摘 要

1. Introduction 1

1.1 The background of the author 1

1.2 The background of the work 1

1.3 The content of the work 3

2. Literature Review 4

2.1 Previous studies of The Call of the Wild at home 4

2.2 Previous studies of The Call of the Wild at abroad 5

3. An Ecological Interpretation of The Call of the Wild 7

3.1 The theory on ecologism 7

3.1.1 Interpretation of ecological literature 7

3.1.2 The ecologicalism embodied in Jack London's other novels 8

3.1.3 The development of ecological literature in China 9

3.2 The reflection of ecologicalism in Buck’s experience 10

3.2.1 Ecological urgency consciousness reflected in the novel 11

3.2.2 Ecological critical consciousness reflected in the novel 12

3.2.3 Advocating harmony between man and nature 14

4. Conclusion 16

References 18

Acknowledgments 19

Abstract

Jack London (1876–1916) was a noted American novelist in the early 20th centuries. He has been ups and downs in his life and his works are rich. He has published dozens of works in his life. Jack London's work reflects the era, and predicts the development of the times. In the era environment in which Jack London was located, the ecosystem became worse and the human society became more developed. Therefore, the ecological consciousness embodied in his novels has become more and more obvious, and the relationship between nature and human survival and development embodied in it has aroused widespread concern. In order to interpret the ecological consciousness contained in the novel, this thesis analyze the content of the novel.

This thesis mainly discusses the novel on the basis of ecologicalism. The relationship between society and nature can reflect the ecology. In the process of rapid growth, the balance with the natural ecosystem should be emphasized by human society. The situation of today's natural ecosystems is becoming more and more worrying, stemming from the constant conquest, destruction and plunder of human ecosystems. Ecological literature mainly refers to a literary form that reflects ecologicalism. Therefore, the central idea of ecological literature is that society must respect nature and follow the laws of natural ecology and ecological laws. The main content of the thesis is two parts. One is the interpretation of ecologicalism, the ecologicalism embodied in other Jack London novels, and the analysis of the development of ecological literature in China. The second is to explain the specific manifestations and connotations of ecologicalism through the experience of the protagonist Buck in The Call of the Wild, from the ecological crisis consciousness reflected in the novel, the ecological critical consciousness and the advocating harmony between man and nature.

The thesis concludes with the reasons for the formation of ecologicalism in the novel, its back and its enlightening effect on the development of today's ecosystem. The ecologicalism embodied in the novel is related not only to the era in which it was at that time, but also to the ups and downs of the writer. After a series of tortures and learning various survival rules, the novel Buck completely abandoned the human society and went to the wilderness. Through the experience of Buck, the author expresses a deep feeling of ecologicalism, that is, the desire for the harmonious relationship between human society and the natural environment, that is, the growth of human society should not be promoted at the expense of ecology. By contrast, human growth should keep abreast with the ecosystems. Discussing the novel from the angle of ecological literature can be beneficial to the construction of the harmonious relationship between man and nature.

Keywords: The Call of the Wild; Ecological literature; Human and nature; Buck

中文摘要

杰克·伦敦（1876—1916）是20 世纪初美国著名的小说家。他一生跌宕起伏，作品丰富。他的一生中出版了几十部作品。杰克·伦敦的作品既体现了当时的时代，又预知了时代的发展。当时杰克·伦敦所处的时代环境中，生态系统日益恶化，人类社会愈发发达。也因此，他的小说中体现的生态主义意识也愈发明显，其中所体现的自然和人类生存发展的关系问题引起了广泛的关注。该论文试图围绕小说内容去探讨小说中所包含的生态主义意识。

