just some journals, articles and dissertations. Being in a formative phase, ecocritical research on these works is absolutely required. This paper adopts ecocritical approach to The Call of The Wild and The Old Man and the Sea with the aim of examining nature’s profound impact on creatures and their diverse reactions to the harsh environment. It cannot be denied that from antiquity to the present, inhabitants often gather in a group to create unity strength and safety; however, the main characters in two novels are separated and isolated from the community. They are not only thrown deep into the wilderness, but also suffer from insurmountable situations. Their survival in that circumstance denotes precious lessons on adaptation.

Contents

ACCEPTANCE PAGE i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

Chapter I: Methodology 7

Chapter II: Literature Review 8

1.Ecocriticism 8

2.Jack London and Earnest Hemingway as naturalists 9

a)Jack London 10

b)Earnest Hemingway 10

Chapter III: The reemergence of primitive instincts 13

1.Buck’s primitive instincts 15

a)Instinctive learning 15

b)Self-defense instinct 18

b)Self-defense instinct 26

3.The unyielding will for survival in nature 28

Chapter IV: The essence of compassion 31

“You can exist without your soul, you know, as long as your brain and heart are still working But you’ll have no sense of self anymore, no memory, no

anything There’s no chance at all of recovery You’ll just — exist As an empty shell And your soul is gone forever lost.” J.K Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 31

1.Thornton’s compassion awakes Buck’s compassion 33

2.The old man’s compassion with nature 37

Conclusion 43

References 46

Recognized as one of the latest theories in the history of literary study, ecocriticism marks the beginning of works and studies concerned with environmental issues in the late 1980s in America and in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom “Simply defined, ecocriticism is the study of the relationship between literature and the physical environment” (Cheryll Glotfelty) This literary discipline appears extremely crucial and meaningful in the context of ecodegradation, climate changes and natural disasters spreading around the world, which proves an urgent need of comprehending environmental phenomena In 1992, with the establishment

of ASLE (the Association for Study of Literature and Environment), ecocriticism is gradually gaining a firm foothold in modern life There exists radical studies on this emergent discipline, namely The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology (Cheryll Glotfelty, University of Georgia Press, 1996), The Green Studies Reader: From Romanticism to Ecocriticism (Laurence Coupe, Routledge, 2000), Practical Ecocriticism (Glen A.Love, Charlottesville: University of Verginia Press, 2003), Literature and Environtment (Lawrence Buell, Ursula K Heise and Karen Thornber, Harvard University Press, 2011)

In this literary trend, ecocritical interpretations of classics are well worth mentioning In the new literary subdiscipline, Jack London and Earnest Hemingway, the outstanding authors, contribute invaluable materials; for one of their major themes is naturalism Most of their works draw the inspiration from their long experience in wilderness Though they hardly share the similarity in experience as a naturalist, both of them write prominent novels presenting compliments to nature London spends years

in the deep of snowy mountains in the Klondike Gold Rush collecting the

materials for his animated story: The Call of the Wild, whilst Hemingway

enjoys his adventures with hunting, fishing and camping seeing his soul

imbued with the wilderness in The Old Man and the Sea Ecocriticism

brings a distinct approach to these novellas because it is “reading from an ecological rather than a narrowly human-centered perspective” (35, Practical Ecocriticism, Glen A Love) However, the studies on this are still limited with just some journals, articles and dissertations Being in a formative phase, ecocritical research on these works is absolutely required

This paper adopts ecocritical approach to The Call of The Wild and The Old Man and the Sea with the aim of examining nature’s profound

impact on creatures and their diverse reactions to the harsh environment It cannot be denied that from antiquity to the present, inhabitants often gather

in a group to create unity strength and safety; however, the main characters

in two novels are separated and isolated from the community They are not only thrown deep into the wilderness, but also suffer from insurmountable situations Their survival in that circumstance denotes precious lessons on adaptation

In the 20th-century literary debate on nature faker controversy, Jack London’s novellas used to be criticized due to “the human allegory in the dog’s life-and-death struggle to adapt himself to a hostile environment” (London) Nonetheless, it is a fact that he is unconscious of that allegory Therefore, he stated in self-defense that:

I have been guilty of writing two animal stories—two books about dogs The writing of these two stories, on my part, was in truth a protest against the “humanizing” of animals, of which it seemed to me several

“animal writers” had been profoundly guilty Time and again, and many times, in my narratives, I wrote, speaking of my dog heroes: “He did not think these things; he merely did them,” etc And I did this repeatedly to

the clogging of my narrative and in violation of my artistic canons; and I did it in order to hammer into the average human understanding that these dog-heroes of mine were not directed by abstract reasoning Also, I endeavored to make my stories in line with the facts of evolution; I hewed them to the mark set by scientific research, and awoke, one day, to find myself bundled neck and crop into the camp of the nature-faker.

