Well, I’m finally back. Sorry for the delay in posts, but in the meantime I have gotten married and moved, so my life has been a little hectic. It’s starting to get back on track though, and that means I’ve had more time to read! So, without further ado, I give you my review of White Fang, by Jack London.
I think I tried to read this book when I was a lot younger and it just didn’t do anything for me. I got bored and ended up putting it down before I really gave it a chance. This time, however, I got hooked. In fact, I read more than half of it in one afternoon. The tale of White Fang is many things: intense, sad, funny, depressing, and happy. You’ll run the whole gamut of emotions with this story.
The story is set in the late 1800s when the Wild was really wild and life was much tougher for men and animals alike. London gives us a nice back story – before we even meet White Fang we meet his mother and learn about her cunning and her past. When White Fang is born, we see through his eyes and discover the cold and dangerous Arctic along with him. We learn that man is godlike in his way to control things both dead and alive and that while man means food and shelter, he also means pain and discipline. White Fang must learn to adapt to two worlds, that of the Wild and his inner wolf, and the world of humans where he must find his inner dog. I won’t give anything away, but throughout the story you’re also torn between wanting him to live in the Wild and wanting him to find love in the human world.
This is a great, short read for a summer afternoon or two. Read it when it’s too hot to do anything outside and you’ll be transported to the cold Arctic for a few hours. I understand now why this book has become a classic. The story of White Fang is unforgettable and touches the heart.
5 out of 5 stars because this has quickly become one of my favorite books.