本论文主要是从生态主义视角去探讨《野性的呼唤》。生态主义主要是指人类社会与自然的关系。人类社会在飞速发展的进程中也要时刻注意与自然生态系统保持平衡。当今世界自然生态系统的情境愈发令人担忧，源于人类对生态系统进行不断的征服、破坏以及掠夺。生态文学主要是指体现生态主义的一种文学形式。所以生态主义文学的中心思想是人类要尊重自然，遵循自然生态规律和生态法则。该论文的主要内容为两部分，一是对生态主义的解读、阐述杰克·伦敦其它小说中体现的生态主义以及分析生态文学在中国的发展。二是通过《野性的呼唤》中主人公巴克的经历，从小说中所反映出的生态危机意识，生态批判意识以及倡导人与自然和谐相处几个方面来来阐述生态主义的具体表现和内涵。

论文最后阐述的是小说中生态主义形成的原因、背景以及对当今生态系统发展所具有的启迪作用。小说中体现的生态主义既与当时所处的时代有关，还与作家那跌宕起伏的经历有关。小说巴克在经历一系列的折磨以及学会各种生存法则后彻底摒弃人类社会，走向荒野。作者通过巴克的经历，表达强烈的生态主义意识，即对于人类社会与自然环境之间和谐关系的向往，即不应该以牺牲自然生态为代价来促进人类社会的发展。相反，人类的发展应时刻与生态系统的发展保持平衡。从生态文学视角下探究《野性的呼唤》，有助于更深入地构建人与自然的和谐关系。

关键词：《野性的呼唤》；生态主义；人与自然；巴克

Introduction

1.1 The background of the author

Jack London (1876-1916) holds an important place in the stage of literature in the United States. In the birthplace of San Francisco, he was a famous American realist and naturalist writer of the 20th century. He is a talented, self-taught and prolific writer. Although his life is short-lived, he has left a rich cultural heritage, including 17 novels, 17 short story collections, 3 novels and many non-fiction books. Among them, Sea Wolf, The Call of the Wild, Martin Eden, Iron Ride and so on are regarded as classics in American literature. Jack London draws on the essence of his work from the works of his predecessors, Melville, Wharton Owen, Stevenson, Jeep, and Conrad, and then created his own writing style. His success has made a difference to subsequent literary masters. Jack London is a world well-known writer, especially in Soviet Union, and China, and also being listed as the top translated and readers in Europe. He has been engaged in manual labor since childhood because of poor family. He worked as a child laborer, a loader and a sailor, and then wandered around the United States. Using his income, He could receive further education at the University of California at Berkeley. After dropping out of school, he joined the ranks of gold diggers in Alaska. The bumpy life experience of his early years provided a rich source for his later creation.

1.2 The background of the work

Jack London personally experienced the life of the gold digger before writing The Call of the Wild. On July 24, 1897, he left San Francisco and drifted down the Yukon River to the lower reaches in the spring of the following year. A group of people from London traveled from the waterfront to the Stewart River. On the Stewart River, they stayed for two months because of winter relations and finally arrived at their destination on October 9. They occupied a hut on an island in the mouth of the Stewart estuary and Henderson Creek. London and other people have worked hard to increase the weight of the baggage every day, and finally he can bear the same load weight as the Indians. Carry 100 pounds of baggage on a good path and 75 pounds of baggage on a bad path. They crossed the Cheltart Strait and came to the Linger Lake, where they built a boat, and London drove the boat through the sacred Lakes of Mann, Lake Berna, Lake Taige, Swamp Lake and Five. Ten miles from the lake, then they drove down to Dawson. It took London six weeks to observe the golden city. Eighteen days after arriving in Dawson, London registered his gold rush in the Henderson River in the gold rush office. London spent a long time in Dawson's pub, often talking to rich pioneers and well-known town figures to understand their life and work. In these pubs, the pioneers often drink and gamble. Dawson’s natural environment also left a deep impression on London. There is ice and snow all year round, and the cold and bitter climate constantly exercises the insistence of the gold digger, and makes the competition between them even more cruel. The gold rush in the United States began in the early 19th century, when the United States launched a westward movement of expansion to the ministry, and a group of adventurers pushed to the west coast of the Pacific. After the news of the discovery of the gold mine in California was confirmed, it triggered another wave of immigration. People put down their work and flocked to San Francisco to try their dream of a gold rush. The Call of the Wild was inspired by a trip by Jack London in Dawson. In 1897, Jack London left San Francisco and traveled to the Stewart River via the Dale waterfront. In the next few years, Jack London crossed the Chercott Straits, panned for gold in the Henderson River, and built a ship in the Ling Man Lake, by which the ship crossed the spiritual Lake Mann, Bena. Lake, Taigexian Lake, Swamp Lake, Fifty Mile Lake, and finally Dawson.The unique experience has accumulated rich and authentic material for his creation. Many of the place names in the book are real names.