His apology was widely accepted at that time; until now he is regarded

as one of the greatest American naturalistic writers In The call of the wild and White Fang, London is remarkably successful at depicting wolves’ lives The harsh and hostile environment in the Gold Rush has deep influence on his writing style Besides, he is also affected by Darwin’s evolution theory as his artistic purpose stated “I endeavored to make my stories in line with the facts of evolution; I hewed them to the mark set by scientific research” Not only reflecting the society in his time, but London also points out that life in the wilderness revolves the canon “Survival of

the fittest” (Principles of Biology, Herbert Spencer, 1864) If White Fang

changes from a wild and savage dog into a domesticated one in the end of the novel, Buck’s modification reverses, which appears far more difficult and challenging Nature is enigmatic and different from the civilized world, where Buck comes from Without adaptation, he would suffer tragic consequences, “It marked [Buck’s] adaptability, his capacity to adjust himself to changing conditions, the lack of which would have meant swift and terrible death” (19, London)

Like London’s character, the old man in Hemingway’ novella is also portrayed as the fittest to nature Hunting is one of human’s instincts from the ancient period, which Hemingway vividly depicts from his own experience The “primitive Cuban fisherman Santiago is analogous to Darwin’s scientist-as-savage, or Wilson’s field biologist as cloud forest

Papuan tribesman With knowledge derived from Hemingway’s year of fishing the Gulf Stream and collecting specimens of marlin and tuna for the

Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia” (A Historical Guide to Ernest Hemingway, edited by Linda Wagner-Martin, Oxford University

Press) The old man and the sea has a special resonance on readers partly because of its ecocritical readings The environment in The old man and the sea is less hostile than that in The call of the wild; nevertheless, it also includes the gravities of extreme danger, for instance, the fight between the old man and the Mako shark “could easily result[s] in the destruction of

Santiago’s skiff and his death from injury or drowning” (A guide to the Marine Life in Earnest Hemingway’s The old man and the sea, Susan

Beegel), and the old man finally has to use “his pain” to know that “he [is] not dead” (Hemingway) Hemingway’s natural sentiment is attributed to early experiences in the woods and lakes of Northern Michigan hunting, fishing, camping with his father These habits remain throughout his life, which contributes to his nature epiphany It makes The old man and the sea

“the best [he] can write ever for all of [his] life” (Hemingway)

In the wilderness, both the old man and Buck are well adaptive Under the influence of the environment, it can be seen that their primitive instinct restores As Carl Jung, a Swiss prominent psychiatrist, said, “anyone who overlooks the instincts will be ambuscaded by them”, the rehabilitation of natural instincts appears a key factor to maintain the wild life, which will

be thoroughly examined in this thesis More importantly, through ecocritical reading to the novellas, this paper also aims at revealing the essence of compassion in nature Even Hemingway, who is fond of fishing and hunting from the childhood, “takes greater pleasure in merely watching the wildlife” than in killing (XIV, Under Kilimanjaro, editors Robert W Lewis and Robert E Fleming) His affectionate passion for nature leads to

the old man’s sympathy with the marine animals, which he calls “friends”,

“brother” and feels hard to kill them “He [begins] to feel pity the great fish

he [has] hooked” (Hemingway 17) This feeling denotes layers of meaning, especially when the old man “look[s] across the sea and [knows] how alone

he [is]” (22, Hemingway) In The call of the wild, rarely is the compassion revealed “Into the primitive” (5, London), there is nothing but “savagery, and cunning” (29, London) The warm affection is nearly exhausted in the harshness of both nature and human beings: “a hostile environment where only the strong survive[s]” (88, London) Nonetheless, the author expresses more than that to put the audience in deep contemplation of the compassion value The appearance of John Thornton, Buck finally finds the light at the end of the tunnel With the sympathy, Thornton decides to rescue Buck from the jaws of death, which leads to only chapter VI of love and reinforces the works’ humanitarian Both novellas place particular emphasis on the significance of the affection for nature, which is about to examine in this paper as an ecocritical approach

