Category: Book Review

“Lyddie,” the compelling novel by Katherine Paterson, has captivated readers with its portrayal of a young girl’s journey towards empowerment during the Industrial Revolution. The story’s transition to the big screen in its movie adaptation brings forth both familiar elements and unique interpretations. This compare and contrast essay delves into the similarities and differences between the book and movie versions of “Lyddie.”

Similarities

1. Core Narrative and Characters

Both the book and the movie of “Lyddie” retain the central narrative that follows Lyddie Worthen’s determination to achieve economic independence in the face of adversity. The core characters, including Lyddie, Brigid, Charlie, and Diana, remain faithful to their original portrayals, allowing viewers to experience the familiar dynamics and relationships.

2. Key Themes and Messages

The central themes of individualism, determination, and the fight for justice are consistent across both formats. Both the book and the movie emphasize Lyddie’s journey towards self-reliance and empowerment, shedding light on the challenges faced by women and workers during the Industrial Revolution.

3. Major Plot Points

The major plot points that shape Lyddie’s journey remain intact in both the book and the movie. Her decision to work at the factory, the struggles she faces with harsh working conditions, her involvement in the strike, and her pursuit of education are depicted in both versions, ensuring that the core narrative remains faithful.

Differences

1. Narrative Compression

One of the most significant differences between the book and the movie is the compression of the narrative in the latter. Due to time constraints, the movie condenses certain plot elements and character developments, resulting in a streamlined portrayal of Lyddie’s journey. This compression may lead to a less detailed exploration of the characters’ internal thoughts and motivations.

2. Omission of Subplots

The movie adaptation omits certain subplots and minor characters present in the book. These omissions, while understandable for cinematic pacing, might result in the loss of depth and complexity present in the novel. For instance, some of Lyddie’s interactions with other factory workers are less elaborated upon in the movie.

3. Visual and Cinematic Interpretation

The transition from book to movie provides the opportunity for visual and cinematic interpretations. While the novel allows readers to imagine the settings and characters, the movie provides a tangible portrayal. The factory setting, Lyddie’s clothing, and the overall atmosphere of the time period come to life visually in the movie, enhancing the sensory experience for the audience.

4. Character Dynamics

While the movie maintains the core relationships between characters, the dynamics between them might be accentuated or slightly altered for dramatic effect. Certain interactions or dialogues may be shortened or modified, impacting the emotional resonance and character development that readers experience in the book.

Conclusion

The transition from book to movie presents “Lyddie” with both common threads and nuanced differences. While the core narrative and themes remain constant, the movie’s narrative compression, omission of subplots, and visual interpretation create a distinct viewing experience. Readers of the book might appreciate the depth of character exploration and internal reflections, whereas the movie offers a visual representation that brings the world and characters to life.

Ultimately, whether one engages with “Lyddie” in its original literary form or its cinematic adaptation, the story’s enduring themes of resilience, empowerment, and the pursuit of dreams continue to resonate. The exploration of both versions allows for a richer understanding of the narrative’s evolution and its enduring impact on audiences, offering a multifaceted experience that captures the essence of Lyddie’s journey.

The journey of Goodman Brown kicks off with the presence of evil. “He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest, which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through, and closed immediately behind it.” In most cases, forests symbolize evil, wickedness, and danger. The path Goodman Brown is about to take is very dark and small, and it is enveloping him as it closes behind him, showing the abandonment of his faith. As Goodman keeps going deep into the woods a person appears, Goodman Brown tells him, ‘Faith kept me back awhile”, which tells us that he had been faithful to his beliefs for a while, and then decided to cross over to the evil world. Later on, we find out it, ‘s the devil who has been with Brown this whole time, “What if the devil himself should be at my very elbow!”. Brown notices his staff, “bore the likeness of a great black snake, so curiously wrought, that it might almost be seen to twist and wriggle itself, like a living serpent.” The staff is being compared to a serpent, this can also be compared to the serpent in the story of Adam and Eve because it shows how things in life can be untrustworthy, and the knowing of what is right and wrong.

As Brown keeps going with his Journey there are times when Goodman Brown states: “Is that any reason why I should quit my dear Faith, and go after her?” I believe this is the point where Goodman Brown starts to question his journey between good and evil. The devil tells Goodman Brown, “Sit here and rest yourself awhile; and when you feel like moving again, there is my staff to help you along.” This part of the story is about the devil leaving the sole key behind and permitting Goodman Brown to join him in the world of evil and corruption. This still happens in life nowadays. We choose whether it’s good or bad.