1.3 The content of the work

The Call of the Wild tells the story of a dog becoming a wolf. The protagonist of the novel is Buck. Buck is a dog. Before being trafficked, it was a pampered domestic dog in the home of Judge Miller, a very strong dog. He had lived a good life in a judge's house, and was later stolen by the judge's gardener, sold to the post office, and sent to the sleigh in Alaska to carry the mail. Buck was originally sold to two French Canadians. He has changed a few masters and was eventually taken over by John Thornton. It was when Buck was beaten and brutally ruined by the cruel master Hal, and Thornton saved him. Thanks to Thornton's careful care, Buck's physical condition is very good. So Buck has a very special affection for this new owner. Buck was very loyal to Thornton. He saved Thornton's life twice in spite of his life. Unfortunately, in the process of gold rushing, Thornton was killed by the Indians. At that time, Buck felt that he had no attachment to this human society. In the end, he obeyed the call of the wilderness and abandoned the human society, and he was associated with the wolf. The work expresses the author's emphasis on environmental protection, and hopes that readers will reflect on the literary works and realize the destruction of the natural environment. It makes a difference to the development of human beings and the ecotope. Therefore, this novel has crucial ecological and social significance.

Literature Review

Ecological literature uses ecological holistic view as a guide to evaluate the relation between man and ecotope. It judges all human beings' thoughts, attitudes and behaviors related to nature: whether it is conducive to the overall interests of ecosystems, that is, ecosystem harmony , stable and continuous natural existence. Not taking human beings as the center of nature and not taking human interests as the ultimate measure of value judgment does not mean that ecological literature despises humans or anti-humans; On the contrary, the deterioration of the ecological environment should make people realize that they respect the law of development of the ecosystem, and human beings can develop themselves better. Anything that benefits the overall interests of the ecosystem will ultimately benefit the long-term interests of man.

2.1 Previous studies of The Call of the Wild at home

The Call of the Wild is the most qualified work in the history of American literature to be called a world famous book, and is included in the must-read bibliography of the university liberal arts. So there will be many people to study this novel. A number of thesis have discussed the novel. Of course, some people also studied from an ecological perspective. The thesis “Comparing the Call of the Wild and the Cocoa Sili Wolf from the Perspective of Ecological Literary Criticism” was written by Shao Lianlian (2017). From the perspective of ecological criticism, the work compared the two works of The Call of the Wild and Cocoa Seri Wolf, including contradictions and conflicts between humans and animals, common criticism of greedy humanity, and finally appealed to people to pay attention to the ecological environment. Respect for life. The thesis “The perspective of Ecological Consciousness in The Call of the Wild” was written by Ou Sijia(2014). The author wrote in three levels. Firstly, it expounded the phenomenon of ecological imbalance in the novel, which was written from two aspects: natural ecological imbalance and social spiritual ecological imbalance. Then it discussed the rescue of ecology. Finally, in order to save the balance between man and man, between man and nature, between man and society, return to nature, control desire, return to harmony and equality, and call for people to establish correct ecological awareness. The essay “An Interpretation of the Ecological Theme of Man and Nature in The Call of the Wild”was wrtten by Zhao Xin(2013). This thesis attempted to explore and analyze the ecological thought on the basis of the ultimate concern of ecocriticism, and explored the master of the primitive wilderness, Buck, who succumbed to the law of the jungle and returned to the primitive wilderness through modern civilization. After suffering and nine deaths, he achieved the breakthrough and transcendence in the desperate life. Finally, he pursued the "the true meaning of human ultimate care." Most people first introduced the theory of ecological literature, and then elaborated the ecological consciousness embodied in The Call of the Wild. Very few people only elaborated on the ecological concept around the protagonist "Buck." Therefore, from the perspective of ecological perspective, this thesis focused on the the experience of protagonist "Buck" to explain the wildness of "Buck" and its relationship with nature.