Ecocriticism absolutely captures international attention due to the fact that the matters it solve can suggest solutions to the one of the burning and aching issue of environmental collapse Falling in line with this tendency,

The Call of the Wild by London and The Old Man and the Sea by

Hemingway deserve further ecocritical studies to raise people awareness on nature protection

Chapter I: Methodology

This paper applies secondary research as the main methodology to The Call of the Wild by Jack London and The Old Man and the Sea by Earnest Hemingway with an aim of discussing the theme Adaptation for Survival in Nature The secondary sources, such as researchers’ books, articles and

journals will be put into consideration Internet connection is about to be the main access to these sources It is necessary to search for reliable sources, which are university websites, and international well- known organizations’ websites, such as The University of Michigan Library online, JSTOR.org or muse.jhu.edu In addition, bookstores can also be a useful supply of research materials Reading through and analyzing these sources provide a solid background to do the literary thesis The essential quotations or meaningful ideas related to the theme of the thesis are stored

in a file on the computer, which is put following the outline’s order Because I choose two novels to analyze, I will put the quotes in an order to make some comparisons

Unlike other studies, literary research employs works as the major

source, which are The Call of the Wild by Jack London and The Old Man and the Sea by Earnest Hemingway in this paper The methodology for this

research appears simpler, but the effort given is equal to other papers Time management would be a problem as collecting and examining the materials require a large amount of time; thus, sticking to the schedule and meeting the progress reports are of strategic necessity I hope that with this methodology, my paper meet will live up to the readers’ expectation

Chapter II: Literature Review

1 Ecocriticism.

Research on nature is driven by an overriding need for addressing environmental issues, such as pollution, natural disaster or green house effect In literature, there exists a new theory concentrating on nature – centered perspective, which is known as ecocriticism, or naturalism The first person to use the term ecocriticism may have been William Rueckert

In 1978, he published an essay titled Literature and Ecology: An Experiment in Ecocriticism His intent was to focus on “the application of

ecology and ecological concepts to the study of literature” However, at that time, there was no organization or movement to study the environmental side of literature, which leads to the crucial works in this discipline were scattered or categorized under other theories Until the late 1990s, with the establishment of ASLE (the Association for Study of Literature and Environment), scholars started to work to contribute to ecocriticism as a new literary genre Cheryll Glotfelty, the founder of this organization, defines this literary discipline as the research into

“relationship between literature and the physical environment” In other words, the ecocriticism concerns nature and its effects in works Needless

to say, this literary movement has been increasingly spreading to all corners of the world along with the appearance of ASLE new branches in the UK, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand (ASLEC-ANZ), India (OSLE-India), Taiwan, Canada and Europe

Researchers find naturalism a new land to explore as the interaction between creatures and the environment are often ignored leaving the space for human – centered perspective issues When the earth becomes endangered because of environmental corruption and natural deterioration, ecocriticism may provide solutions to overcome adversity An approach to

classics under this theory will be a long way to go Besides, at the time the ecocriticism is brought to the world, it emerges as one of the latest theories concerning natural issues That is the reason why there still lacks of research and works unearthing the depth of this literary discipline All the studies, from raising the definition to bridging the theory with other related ones, are just the initial steps taken in order to deal with the most

fundamental facets, namely The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology (Cheryll Glotfelty, University of Georgia Press, 1996), The Green Studies Reader: From Romanticism to Ecocriticism (Laurence Coupe, Psychology Press, 2000), Practical Ecocriticism (Glen A.Love, Charlottesville: University of Verginia Press, 2003), Literature and Environtment (Lawrence Buell, Ursula K Heise and Karen Thornber,

Harvard University Press, 2011)