The journey continues into the forest, YGB hears voices and he decides to hide behind a tree. “It vexed him the more because he could have sworn, were such a thing possible, that he recognized the voices of the minister and Deacon Gookin, jogging along quietly, as they were wont to do when bound to some ordination or ecclesiastical council”. This is a symbolization of betrayal because with the Minister and Deacon in the forest, and the symbols involving the devil could mean that the Minister and Deacon could be with the devil, YGB might have had a feeling of being betrayed by his faith. “While he still gazed upward, into the deep arch of the firmament, and had lifted his hands to pray, a cloud, though no wind was stirring, hurried across the zenith, and hid the brightening stars”. At this point, Goodman Brown is having thoughts of being abandoned and he begins to pray to heaven which is surrounded by evil in the forest. The cloud represents the dangers of allowing your surroundings, family, and friends to become less connected with their faith.

Later in the story, Young Goodman Brown reaches the circle of the wicked, where he hears voices being joined in song. The frightening anthem was being joined with the sounds of nature and wilderness. When YGB is at the circle of the wicked, there is a pit of fire and the fire symbolizes anger and passion for the fight of good and evil. The devil now begins his sermon, “Depending on one another’s hearts, ye had still hoped that virtue was not all a dream. Now are ye undeceived! Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness. Welcome again my children, to the communion of your race!

Buck, who is a very big and pretty Saint Bernard, has changed through the book due to his new owners, and friends, and his new journey’s. Buck throughout this story has to be able to adapt to his new changes and has to overcome all his new challenges. Weather it’s be taken from his home, beaten with a club, just being worked half to death he still has been able to make it through this life of his.

Buck starts out living in a beautiful house and property of a wealthy judge. Living his best life, he was stolen to pay off a man’s debt. Buck was hauled off to Seattle with little food and water. When released from his cage he attacks a man. This man is who we call the man in the ”red sweater”. He is then shipped up into the Yukon to become a sled dog who has to travel many miles to deliver goods, mail, etc. Later Buck was then found being mistreated and was taken by a man named John Thornton. “If you strike that dog again, I’ll kill you,” (London 27)Who treats Buck like his best friend.

Buck has had many friends and also “masters”. During Buck crazy roller coaster of a life he also runs into many enemies as well. He was first stolen by a man who works for his master and was sold for debts. Then comes to meet the man in the red sweater who he tries to attack but was beaten over and over with a club. Buck has then come to realize he is a master worth obeying. As

Buck becomes a sled dog he has started having problem with another dog named spitz. ‘Buck stood and looked on, the successful champion, the dominant primordial beast who had made his kill and found it good.’ (London 40)Which happens to be the dog he kills to become the leader of the pack.

Bucks journey began back when he was abducted from his house in California where then was hauled off to Seattle, then makes pot to his final destination on the yukon Alaska. There he becomes a sled dog and has run all around Alaska. Traveled many miles with little food and little water. He and his pack have become weak, and one cannot go on any longer. He was one of Bucks best friends who then was put down by a gun, therefore Buck having to leave him behind. His final journey happens after meeting his last master John Thornton. John treated him like he was his best friend, but the relationship wasn’t very long. ​With Thornton, Buck experiences love for the first time, developing a strong affection for the man who saved his life and who proves an ideal master. Thornton treats his dogs as if they are his own children, and Buck responds with adoration and obeys all commands. Once, to test Buck, Thornton tells him to jump off a cliff; Buck begins to obey before Thornton stops him​. (London) While Buck and John are out into the wilderness John has become ill and has passed. Right then and there is when Buck has heard the call of the wild and has become part of a new pack.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Buck has had a crazy roller coaster life being moved from owner to owner and town to town. Buck in the story has been able to adapt to his living conditions just like most people can. In the end Buck was finally where he was supposed to be. With the call of the wild.

In the novel ‘The Call of the Wild’ by Jack London, the protagonist Buck, a dog from South-land is kidnapped and sold to hostile people in the North. He has to adapt to becoming a dog of the North. Within this novel, Buck undergoes a very significant change of character and emotional state. He transitions from being the self-illustrated King of Judge Miller’s house, to a wild and liberated dog, emerged in a wolf pack within the land of the North. This transition is a symbol of the impact that society can endorse on the emotional and mental thought process of an individual. In this case, it is transparent that Buck forcefully underwent a phase shift in his personality to adapt to the harsh environment of the North ensuring the credibility of his future survival. There are numerous significant factors that contributed to Buck embracing his primitive side. The most consequential components being Buck getting clubbed by the “man in the red sweater”, the conflict with Spitz and him joining the wolf pack.

