Survival of the Fittest
London developed the philosophy of survival of the fittest based on Herbert Spencer’s concept of survival for the fittest. This generally means that a creature is best suited to a surrounding have better chances of surviving than creatures that are less suited. London philosophy, therefore, holds that only the strong creatures that have the ability to adapt to their surrounding were capable of surviving. London, therefore, suggested that learning fails in playing a greater role in species survival. This is because luck does not favor survival and a main change of the environment would result in a change than before thus living longer and reproducing even more. The process of surviving as illustrated by London in his stories is amoral and ruthless and there are no creatures that can be referred to as beneficent.
In the call of the wild by London the survival for the fittest philosophy is well illustrated in that as soon as the buck was kidnapped he is able to learn that a fresh law that applies in life which is contrary to the law of fellowship and love which he knew before (London, 1903). According to London, the fresh law that he must learn to live with is the law of fang and cub which is a phrase that best describes his philosophy of survival for the fittest (London, 1903). The law of cub refers to that individual who has greater force access as a dog’s master. The stronger creatures are able to acquire the win to control and those that are weaker ones are therefore bound to submit and serve is, therefore, effective at conquering or getting killed. Buck is able to understand all this at a speedy pace after he receives a beating and then adopts it. The key element of survival according to London is the adaptation. Buck is able to adapt to London’s law of fang which is able to adapt to the world of the dog. He is able to realize that there is no fair play and once you are unable to survive there is no more of you. This drives him to resolve the concept of never going down (London, 1903).
In order to survive buck is able to prove that he is the strongest of the dogs by demonstrating sing his courage and his ability to be the most resourceful. Since buck proves to be the strongest that is required to survive according to London’s philosophy he is able to survive the ruthless existence struggle (London, 1903). In the novel, the survival for the fittest law applies in the world of humans in that the first owners of buck are men that are shrewd and have thus adapted to the surroundings demands. The men are matched for the existing challenges that they are bound to encounter. Contrarily Mercedes, Hal, and Charles who arrived from the south to the north are unable to adapt t the demands of the environment since they are from a civilized location and they are unable to survive as they perish because of their in capabilities. London as a determinist believed that existence is conditioned entirely by the surrounding and the environment. This is evident in the call for the world because when buck lives a life that is comfortable in the ranch that makes him a domestic dog. The deeper instincts are hidden because of his surrounding which fails to expose them out. He is able to acquire change when the environment that he lives in is changed and he becomes unrecognizable from the pet that he was prior. Based on London’s philosophy, although the environment played a huge part in shaping him heredity was also an influence. Buck is able to adapt well as he inherited fiercer instincts from the ancestors on knowing what needs to be done in order to survive (London, 1903).
In the call of the wild, the experience of buck follows the principle of survival for the fittest based on the theory by Darwin (London, 1903). Buck is molded by the occurrence of changes in the environment thriving as he posses the required gifts from the genetics of intelligence and strength in order to adapt to the mutable circumstances. He is a sample of an understanding of the theory of survival of the fittest. Although buck was raised in the ease of domestic in the estate he is able to learn easy things that are required in enduring the brutal environment of sledding dogs. This can be explained by the law of fang and club in that when he learns of the ways that he would utilize in stealing food from the Canadian masters his theft marked his capability to fit in the environment and survive in the hostile capability of adjusting to various situations. The call of the wild is a reflection of London’s admiration of survival abilities. Buck proves to be a fit animal that poses fit mental and physical abilities which is superior to the abilities of other dogs (London, 1903).