The ecocritical interpretation of classics is also in times of scarcity, for the environmental issues tend to be sunk under more familiar and historic topics like society problems, human limitations or the reflection of the authors and his era in the works Ecocritical reading provides an ecology approach to literature, which requires the researchers to reread major classics “from an ecocentric perspective” and “emphasize ecocentric values

of meticulous observation” (Barry, Beginning Theory) Unlike the other

literary disciplines, naturalism does not give the priority to human, but paying attention to studies in nature-centered perspective This remarkably bursts the novels with tremendous vitality

2 Jack London and Earnest Hemingway as naturalists.

Known for possessing the affinity with the nature, both Jack London and Earnest Hemingway employ nature as the major material to portray characters and deliver messages The harsh and colossal wilderness in the Klondike and Bimini inspires these prominent authors to build up the

influential novellas, The Call of the Wild and The Old Man and the Sea

Readers of these works are impressed not only by the plot and characters, but also the vivid nature and its radical effects

a) Jack London.

Jack London was born in January 12, 1876 He is a prominent American writer and also an influential social activist, whose heart is full of compassion This author pays attention to the nature as much as to human

beings, for his most famous novellas concern the wilderness: The Call of the Wild, White Fang and The Sea – Wolf It can be said that London uses

nature as a tool to depict human’s world; however, the overwhelming wilderness ultimately implies nature – centered messages

The American Gold Rush in 1980s marks the appearance of a prolific author, Jack London, who pays meticulous attention to the environment changes under the humans’ impacts Humanizing animals become an effective way for London to depict the animals’ inner world and explore the wilderness Thus, ecocritical reading considers this masterpiece a relevant and invaluable to do studies on Nevertheless, the number of writing employing this approach is pretty low with some journals, namely

Psychoanalyzing the Narrative Logics of Naturalism by Donald E Pease,

2002 or Humanizing Animal as a Reflection of Naturalism in Ack London’s Novel The Call of the Wild by Satrio Suryo Negoro, 2013 These papers

mainly concentrate on the art of the works, from which take an approach to the content of nature, but they have not mentioned the creatures’ adaptation for survival It is a fact that this metamorphosis plays an essential part in Buck’s life as the author clearly perceives the hostile and savage environment in the Gold Rush

b) Earnest Hemingway.

Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) is an American author and journalist, who experiences World War II His great works are masterpieces of love, peace and also nature As a child, his father often takes him to go fishing, hunting and camping in Northern Michigan’s forests and lakes These early experiences largely contribute to his passion for journeys into the wilderness afterwards

On the cruise in Bimini, not only Hemingway’s fishing techniques is honed to perfection, but the ocean also permeated into his soul His experience vividly lingers in his writing about the old man in the Gulf Stream A number of studies under ecocritical reading are conducted with

an aim of interpreting the work in the nature-centered perspective, in which

“Out Too Far”: Half-Fish, Beaten Men, and the Tenor of Masculine Race

in The Old Man and the Sea by Gregory Stephen and Janice Cools appears

the most popular Conveying two major aspects of ecocriticism in the novella: “feminizing the sea” and “interspecies kinship-brotherhood between man and animals, as well as with nature” (77), this paper manages

to depict the harmony between human and nature However, it seems to lessen the abrupt peril the fisherman has to bear at sea where danger and destruction is an imperative part Besides, the old man’s primal hunting instinct, which used to maintain human’s existence in ancient time, should

be mentioned because without it, beings’ limitation would soon drown them into the vastness of the ocean

Written in the turbulent period of the American history, these classics reflect insuperable limitations which creatures can exceed, contributing priceless lessons on adaptation metamorphoses If Buck responses to the wilder’s call and returns to his ancestor’s life as a wolf, the old man develops an interaction and communication with the maritime creatures to consider them his family They ultimately become a part of the

environment Nature is chosen as a major and effective background for the characters’ journeys; hence, ecocriticism can be applied to these works as a strategy of emphasis and comparison in this thesis Creature’s life in the harshness of the wild is about to be revealed under the ecocritical reading throughout this paper.

Chapter III: The reemergence of primitive instincts.