The “man in the red sweater” was Buck’s first encounter with the wild North. Buck perceived that the North wasn’t a place to ease up through the physical and mental pain he was feeling. “That club was a revelation. It was his introduction to the reign of primitive law, and he met the introduction halfway.”(Page 16 & 17). “He saw, once for all, that he stood no chance against a man with a club. He had learned the lesson, and in all his after life he never forgot it.”(Page 16) At Judge Miller’s house, he didn’t have to follow any rules or attack anyone for his own safety, he did as he pleased. Now when he attempted to act in the manner of a defensive king (by attacking instead of listening), he was beaten with a club and this experience gave Buck a glimpse of reality. Both of the quotations above display the persuasion to Buck’s prerequisite mindset. The quotations mention this powerful collision that changed what Buck thought of the new surroundings. They indirectly hint at the initial contact that Buck had with the law of club and fang. In this case, the club was a symbol and represented the relative harshness of the North. This serves as the turning point of his personality as a whole.

Buck and Spitz’s conflict had altered the way Buck reacted to situations. From the moment that Spitz, the leader of the pack during the first 3 chapters, laughed at the death of Curly, Buck possessed pure hatred for the dog. This hatred caused an exchange of ridicule but Buck avoided a fight. This changed when the fight to the death between Buck and Spitz arrived. Buck fought and killed Spitz and he felt good about killing someone without any assistance. This is symbolic of him developing a savage and wild nature. “Buck stood and looked on, the successful champion, the dominant primordial beast who had made his kill and found it good.”(Page 64) As mentioned before, the new environment causes Buck to evolve and face changes physically and in his thought process. Not only did the hatred for Spitz drive him to attack, but also the position of leadership. Killing Spitz and feeling good about it shows that Buck’s surroundings are allowing him to evolve into a “primordial beast”. The environment can be viewed as both a severe turning point as well as a factor that eventually leads to the change in Buck’s forsaken sanity and personality. Buck is constantly reminded of pain, suffering, harshness and insanity by looking around him. This is the reason why Buck drew inspiration to his changes in mindset from the actual environment that surrounded him at the time. This can be further concluded through the infinitesimal parallels between Buck’s final personality and the environment of the North.

Whilst on camp, next to the fire, Buck would be under the impression of getting a call from within the forest. This was an irrefutable call. “Irresistible impulses seized him. He would be lying in camp, dozing lazily in the heat of the day, when suddenly his head would lift and his ears cock up, intent and listening, and he would spring to his feet and dash away, and on and on, for hours” (Page 149) Soon, he had to answer the call and one day he did. He went into the forest to find a wolf. The wolf and Buck eventually made a strong connection. “He knew he was at last answering the call, running by the side of his wood brother toward the place from where the call surely came.” (Page 152) They started to travel before Buck remembered John Thorton and returned to camp. (Page 152) Once the camp was attacked and John was killed, Buck decided to join the wolf pack.”The wolves swung in behind, yelping in chorus. Buck ran with them, side-by-side with the wild brother, yelping as he ran.”(Page 170) This shows that Buck has finally made his transition and reached his destination of being a free, wild and primitive animal. At this time, we can infer that Buck has already been introduced and guided by the tough ways of the North, and this harshness is then implemented into his mind as shown in my previous points. In this case, however, we can see a certain “spark” which he experiences when his mind is conceded into him turning into a savage animal to fit the stereotypical properties and society of the North. This call from the forest was simply hypothetical and that it was a side effect of his mind telling him that the only way to survive would be to envelop into the ways of his society. This scene showed that his desire to change into a beast of the North was overpowered by his love and affection towards John. In other words, the power of love is greater than that of pure savagery. This is further proven during the death of John, where Buck’s only roots to domesticity, love, and sanity are severed. Buck, being untethered, had no opposing force to that of the wild. This pushed him to enforce his wild side and join the wolf pack; as the force of insanity was now greater than that of the non-existent force of love.

As Buck’s physical journey through the North proceeds, his mental identity is also shown. Buck is seen to transition from a domestic dog with a self-illustration of a king to a primordial beast with a taste for blood to a wild, free and powerful dog. There are many contributing factors to this significant transformation but the most impacting would be Buck’s collision with the man in the red sweater, his battle to the death with Spitz and his unification with the wolf pack.