Similarly, in the white fang, London demonstrates how wild animals that are from the south and there must, therefore, learn in all means to cope will all kinds of primitive situations in order to survive. Through an environment change and adequate attention they are changed and become civilized animals of the south location (London, 1906). The only cub that proves to be the strongest and most resourceful is the white fang because of the survival of the fittest theory with the elimination concept of the weak creatures. The capability of creatures to fresh and distinct surrounding constitutes the important which relates to the idea of London that there must be a struggle for survival in the hostile environment because that is the dominant concept of survival. Naturalism was well incorporated in London’s thoughts which involve the techniques and the modes of viewing life from a different perspective. Through the white fang, London comfortably depicts his sights in the north with scientific objectivity. This is because white fang is capable of capturing the pure essence of the frozen north with all the life issues. Naturalism by London holds that a man that is controlled by basic essential is not capable of doing a greater thing to secure his stronger destiny (London, 1906). Therefore, the environment and hereditary instincts are useful in controlling the ability of a creature to secure life. White fang is exposed to the cruel environment nature along with his own mother he is, therefore, able to learn how to fight hunger in several ways in order to survive. Additionally, he is able to learn that in order to survive learning to fight is essential and this is influenced by his desire to overcome cruelty and emerge at the top. Kiche is able to survive as he utilizes his strength and determination to survive in luring the sled dogs from the site and consuming them. This thus made her fit to survive because when the necessity to survive rose she is capable of attacking humans (London, 1906).
“The Call Of The Wild’’ can be described as an alteration narrative in which an aged buck which is a educated and honest is necessitated to alter to the callous realities of the environment of life in the frosty north a placed where survival is almost impossible (London, 1903). The moral of the place is to kill or to be killed because that is the only morality in Klondike among the dogs. The buck realizes that he must survive from the instant that he leaves the boat as he is able to watch the occurrence of violent death of his own friend by the name curly. There is a need to survive in the wilderness since it is a cruel place because it is the world that is not characterized by care and only the strong ones are left to survive. This depicts the philosophy of London which explains the fierce competition in the world with the availability of scarce resources which is only able to cater for the stronger individuals (London, 1903). Survival of the fittest philosophy by London is a phrase that best describes the experience of Buck perfectly. In the old and warmer existence he is required to sacrifice his own life out of the consideration of morals. However, he is perfectly able to abandon such factors of consideration in order to secure his own life and survive. Buck can be referred as a savage creature who is a hardly a moral person. Based on the statements by London there lacks to be a higher destiny for any individual in the world because the only way to survive is to struggle in order to win in the mastery battle. In order to survive buck learns various lessons when he entered the wilderness because he is required to learn various things in order to survive and learn them plus. The novel thus suggests that the success of the buck is frozen in North which requires learning the ways of the wilderness. Buck is able to recover his primitive instinct in which the ancestors of the wild held the same (London, 1903).
White fang utilizes the theme of naturalism. According to London naturalism describes those that viewed life in a strict way from an approach of a science. The case translates to a man view as well as that of creatures that are heredity victims and the environment (London, 1906). The theme of environmentalism is signaled in white fang as London describes animism with desolation sinister. According to London’s idea of survival-natural selection refers that only those that are the brightest and most malleable rudiments of a species are therefore required to survive. London’s philosophy and his idea of surviving are embodied by the character white fang. From the commencement, he is characterized as the strongest wolf cub and he is the only one of the existing litter who survives the scarcity. The white fang is demonstrated as a strong and an intelligent dog which thus makes him the most feared dog in the camp of India. When he was defending Scott judge white fang takes bullets that were intended for Scott but he is able to survive in a miraculously way. The character is demonstrated as one with the strongest ability to survive (London, 1906). This, therefore, shows the strength with one should hold in order to survive one must really the capability of getting out of struggles with scars but with the ability to survive. According to London, those that have the ability to survive must, therefore, be able to adapt to different changes that may occur in the environment that they are in. One must, therefore, be ready to take risks and have the required capability of coming out as a stronger person. Life for the strong individuals cannot be lost because it is which that is utilized to show their capability. The world is not a fair place and it is therefore characterized by scarcity and therefore in order to dominate and take the best of resources one must be a survivor (London, 1906). One of the elements of the white fang book that might be overlooked is the ability of the character to adapt to fresh situations and establish ways to survive. White fang is able to learn how to fight the other dog and by this he learns to obey the new masters because he cannot afford to lose his own life. He understands that in order to survive and eradicate the posting challenges of his existence he must learn to fight the evil that lies under the beauty guidance and he is able to love and acquire tame from Scott Weedon (London, 1906).