“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change” (Charles Darwin)

This solid theory of evolution adopts a new approach to the survival in nature Whilst man always nurtures the hope of becoming the mightiest or the cleverest, he has no idea that it is the most adaptive who stand firm to the end In the embrace of the Earth’s environment, most creatures have a tendency to fit to the surroundings Their adjustments are executed towards

a harmonization with nature, for an individual’s existence in the world is nothing more than a grain of sand in a colossal desert Without adaptation,

it can be eroded, crushed and finally disappeared because of the natural harshness Some may manage to change whereas others fail into ruin

The adaptive metamorphoses are absolutely disparate and complicated not only among species but also between members of a same group In the survival struggle, some fight hard and continuously like White Fang in the same name novel by London whereas others shut themselves out of the

world like the town Macondo in One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel

Garcia Marquez Some even choose to make friends with the enemy like

Pi’s open arms with the aggressive Bengal tiger in The Life of Pi by Yann

Martel It can be seen that the environment in these works is about to destroy the creatures Fighting against it is pointless because of its total blockade; hence the only way to exist is to change to fit to it

Despite of the striking distinctness, these metamorphoses still converge at certain similarities The responses of the fittest ultimately derive from the primal instinct as Haruki Murakami, a prominent Japanese author, states that “you can have tons of talent, but it won't necessarily keep you fed If you have sharp instincts, through, you'll never go hungry” Once

again, the focus is placed towards the adaptation by laying great emphasis

on the instincts, one of the essential parts of our ancestors’ existence in the primitive period Herbert A Miller, an American biologist, defines instinct

as “a product of the evolutionary process which persists in both biological and psychological organization of the individual It originated through the selection of spontaneous reactions which enabled the individual to survive”

(Group as an Instinct) Apparently, this characteristic proves a

development in creatures’ effort to bend into the wilderness Although it runs a high risk of disappearance in the civilized society, it is an indispensable ingredient for the life in nature

In this thesis, The Call of the Wild by London and The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway are taken as striking instances due to their

reflection of Stephen Hawking sayings “i ntelligence is the ability to adapt

to change” The restoration of primal instincts in these novellas plays an important role in tackling insuperable situations Not until the sled dog and the fisherman travel into the depth of the nature, have these qualities been recovered and sharpened More than the maintenance at sea, hunting instinct provides the old man with an affinity with the wild creatures and a tenacious grip on chasing the prey His aptitude finally contribute to a well-deserved reward when he catches the giant fish, which “never [has he] seen

a greater, or more beautiful, or a calmer or more noble thing than [it]” (35 Hemingway) Like the old fisherman, Buck’s instinct is exceptionally powerful as it is inherited from his forefather It is nearly lost for a long time whilst he lives in the civilized world; however, it irresistibly returns through his trip in the depth of the wilderness The primitive instinct running in his veins drives him, a leader of the sled, and gives an impulse

to his response to the call of his same species Obviously, a good set of instincts is a decisive factor for the survival in nature

1 Buck’s primitive instincts.

a) Instinctive learning.

Never before has this dog experienced the wretched life “under the toil, the frost and starvation” (29) like a hell on earth Nonetheless, environment would never be a hazard if Buck continued his carefree life

“in the sun-kissed Santa Clara Valley” He is not only a domestic dog, but also a “pampered” one, “he [is] king, king over all creeping, crawling, flying things of Judge Miller's place… good living and universal respect [enable] him to carry himself in right royal fashion” (4)

He has no idea about the fierce competition for existence, nor even the smell of the wilderness However, his peaceful life is dramatically changed after the burgeoning Gold Rush in North America Being kidnapped and brought to the land of gold diggers, Buck gradually perceives how tragic his life turns out From that moment, he encounters only “evil-looking creatures, ragged and unkempt” (8) and also the “savages… who [know] no law but the law of club and fang” (13, London) His first lesson about

“[learning his] place” as a goods for purchase (10) is made under brutal tortures, “after a particularly fierce blow, he crawl[s] to his feet, too dazed

to rush He stagger[s] limply about, the blood flowing from nose and mouth and ears, his beautiful coat spray[s] and fleck[s] with bloody slaver” (9) London’s vivid depiction pushes the audience in the grip of complete obsession with a Medieval –like barbarous treatment, which marks the beginning of Buck’s life in the brutality of Klondike His surroundings now stand in stark contrast to those in the past, for “he [has] been suddenly jerked from the heart of civilization and flung into the heart

of things primordial” (13) Even the insiders find it hard to overcome the harshness of this environment, so an outsider may inevitable fall into ruin