Individualism describes the habit of being independent and self-reliant. In both The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and The Call of the Wild, the main characters display the habit of individualism. Christopher takes himself from his home in Swindon to London. Buck travels from Santa Clara Valley, California to Canada. Both characters take their trips alone. In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the reader sees not only the theme of curiosity that the title suggests. We also see incredible reserves of individuality. The story opens with Christopher wandering the streets alone at night despite the fact that his father lives with him. Christopher’s solitude is not because his father does not care. Instead, it is because he enjoys being alone. Indeed, he is a very independent person.

It is known but never stated, that Christopher is incredibly smart, but not without his challenges. Many times throughout the book, Christopher states that he is the only one to ever take A level math. In addition, Christopher is often unsure how to react to certain situations. In one particular situation, he can see his dad is sad. In response, Christopher does what he likes best when he is sad. He simply leaves his dad alone. “I decided to leave him alone because when I am sad I want to be left alone.” (Haddon, 21) The theme of individualism is presented many times throughout the story specifically when Christopher wishes to be alone.In The Call of the Wild, Buck travels around with different owners. Regardless of who Buck travels with, he is alone. He is an individual. It is his journey, against the difficulties of the world he confronts. In many ways, his story is an ode to individualism.

Buck begins the story living in his perfect world. At this point in the story, Buck is so used to relying on his owner that he is a trusting dog. “He learned to trust the men he knew…”(London, 5) After this, Buck is placed in a train and sent away, alone. He reflects on his life and realizes he may never have someone to receive orders from any longer. The book concludes by “sending” Buck off to the wild. He runs alone as the individual dog and runs with species of all kinds. We only read about Buck for a portion of his life, but all throughout this time Buck remains by himself. He grows as an individual throughout this time. The main characters in these stories have many similarities. We begin both of the books with our main characters, Christopher and Buck, living a perfect life with their perfect owners or dads. Each lives in a content state of being. Each is able to be alone at times, but still has someone to call them to dinner. This all changes very suddenly for Buck and Christopher, as each is separated from his master. Anyone can be alone.

But, Buck and Christopher each own their alone time and they manage to show great bravery. Reflecting on Buck’s situation, Jack London observes ‘[h]e was beaten (he knew that); but he was not broken.” After reading both The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and The Call of the Wild, the theme of individualism stands out above all others. We see Christopher wandering the streets, taking A-level math and traveling to London alone. We read about Buck learns to stop trusting the men he is with, traveling from different owners and eventually running into the wildHe does all of these actions alone. These books show us a theme of Individualism as we read about the lessons learned and challenges faced as our main characters individually travel.

Friedrich Nietzsche’s Twilight of the Idols is a book that touches on topics of decadence and nihilism in figures, societies, and cultures. This book contains a chapter on Socrates, labeled “The Problem of Socrates”. The chapter focuses on a critique of Socrates’ beliefs through Nietzsche’s views on Socrates’ philosophy on the value of life, dialectics, and reason. And this will help in understanding how Socrates’ perspective of these topics makes him a “décadent” according to Nietzsche.

To begin, when Nietzsche refers to the term “idols”, he is speaking about representations of God in the real world such as, for example, statues of God. He is also referring to the idea of God, an empty Christian idea of God. A figure in the masses idolizes and worships. However, in this case, Nietzsche is mostly talking about the beliefs and ideals that the masses follow and Socrates is an instance of this influence. Socrates has projected his beliefs onto many other philosophers, the belief that virtue is the key to happiness.

Socrates followed the belief that life was worthless and that he lived his own life in sickness. To Socrates, death is not to be feared and philosophy shall grant you preparation for death. And only in death will one be cured of this supposed sickness. Therefore, he rejects life and sees death as the answer. In death, one will find truth and all knowledge. He saw virtue and happiness as one and connected. Therefore, he saw knowledge as something above instincts. However, since Nietzsche believed in the will to power, a desire for growth in one’s self and existence, which essentially values life, he and Socrates saw two opposites of the value of life. Since Nietzsche did not see life’s value as something that cannot be estimated, one cannot judge the true value of life. Socrates’ believed of reason as a means of granting happiness was not possible. To find happiness, one must follow instincts which are the passions and desires of an individual. Socrates’ philosophy is something he believes is the reality of things, an objective view of life’s truths, yet Nietzsche does not agree that this is the case. He thinks the value of life is not something that one can measure, one would have to be separated from it to be able to properly evaluate its value.

In addition, Nietzsche states that Socrates was so physically unattractive that it did not make sense that he was Greek since his appearance did not align with the beauty of the Greeks. Through this, Nietzsche mentions that Socrates is “monstrum in front, monstrum in animo” which means that he is “a monster in the face, a monster in the soul” (Nietzsche 40). He means to say that Socrates’ outward physical ugliness reflects what he is on the inside, if he is ugly on the outside then he must be ugly on the inside. Essentially, Socrates’ ugliness mirrors his decadence, a state of disorder in which there’s an abandonment of instincts in exchange for rationalism. Nietzsche saw wisdom as a product of decadence.