The theme of the environment is well incorporated with the ability of those that are strong to survive. London incorporates social and biological determinism in showing that those that are fit have the ability to survive over those that lacks the fitness. He, therefore, demonstrates the fit ones as those individuals who hold the capability of social and biological fitness (London, 1906). London insists that despite the fact that beauty smith was illustrated as a monstrosity this blame must be lying elsewhere. He is therefore not responsible for the unfitness because the weakness is held by the environment that he lives in. Additionally, Jim hall is illustrated as one who is a victim of the surrounding because he cannot be held responsible for the actions. The struggle of white fang is well portrayed by the given description which describes him as a three forth consume and one-fourth dog. This, therefore, leads to the struggles that are of him which exist between the civilized impulses that he has and the wild ones. London, therefore, establishes facts of the existence cycle of a wolf in the early life of white fang (London, 1906).
From the story of my life, London still holds on his philosophy of survival for those individuals that are fit. The story is based on two gold prospectors who are the unnamed individual and bill who are involved in a struggle to survive Canada tundra a place which is completely frozen (London, 2010). The two are forced to cross tundra in the search for food since al that while they had been suffering from starvation and elements exposure. This was exposing them to dangers of life because the lack of food would have thus resulted in death. They, therefore, chose to opt for a different way in order to survive and they opted to move in search of meals. Bill is characterized by the survival will and when the unnamed individual sprains his ankle he, therefore, abandons him and proceeds via the wilderness thus his will to survive leads him to greater tests. Although the bill had the will to survive he lacks the capability and he is able to go through different situations but he is unable to come out alive. He is later killed by the elements in which he is exposed to in the wilderness and his motivation was his ask of gold. The man whose ankle had sprained is able to survive despite the possessing struggles that he faced with his sprained ankle. According to the philosophy by London of struggling to survive one must be willing to and hold on to the fitness to the very end. The story is an exploration of the will of an individual to survive. The survival moments are therefore associated with fear hunger and anguish that is endured by London’s protagonists (London, 2010).
In white fang humans who are dominated by their halves that are primitive are criminals and degenerates. London focuses more directly on the struggle of human thus making suggestion that they must struggle in order to acquire the scarce things (London, 1906). In the call of the wild Buck can be interpreted as an oppressed subject from the perspective of London’s philosophy. Buck is oppressed to his cruel masters who utilize their corrupt powers to make his life undesirable. Under the brutal conditions of buck’s life, he is necessitated to do everything that is in his power in order to survive. In his struggle to become fit to live he becomes a thief and a brute while individually struggling to fend. The socialistic of buck is encouraged by Thornton’s benevolent with the equitable treatment. According to London, one must be able to survive the social challenges as well as the surrounding. Without the guidance of Thornton buck is left to rely on his own instincts in order to survive. Therefore, under the corrupt power, London’s philosophy of survival for the fittest applies as things must, therefore, be made right in order to survive (London, 1906). Under the harsh conditions in the society and in the environment the evolutionally, the primitive brute residue of the hundred generations is able to take control of the requirements. Based on the philosophy by London with a system which is characterized by less oppression cooperation can comfortably flourish. The civilized half is capable of containing the brute and being nurtured (London, 1906).
In conclusion, based on London’s philosophy of survival Creatures that are well equipped with the fitness of overcoming life problems that are displayed by the socialism and biological factors are more likely to survive. This is the creatures that possess the strength of overcoming olds have more survival chances than those that do not. Those that are less fit to overcome challenges have no chances for survival. The world is a cruel place which is characterized with unfairness and therefore, the creatures are required to struggle in order to acquire part of the scarce resources that the environment offers. The capability to be strong and resourceful is what makes the creatures fit to survive. The environment plays a greater part in the transformation that enables one to adapt to changes by hereditary factor is most influential based on London’s philosophy of survival for the fittest.
Work Cited
London, J. (1906).White Fang. Retrived From Http://Www.Pinkmonkey.Com/Dl/Library1/London06.Pdf
London, J. (1903).The Call of the Wild. Ebooks Publisher. Retrieved From Http://Www.Ibiblio.Org/Ebooks/London/Call%20of%20Wild.Pdf
London, J. (2010). Love of Life and Other Stories. Retrieved From Http://Www.Mckinley.K12.Hi.Us/Ebooks/Pdf/Llife10.Pdf
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