Confrontation with the appalling and calamitous changes, most creatures tend to abandon themselves to despair and soon meet their end Nevertheless, Buck makes his own modification owing to his instinctive learning His reactions to the environment automatically result from his careful observations Due to the recognition over “the law of club and fang”, he becomes “too wise to rebel” when “Francois fasten[s] upon him

an arrangement of straps and buckles” (London 15) Right after this new sled dog realizes his duty, he presents conformity to his masters, which emerges a clever attitude once he wants to continue his survival as a part of the Gold Rush Besides, under the guidance of Dave and Sol-leks, Buck grasps how to run in the traces so quickly that in no time “he [masters] his work, his mates about [cease] nagging him Francois’s whip [snaps] less frequently” (18) Thus, Buck gains a foothold in the sled pack and since then, he leads an arduous life full of hardship and toil

More seriously, not in a single moment does “the hostile Northland environment” (20) leaves the creatures alone The freezing weather there appears a deadly enemy, which captures Buck even at night when he tries

to sleep after a long and exhausted day “A chill wind [is] blowing that [nips] him sharply and bit with especial venom into his wounded shoulder

He [lies] down on the snow and [attempts] to sleep, but the frost soon [drives] him shivering to his feet” (16) The extreme cold absolutely drowns Buck into “miserable and disconsolate” feelings (16) However, in

an ultimate attempt, his instinct to learn brings him back to his team-mates, for at the beginning of the primitive life, his steps are taken following them They have profound impacts on Buck’s modification to survive, especially when he is desperately wandering in the trap of the bitter cold Buck unearths a vital lesson from Billee, another sled dog in the team, to dig a

hole on the ground to sleep Once more, the instinctive learning saves him from the jaws of death

Lethal as the icy coldness in the Gold Rush, the “chronic famine” (50) causes sled dogs a bitter groan of anguish The fact is that getting accustomed to the food here is of great difficulty because Buck used to be raised as a cosset pet in Judge Miller’s estate Barely is he put on such a meager ration with only “the pound and a half of sun- dried salmon” for toil days of succession Consequently, the poor sled dog is tortured by a perpetual hunger Whereas the other dogs “[weighs] less and [are] born to the life” (19), hence manage to live on the diet; Buck is nothing more than

“an Outside dog” (52), which runs a high risk of “[starving] to death on the ration of the husky” (52) Fortunately, maintaining the strategy of observing and learning lifts Buck out of the dire peril He ascertains that he must “[eats] as fast as [the other dogs]” (19) to have his ration in full and sneakily steals away the master’s food to alleviate his extreme hunger Known as the most vital physical requirements for survival, eating allows the body to function properly; thus, without Buck’s instinctual perception, the starving perpetuation would assuredly put an end to his existence:

“[The first theft marks] his adaptability, his capacity to adjust himself to changing conditions, the lack of which would have meant swift and terrible death” (19) This dog’s adjustment in eating habit conveys his approach toward the wildlife

Along with his learning is the abandonment of civilized good nature, which is the only choice in the savage world Mary Austin, an American nature writer, exclaims that “death by starvation is slow”, for it often encompasses a wide range of corruptions in the soul and mind before taking away the last breath As a result, Buck witnesses “the decay or going

to pieces of his moral nature” and increasingly grows “a vain thing and a

handicap in the ruthless struggle for existence” (20) The hostile and brutal Klondike emanates a real beast, which imposes jungle rules on others However, the deterioration cannot be blamed for this sled dog as even "a hungry man can't see right or wrong He just sees food" (Pearl S Buck) This natural reaction is unequivocally a survival tendency derived from the ancient time For that, Buck gives up the noble habits “[characterizing] his old life” and embrace the wild alternatives as the development

“His muscles [become] hard as iron, and he [grows] callous to all ordinary pain … He could eat anything, no matter how loathsome

or indigestible … his blood [carries] it to the farthest reaches of his body, building it into the toughest and stoutest of tissues Sight and scent [become] remarkably keen, while his hearing [develops] such acuteness that in his sleep he [hears] the faintest sound and [knows] whether it [heralds] peace or peril” (20)