2.2 Previous studies of The Call of the Wild at abroad

Franklin Walker's Jack London and the Klondike: The Genesis of An American Writer focused on the experience of Jack London's Northern Xinjiang and its creation of "Northern Xinjiang Novels", which is the first large-scale study of London. The author not only vividly and historically expounds Klondike's gold rush, but also detailed research on Jack London's life in Klondike, and discussed the theme and techniques of Jack London's Northern Xinjiang novels. Other scholars mainly interpret from the following perspectives. For example, Paul Rovez analyzed and interpreted the novel as a human fable. He believes that this novel is mainly a fable of a person, telling the story of a protagonist - he has experienced the stage of growing travel and evolution, reaching a higher realm, the last myth. Jonathan Auerbach interprets the work from the perspective of naturalism and romanticism in The Call of the Wild. He believes that from the perspective of left-wing naturalism, it (Buck's behavior) has the meaning of returning to the ancestors, a process of returning to barbarism. However, like an adult ritual, Buck matures through this ritual and even becomes a mysterious hero of myth. In the article "The Primitiveism in The Call of the Wild", the author Richard Fusco traces Barker's human civilization from the four stages of Thoreau's definition of human development with Love joy. The return of the society to the four families experienced by the primitive society shows that Buck's return to nature is the progress of social development and an ideal political state of nature and society.

An Ecological Interpretation of The Call of the Wild

3.1 The theory on ecologism

When human beings are desperate to grab from the ecotope, the ecotope suffer from consequence that can not be imaginable. Ecology was inspired by the pressure of the global ecological crisis and the modern environmental movement, accompanied by the rise of the Western modern environmental movement. The current human masses is accerlected by ecology. It is mainly reflected in the reshaping of human values and the redefinition of the connection between society and ecotope. The redefinition of the relationship between man and nature by eco-ism is of great significance for promoting the harmonious unity of man and nature in the new century.

3.1.1 Interpretation of ecological literature

Ecological literature refers to the literary works that create the development and interests of the ecosystem as the highest price. It rejects and criticizes literature that is human-centered and judges human values. First of all, when describing the relationship between man and nature, eco-literary literature is guided by the overall concept of ecologism, and it has a standard of judgment on all human thoughts, behaviors and attitudes about the natural environment. In ecological literature, human beings cannot be regarded as the core of the natural world, and the vested interests of human beings are the ultimate goal of value judgment and value selection. This view is caused by people's continuous destruction of nature in the social and economic development, leading to serious ecological and natural disasters, and possible ecological crisis. Therefore, ecological writers realize that human beings want to eliminate the ecological crisis, it is necessary to The overall interests and personal safety of the ecosystem are the fundamental requirements and objectives of the creation.

The ecological literature originated from the United States. The direction of American literature was unclear in the beginning. Because it was a colony, its thoughts were deeply influenced by European traditions. So, it is hard to cast off the tradition of European literature in the field of literary creation. It can only be said that American literature at that time was a continuation and exhibition of European literature in the New World. It cannot be said to be the result of American native literature, and so is ecological literature. In the history of American literature, Thoreau's Walden is the earliest ecological literary work that can conform to the definition of modern ecological literature. Therefore, we can divide the development history of American ecological literature into two important stages: First, the relevant discourse and research before Walden's publication has a strong pragmatic color, which can be called "natural writing"; Secondly, following the publication of Walden, the related works began to think about the two-way relationship between human beings and nature, and clearly recognized that human beings have a great influence on nature and nature on human beings. It can be called “environmental literature”, that is “ecology”. The real beginning of literature.

