White Fang by Jack London

Reviewed by Daniel

Two dogs are being pitted against each other. One is White Fang, a half-wolf, half-dog. The other is a bulldog owned by one who hopes that his dog will kill “The Fighting Wolf.” Bets have been made, and White Fang has never lost. Later into the fight, the bulldog is almost at White Fang’s throat and pinning him down, but White Fang is still alive. “You beast!” someone cries out. He pulls White Fang away when he is on the verge of death.

White Fang by Jack London describes the life of a dog, White Fang. He is born in the wild, but later lives in an Alaskan Native American village after he finds the “gods” of the wild - humans. He is bullied by other dogs in the village, but is later forced into a life that makes him insane by a cruel master. He is pitted in fights against other dogs, but then he is sold again to a new owner that gives him something that he has never felt - love.

One of the elements of White Fang that makes it special is its emotions. Jack London uses White Fang’s hatred of his kind to create a sad but beautiful story from White Fang fighting the other dogs for survival. I could feel White Fang’s emotions when all the other dogs in a village bully him and when a cruel owner misuses White Fang’s developments from the Native American village for entertainment and money. Also, when love from a caring owner is added to the story, the story gets more powerful. I understood every character’s emotions and why they felt them.

In addition, you can see White Fang’s development throughout the whole book. For example, in the chapter “The Enemy of His Kind,” White Fang is bullied, chased, and attacked by Lip-lip, a dog who is his enemy, and other dogs. White Fang mentally adapts to this by attacking right away instead of snarling at the beginning, and he becomes extremely good at defending himself. Also, Jack London uses White Fang’s limited knowledge in the beginning of his life to create an interesting part where White Fang sees a mysterious wall of light. I liked this because Jack London creates a character with a different perspective.

On a scale of one to ten, I would give White Fang by Jack London ten out of ten. If you are into dogs, wolves, fighting, adventure, and a style that focuses on the characters’ emotions, this book is an excellent read for you. However, I do not recommend this book to anyone who does not want to have to read many vocabulary words. This book is not for anyone who is frightened by death, blood, violent scenes, and who does not like a book about a dog. Also, White Fang is not for those who do not like sad books. This book is a great book to read, and you should check it out from your local library!

Atheneum, 260 pages