Furthermore, Nietzsche brings up the topic of dialectics and condemns it for the fact that Socrates, as well as many who followed his philosophy, believed in the notion that dialectics was the solution to understanding life and to deconstructing the truths of life. However, Socrates’ dialectical method insinuates that there is objective truth, but Nietzsche thinks otherwise. In other words, the use of dialectics was the only form of interpretation and through this dialogue of debate, one can easily use arguments to convince the other that their opinion of the truth is the ultimate truth, even if it is false. According to Nietzsche, “one can play the tyrant; one compromises by conquering” by utilizing the dialectic method of Socrates (Nietzsche 42). It forces one to use this method to deprive the other of their intellectual ability, to render them obliged to assure they are not incapable of understanding. The whole premise of dialectics seems to feed on placing one’s superiority over another as revenge. And revenge would make dialectics a form of “ressentiment” because it is the negative feeling of inferiority being redirected and projected elsewhere as a means of putting blame and vilifying another. Henceforth, the “décadence” of Socrates is evident through his dialectic methods.

Moreover, to Nietzsche, the fight against instincts is opposed to the principles of life. He is being critical of Socrates’ notion that “reason = virtue = happiness” (Nietzsche 41). Socrates’ equation values knowledge as the path toward virtuosity. The reason for his condemnation of the equation is that Nietzsche believes that this philosophy is decadent. Socrates is depicted as a “décadent” due to his rejection of instincts in favor of reason. According to Nietzsche, this makes Socrates an ill man as his fight against instincts was an indication of sickness. Additionally, Socrates has been a driving force behind the decay of society. Nietzsche thought of Socrates as a source of what declined Greek culture since he spread this concept that one must control their instincts, but Nietzsche saw this as a sickness. It is hostility and rejection towards the instincts of life. Nietzsche states that “everywhere the instincts were in anarchy” and that there needed to be something to go against it, this was done through the making of “a tyrant of reason” (Nietzsche 43). Socrates devised this idea to avoid the degeneration of Athens, this was a cure for the instincts according to him. This concept in Western philosophy prevented another instrument from acting the part of the reason, therefore no Greek had a choice but to follow rationalism. While Socrates saw reason as the solution to curing decadence, Nietzsche saw it as the cause of decadence. It was instead a sickness, rather than a cure. Socrates was attempting to disguise his own immorality by enforcing rationalism in Greek culture and this resulted in his philosophy becoming the system of Athens. In other words, the people of Athens were left with no choice but to take this Socratic philosophy in order to fight against “dark desires” with the assistance of “daylight”, with daylight meaning reason (Nietzsche 43). Therefore, there would be no need to follow one’s instincts if reason will provide happiness. As mentioned by Nietzsche, this pursuit towards steering clear of decadence through rationalism is self-deception since this means Socrates and Athens must get rid of instincts which is a fundamental part of life according to Nietzsche. In the end, Socrates’ entire philosophy on reason has been a misunderstanding of what brings happiness, it has convinced itself that this equation is the foundation for morality. But it is the will to power, the instincts that give way to the powerful and get rid of the weak.

To conclude, Nietzsche is quite critical of Socrates’ philosophy, and he projects his point of view on this topic in Twilight of the Idols. The conclusion that Socrates is decadent and is also another puppet in the grand scheme of idols was analyzed through the discussion of Socrates’ opinion on the value of life, dialectics, and reason.

In Jack London’s The Call of the Wild Buck goes through a self-evaluation because of his surroundings and what he has to adapt to. Buck changes for the better and worse because of his adaptability, intellect and might. Because of these traits, he can overcome great obstacles. He is constantly trying to adapt to nature because it is the only way to survive. Buck improves physically and mentally because of his self-reliance and courage.

In the story, Buck has to adapt to nature in order to survive. For example, “That club was a revelation. It was his introduction halfway the fact life took on a fiercer aspect; and while he faced that aspect uncovered he faced it with all the latent cunning of his nature aroused.” (6) In this quote buck is coming to the revelation that the club is stronger than him, he is realizing that “ A man with the club is the lawgiver a master to be obeyed, though not necessarily conciliated.”(6) He learned and adapted to what was around him at the time like how he learned he could not beat the club.