The instinctive learning encourages the primal attitude reemergence in the sled dog All his physical and mental adjustments from muscles to eating habits, especially the acute senses, belong to a wild animal His connection with the Northland environment is narrowed to the minimum as

he can feel even the minor moves of the nature there The wild permeates every part in his body and the knowledge he learns drives him to perfectly fit to the surroundings Nevertheless, it will be catastrophic if this dog relies on this instinct only as learning process often takes time whilst an instant of negligence in the wilderness forthwith results in the rival’s “teeth [sinking] into [Buck’s] own throat” (25) Therefore, it is impossible to wait until mastering a skill to tackle situations Other instinct must be sharpened

as a weapon against abrupt dangers

b) Self-defense instinct.

Supposing that Buck’s survival revolves around the atavistic instincts, the self-defense aptitude, one of the creatures’ basic instincts, will be of great essence, because in which the body responses in peril are produced When reinforced in Buck, it comes closer to the primeval mode On the trip into the primitive Klondike, never before has this instinct recovered in him

so sufficiently that it turns out an ultimate power Working as a sled dog, self-defense instinct first emerges from Buck’s “[bristling] his neck-hair and [snarling]” so that the other savage dogs let him alone This reaction deems crucial to avoid fierce and cruel battles, which can lead to grievous consequences, including the “end only in the death of one or the other” (24) In an attempt to escape from the environmental threats, Buck lets “the primordial beast” (23) inside grows rapidly, leading to his “matching the husky in strength, savagery and cunning” (28) His own fangs, paws and claws become mighty in self-defense This instinct is gradually honed to perfection, which is of strategic necessity, especially when fighting appears the best way to protect oneself Confrontation with enemy, self-protection drives this sled dog into “a red-eyed devil, hair bristling, mouth foaming, a mad glitter in his blood-shot eyes” (9) This depiction cannot belong to a civilized world, but a world of heartless and vicious creatures The breathe

of wilderness seizes his heart

Being attacked by Spitz scores of times, the self-defense instinct urges Buck’s contending for power There exists a saying that “the striving for power serves in the first place as a protection against helplessness, which

… is one of the basic elements of anxiety” (Karen Horney, 1937, p141) The dog in London’s novella is not in that mood, but as Sol-leks attacks any dogs approaching his blind side, Buck strives for the feeling of safety

In the fight against Spitz, Buck stands the merest chance to win as “Spitz [is] untouched, while Buck [is] streaming with blood and panting hard”

(34) Nonetheless, the situation reverses owing to his brain, which remarkably consolidates his self-defense aptitude When “the whole circle

of sixty dogs started up” (34), it coerces him into regaining after “[going] over” (34) for fear that he will be brutally killed once he falls down In the fragile moment when Buck is nearly defeated, his imagination turns out a sharp self-defense weapon, for it is the “quality that [makes] for the greatness” (34) as Conrad states in his novel, “in the face of a danger … it [is] not my strength that wanted nursing, it [is] my imagination that wanted

soothing” (13, Heart of Darkness and the Secret Sharer, Joseph Conrad)

Buck annihilates his rival Spitz thanks to his vital endowment and sice then

he takes over the leadership of the pack, which means the right to “[give] the law and [make] his mates live up to it” Hitherto instead of dodging or trembling in the face of savage rivals in a wicked world of wilderness, Buck is “brought to mastery” (40) and “when he [bristles] and [shows] his teeth”, the other fierce dogs get out of his way Dire threats from the lead dog’s law of life and death is removed; therefore, to some degree, the life

in the sled pack becomes easier, giving priority to further adaptation against other harmfulness of the harsh environment

In the final analysis, derived from the atavism, Buck’s instincts possess an overwhelming power, which is reinforced with acceleration in the hostile environment and finally makes him the fittest in nature He grasps all the physical and mental changes to adapt to the new life Like a noted saying “the process of learning itself is often controlled by instinct” (Gould, James L and Peter Marler), Buck is gradually dominated by his natural characteristics These instincts evoke nebulous memories:

“The domesticated generations [fall] from him In vague ways

he [remembers] back to the youth of the breed, to the time the wild

meat as they [run] it down … And when, on the still cold nights, he [points] his nose at a star and [howls] long and wolflike, it [is] his ancestors, dead and dust, pointing nose at star and howling down through the centuries and through him.” (London 21)

