Nature and Human Civilization: Antagonistic and Reconciliatory Attitudes to Nature in Jack London’s The Call of the Wild and White Fang

Abstract

The present research project entitled “Nature and Human Civilization: Antagonistic and Reconciliatory Attitude to Nature in Jack London’s The Call of the Wild and White Fang” focuses upon the rivalry and reconciliatory attitude in nature and culture. The Call of the Wild is about a kidnapped, domesticated dog embracing his wild ancestry to survive and thrive in the wild, while White Fang examines the violent world of wild animals and equally violent world of humans. This dissertation mainly attempts to explore how nature and culture fight, how they reconcile, how love can tame natural behavior and instincts, and how nature’s and culture’s constant interactions fruitfully donate to sustain their reciprocated harmony. The affiliation between mind and body contributes this research project. Nature loses essence if thinking mind remains absent, and culture does not prosper if nature is overlooked. It also explores the process of “natural selection” in the novels that the strongest, brightest, and most adaptable elements of a species will survive. After a meticulous study of both the novels, in the light of ecocriticism, the author’s movement from nature to civilization in The Call of the Wild and civilization to nature in White Fang explores the meaning of life, meaning of civilization, and primitive instinct. Human and animal ability for adaptation to new surrounding is the key factor of conscious mind and civilization. Nature and culture both equally contribute to create the situation for adaptation under the domain of nature and civilization. The study of nature metaphors, as well as the novels, depicts the strength of reconciliation over the churning contestation between nature and culture. This research concludes that nature and culture both are in the constant struggle for their basic survival and meaningful existence; and reconciliation, as a base of civilization, tries to diminish hostility between nature- culture correlations.