He is the smartest dog and a guide for the animals he has a very strong sense of intellect and imagination that’s what makes him unlike the others. This event is a tool that helps him throughout the book. A great example for this statement is “Buck possessed a quality that made for greatness- imagination.”(36) This quote shows that buck has qualities unlike the others because of this quality he was unique without this quality he would just be an average northland dog.

Buck is a very strong dog he shows his might by being braver and bigger than all of the other dogs and by doing that he earns leadership. For example “ Buck stood and looked on, the successful champion the dominant primordial beast who had made his kill and enjoyed it.” (42)This quote is evidence that Bucks evolution has worked in his favor he has grown in his swfitness in his leadership and his might. He has become a better hunter and has came to realize his power and his strength.

Thus to conclude, we have seen how nature has changed Buck and given these points we can see that he has evolved and grown as the strong mighty dog that he is. Because of the personification that goes on in this book, it makes the reader feel for Buck as more than a dog but more as a human. I feel the author is bringing up the question of whether dogs should be treated with more respect or just predators of the wild.

The Call of the Wild is a novel of “devolution” which traces the process of releasing Buck’s savage, atavistic nature beneath its civilized veneer”(citation). Buck, a St. Bernard Shepherd mix, was a very loyal pet to his own family in California where life was easy and good. However, Buck is kidnapped during the time of the Klondike Gold Rush where sled dogs were in high demand ending this easy life. The novel progresses through tough times, not known to a civil house dog, as Buck must become less domesticated and return to his ancestral instincts to survive in the Yukon. Jack London, in The Call of the Wild, uses the transformation of Buck from domesticated house pet to a more primitive nature to obtain dominance over all other dogs to survive. London creates the story in a third person limited omniscient to allow the reader to observe all his different changes he experiences. In order for him to survive, Buck changes from being an ordinary pet to practically a wolf through physical, psychological, and spiritual changes.

To begin, Buck changed physically throughout the novel because of his struggle to maintain his pet like features and having to look more intimidating to maintain respect from the other dogs. At the beginning of the novel, Buck is shown to live a pampered and easy life with a master and a family where he never had to activate primitive instincts to kill. London describes the setting of Bucks old home showing how simple Bucks life was before he was kidnapped: “Buck lived at a big house in the sun-kissed Santa Clara Valley”(6). Living in a big house in California proves his family is wealthy and he lives the simplest of lives where he is taken care of and doesn’t have to take care of himself whatsoever. Once Buck gets kidnapped and starved, he experiences his first few physical changes. After not being fed or having a drink after 2 consecutive days, Buck is seen as “a red-eyed devil, as he drew himself together for the spring, hair bristling, mouth foaming, a mad glitter in his blood-shot eyes”(40). Buck has physically transformed from a friendly house pet into a raging intimidating beast ready to kill. Buck’s appearance is so significant over the 2 day without the necessities to survive he has had to become scary and intimidating as a way of trying to survive as he cannot dominate the men with the ropes holding him captive. He must look intimidating so the men might at least feel the need to feed him before he goes mad and attacks.

Continuing, Buck had been in the arctic for a couple of weeks and he notices his own transformations becoming stronger and more wolf-like which was needed to survive within his pack. Buck notices his best changes being “His development (or retrogression) was rapid. His muscles became hard as iron, and he grew callous to all ordinary pain”(108). Buck’s change in body type and strength helped him take the other dogs attempts at dominance over him and allowed him to keep up with his rival and leader, Spitz. Buck now looking intimidating and muscles stronger and harder than every has a chance to overtake Spitz for leadership as he is already bigger than he is however Spitz has the killing mentality which Buck does not yet have. Also, Buck has become now the strongest of the group after surviving the wolf attack and the madness caused by starvation; he is the strongest physically and mentally.

Compared to the other dogs and even Spitz, he is in the best shape and in the right mental state as all the other dogs are struggling to survive. London compares the dogs to Buck: “They are all too soft, dying under the toil, the frost, and starvation. Buck was the exception”(152). This particularly goes hand in hand with Beverly Lee as she writes upon London’s novel: “The vast Yukon River basin is the main setting in this novel. The sense of place is key to this story, because the harsh realities of survival in this unforgiving environment gradually transform Buck, a thoroughly domesticated family dog, into the ferocious leader of a wolf pack.”(Lee 1). Buck’s transformations have been significant in his assertion of dominance towards the other dogs as the only dog he fights with is Spitz and Buck finally kills him with his ancestral primitive instincts coming from down below to achieve leader of the pack and earn the respect and right to survival. This being credited to Bucks physical changes making him suitable for survival in the Yukon.