These recollections take firm place in Buck through the primordial trail to Dawson, Barracks, and Yukon, for he finds reassurance and satisfaction practicing them The growth of the primitive instincts gradually builds bridges between the sled dog and the primordial world Not only the survival instinct reemerges, but the howl of wolves also revives, which appears a sign of pure nature It urges Buck to response to the sounding deep in the forest The call of the nature produces an echo in Buck in an effort to drive him back to the wild life As a result, he embraces the wild instincts until they are restored the status quo Thereupon, his ambition to return to the nature burst into an inner flame, “irresistible impulses [seize] him” (80) The primordial instincts ultimately lead him to his ancestor’s manners His learning process is fully completed every time he plunges into the vast of the forest, leaving behind all traces of a civilized world His life no longer belongs to any master, for Buck enjoys freedom in his own wild territory This self-reliance marks the accomplishment of the adaptation process At the end of the novel, Buck’s response to “the call” (London) makes him a part of the nature, “a great, gloriously coated wolf” (92) Leading the life of his forefather, he masters the significant rules of survival and turns out the fittest to the frozen Northland, “running at the head of the pack through the pale moonlight or glimmering borealis, leaping gigantic above his fellows, his great throat a-bellow as he sings a song of the younger world” (92) To recapitulate briefly, throughout the novella, the restoration of primitive instincts has great significance for

existence, which researchers have been examined for ages to unearth the nexus between the environment and the creatures’ living

2 The old man’s primal hunting instincts

The old man employs the hunting instincts not only for the adaptation

at sea, but also for his greatest kill in his life Recognized as one of the most basic instincts of primeval inhabitants, hunting used to play an imperative part of human existence Hitherto some people still survive on

it, which reemerges the ancestor’s primitive instincts every time they are in

face of adversity Along this line, in The Old Man and the Sea, the main

character is tied to this atavistic quality for survival The fisherman is depicted as an experienced hunter living on fishing in the Gulf Stream He fishes without the help of modern equipment, but obsolete and shabby ones: a skiff with “the sail [is] patched with flour sacks and, furled” (1),

“the rolls of the line in the basket and the harpoon and gaff” (9) Needless

to say, his ocean fishing badly requires hunting skills, which are honed so sharply that it becomes one of his instincts

In fact, human life at sea inherently contains gravity of abrupt dangers; hence, a chase after the marlin “two feet longer than the skiff” (23, Hemingway) is nothing more than a gamble with death Besides, this is the first time the old man catches so colossal a fish just alone, “he [has] seen many that [weighs] more than a thousand pounds and he [has] caught two

of that size in his life, but never alone” (23) Now being towed by the giant fish, far away from the land alone, this can be a nightmare with anyone who is afraid of the unknown and unexplained More seriously, the fisherman in the novel is at the old age and his strength deteriorates in the trip due to the injuries Along with the right hand bleeding and the cramped

left hand, the lethal tiredness torments him numerous times during the challenging trip:

“He [is] too tired even to examine the line and he teeter[s] on it

as his delicate feet gripped it fast” (20)

“Sometimes he would be so tired that he could not remember the prayer and then he would say them fast so that they would come automatically” (24)

“[He is] tireder than [he has] ever been” (31)

The tiredness can break even the will of iron; however, it cannot defeat the experienced fisherman as he masters the adaptation metamorphosis at sea Although the old man nearly loses the mental acuteness and physical strength after toil days towed by the giant fish, all left is the hunting instinct which grows exponentially as a replacement for the impairment

a) Affinity with nature.

Fishing at sea in the entire life allows the old man to expose to this environment Thus, he has a deep affinity with nature The sea imbues his soul Like a creature coming out of the ocean, his eyes are “the same color

as the sea” (Hemingway 1) That wild and inherent beauty implies an adaptive life in nature The old man’s long for a pristine environment results in his dream full of natural images, “he only [dreams] of places now and of the lions on the beach” (8) An intimate connection with the ocean exponentially grows through his fishing trip at sea, which stimulates the primal instincts Like any wild animal, the old man possesses an ability to