Secondly, Buck adapts and transforms the way he has to think and learn psychologically in order to survive. A big part of his learning comes from the mistakes he has made and corrected, and mistakes that the other dogs have made, to make him stronger mentally. First of all, when Buck first gets kidnapped, he is angry and looks to attack the humans around him but learns through getting beaten that the man with a club is the law and not a force to be reckoned with. Buck realizes he does not win against a club and makes the right decision to stop attacking: “He saw, once and for all, that he stood no chance against a man with a club”(48). This experience has expanded Buck’s knowledge as far as regulations in his new life. Being beaten and knowing to stop concludes that Buck’s mind is adapting to the new standards he needs to understand to survive. Also, Buck learns from the mistake of the other dogs about how to stay alive especially during a fight. The night Buck learns one of his most effective lessons is the harshest winter night he had gone through since kidnapped. The wind was icy and he wandered around camp without a warm place to sleep.

It is astounding to consider the controversy a mere 53 pages were able to garner among literary critics. Not only replete with complicated syntax and complex diction, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is a text that consistently contradicts itself, condemning imperialism while simultaneously celebrating racist perceptions of Africa. As a result, it is difficult to make sense of Marlow’s physical expedition to the Congo and the allegorical investigation Heart of Darkness represents. Yet the novella’s susceptibility to interpretation is precisely what makes it such a valued text within the teaching canon. Heart of Darkness is a highly regarded and widely read piece of literature that must be taught to help students navigate the implicit racism and social implications of Conrad’s work.

As a result of Heart of Darkness’s anti-imperialistic attitude and seemingly progressive approach, it is difficult to detect the novel’s underlying racism outside a classroom setting. The Congo serves as a backdrop void of humanity and, as Conrad states, “a black and incomprehensible frenzy” (Conrad 19). The African characters are nameless, can barely speak, and are referred to as “savages,”(9) and “not-inhuman,” (20) and are described as “unearthly” (20) and “satanic” (37). While Conrad perpetuates a Eurocentric mentality through this perception of Africa, he also explicitly criticizes this outlook. When discussing ancient European efforts of subjugation, Marlow argues that “The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it that much’ (Conrad 4). This seemingly progressive attack on European imperialism potentially conceals the novel’s prejudiced undertones. As Chinua Achebe argues in “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness,’” ‘Generally normal readers are well armed to detect and resist’ the racism embedded in literature. Conrad, however, ‘chose his subject well — one which was guaranteed not to put him in conflict with the psychological predisposition of his readers or raise the need for him to contend with their resistance” (Achebe 2). Heart of Darkness’s seemingly progressive yet condescending attitude towards Africa affirms historically ingrained stereotypes in American culture; however, by disclosing this covert depiction of Africa and revealing the problematic elements of this portrayal that have in many ways become normalized, teaching Heart of Darkness gives students the tools necessary to both recognize and consider their misconceptions of African culture.

Further, dwelling on the racist portrayal for which Heart of Darkness has now become synonymous overlooks the reality that, whether or not deserved, this text has already achieved many of the accolades awarded to literary classics. Achebe questions whether “a novel which… depersonalizes a portion of the human race, can be called a great work of art” (Achebe 5). Perhaps a more applicable inquiry to today’s society is how to approach the problematic elements of a work that is already so revered. As Achebe makes clear, Conrad’s “heart of darkness plagues us still.” The book is “described by a serious scholar as ‘among the half dozen greatest short novels in the English language,’” and is “the most commonly prescribed novel in twentieth-century literature courses…” (Achebe 7). It is for these reasons that Conrad’s novella must be taught and acknowledged as a racist text in a classroom setting. Given its popularity, students are likely to come across the text at some point in their lives and must be given a structured framework to constructively analyze the racist undertones embedded within the text. Those who are not introduced to Conrad’s work in the classroom nevertheless exist in a culture responsible for embracing its elitist attitude and therefore are excluded from an opportunity for potential enlightenment. As English professor Lennard J. Davis asserts in “The Value of Teaching a Racist Classic,” when teaching Heart of Darkness, he “steered the work toward issues of race as well as the existential and imperialistic” and “emphasized the enslavement of the Africans, the way that the natives fulfilled the colonists’ stereotypical fantasies, and the lure of the ideology of the primitive” (Davis 3). By exposing the novel’s racism, Professor Davis not only enables students to gain a deeper understanding of the text, but he also helps them appreciate the subtle inferiority attributed to Africans, a stereotype that perpetuates Westernized inclinations to remain distant from African culture.

Although Conrad’s work is powerful, it must be taught methodically and with historical context to enable students to digest Conrad’s racist perspective. Unlike Davis’s first reading of Heart of Darkness in high school in which his English teacher “taught us how to wade slowly and carefully through every image, learning how to read closely and carefully, so that we could gain the skills that would allow us to continue our journeys up the river from lower to higher education,” (Davis 2) today’s educators must also emphasize the text’s underlying racism; to do otherwise ultimately does a disservice to students. Solely teaching Conrad’s work to castigate it, however, is equally ineffective. There is little value in exposing students to Heart of Darkness’s racist elements if students aren’t provided a more accurate, enlightened frame of reference. Indeed, one of the many purposes of teaching the text is to illuminate the complexity of African culture; it is difficult to embrace the unique aspects of a culture without teaching about what specifically makes a culture complex. Perhaps the ideal approach is to teach Heart of Darkness in conjunction with another literary work that embraces an alternative perspective. This strategy would allow students to explore various viewpoints independently and appreciate the ignorance in Conrad’s depiction of African culture as distant and primitive. For instance, introducing a work that addresses the complexities of African culture and its connectedness to Western society will provide a possible alternative to Conrad’s attempts to diminish the region.

Heart of Darkness is in no capacity a moral or ethical text. Conrad’s pervasive fear of Western society’s “remote kinship with this wild and passionate uproar” (Conrad 20) perhaps provides one of the most degrading assaults on African culture of the time. As Davis argues, however, literature is not meant to “be a particular way or portray a particular reality” (Davis 4). Instead, teaching complex literary works like Heart of Darkness allows students to appreciate the concept that literature can have objectionable and often unintended societal consequences. Although it might seem easier to dismiss certain works based on moral principles, it is undoubtedly more productive to provide students with the tools necessary to interpret literature independently rather than protecting them from the darkness at the center of Conrad’s novel.

In the unforgiving and savage north, humans commit atrocities and make unwise choices but, many of these are unknowingly orchestrated by a hunger that burns inside of all, greed. The theme of greed is a key aspect throughout the book, The Call of the Wild. Buck, a civilized dog from the south, is taken from his home and paired with the uncivilized men of the north in pursuit of the valuable yellow metal, gold. Buck is forced to grow and adapt while dealing with the greed of his human owners. Throughout this story, greed frequently appears as the true reasoning behind nearly every event such as; men taking more gold than they could carry, men going to the north in hope for riches, and John Thornton’s death by the Yeehats.

Due to the discovery of gold in the north, the small flame of greed grew into a bonfire of want in the men. As stated in the book, the claiming of gold only brightened that flame; “The gold was sacked in moose-hide bags fifty pounds to the bag and piled like so much firewood outside the spruce-bough lodge.” (London pg 155). This reveals, that gold, an extraordinarily rare mineral, was as common as one of the most abundant materials in the forest, firewood. Like lumberjacks who toil until the work was completed, the men went hard to work mining and sacking the gold as if they had become a slave to greed’s unyielding grip. The insatiable hunger in these men could only be conducted by greed, like an orchestra of omnipotent famine.

The fire of greed lured men hoping to gain riches and fame by feeding this fire but in the end, they would only be scorched by the flame and be forgotten in the vast wasteland that is the North. The discovery of potential fortune ensnared these men and would not let go, this drove them to travel to the North. “Because men, groping in the Arctic darkness had found a yellow metal, [Gold] and because steamship and transportation companies were booming to the find, thousands of men were rushing into the Northland.” (London pg 13). This shows that even large companies shared the same greed as the men and rushed to the North all the same. The fire of greed had lured so many and continuously grew with each passing day, soon all who followed its heavenly glow would become forgotten as if their imprints upon time had faded into nothingness.

As the fire raged further on, it attracted yet another victim, John Thornton, to its alluring flame. As John Thornton gathered the heaps and heaps of gold, the once empty valley stirred with a new life.

There was life abroad in it [the valley] different from the life which had been there throughout the summer. No longer was this fact borne in upon him [Buck] in some subtle, mysterious way. The birds talked of it, the squirrels chattered about it, the very breeze whispered of it. Several times he stopped and drew in the fresh morning air in great sniffs, reading a message which made him leap on with a greater speed. (London pg 173).

This highlights the sheer magnitude of this change, a change that John Thornton knew was going to attract unwanted visitors, but he continued to take, for greed had ensnared him in its trap and trove him to keep digging. This hoarding of the gold soon led him to a horrendous death by decapitation, all because greed lured him there, little did he know, this would be his final expedition.