3.1.2 The ecologicalism embodied in Jack London's other novels

In the novel The Valley of the Moon 1913, the writer describes the situation in which people deliberately destroy the land, revealing the evil consequences of ecological blindness and short-sightedness. Jack London wrote in the novel: "People are like a group of locusts, migrating on this land, destroying everything here - Indians, land, forests, just as they kill buffaloes and make the North American pigeons extinct the same." In the novel The Sea-Wolf 1904, Jack London once again showed the relationship between humans and animals. People frantically chase seals, lick them, destroy them, not to eat seal meat and seal oil, but just to pick up the peeled skin, ready to make a shoulder decoration for the ladies in the metropolis. As the writer said in the novel, "This is an unreasonable massacre." The bloody scene of killing seals is even more shocking. In the short novel All Gold Canyon, Jack London described the golden valley with a romantic and lyrical tone. The writer presented us with the natural beauty of the Golden Valley. The golden valley of Jack London is a fairyland full of natural beauty. The writer made the Buck as the natural master of this undisturbed valley, and it also symbolized the nature itself that was not allowed to be disturbed. Unfortunately, human society break the quiet world. A gold rushing man rushed into this claustrophobic valley. He searched and digted with blue eyes filled with desires and sparkles, and the atmosphere of peace and quiet seemed to be suddenly torn apart, and disappeared with the running of the Bucks. In the novel, the writer compares the uninvaded nature with the nature after the human invasion, and expresses his own insight and reflection on the natural ecological problem through the sharp contrast between the gold medalists who symbolize the colonialists.

3.1.3 The development of ecological literature in China

The deteriorating living environment and the increasingly serious ecological crisis are the great impetus for the occurrence, development and prosperity of ecology. Faced with the grim ecological reality, many writers angered the pen and recorded the shocking ecological horror of the Chinese nation. They worried about the precarious environment of the Chinese nation and shouted for environmental protection. Zheng Yi’s "The Destruction of China", Ma Jun's "China Water Crisis", Liu Guixian's "China's Water Pollution" and "Crisis of Life Sources", Sha Qing's "Beijing Water Crisis" and "Beijing Loss of Balance", Chen Guizhen’s "Waihua's Warning", Hang Ying's "Water for Life" and Xu Gang's "Save the Earth", "Through the Wind and Sand Line - We Only Have One Earth", "Changjiang Biography", "I Will Be Passed" and many other works can be regarded as representative. These writers write about the facts that are not known to all, telling us what a terrible ecological crisis is facing, and their courage and responsibility are absolutely admirable. However, for the natural and ecological restoration and reconstruction of the riddled hole, it is far from enough to only have concerns, appeals and truth disclosure. Exploring the social causes of ecological disasters, analyzing all the ideological and cultural factors that determine human attitudes toward nature and behaviors in the natural environment, historically revealing how culture affects the Earth's ecology, and then re-emphasizing in the process of cultural re-examination. Construction and cultural change should be the main purpose of ecological literature. Exploring and revealing the social root causes of ecological disasters makes ecological literature have the characteristics of significant civil critique and cultural critique. In fact, if a work is made in this respect Outstanding achievements, even if they do not describe any specific natural scenery, are also excellent works of ecological literature.

3.2 The reflection of ecologicalism in Buck’s experience

The novel describes how Buck was gradually changing back to a wolf from a mixed-breed dog. This was a confrontation between civilized morality and primitive wildness, and eventually wildness overcame morality. In Buck's experience, each transformation reflected the relationship between human and ecology. The author changed the image of the weaker who used to depict the animal as a victim and the reverse to the recipient, and portrayed Buck as a strong image with strong rebellious spirit and amazing adaptability. It was sold away from home, went to the North Pole, stayed away from civilization, fell into a wilderness, and experienced a series of cruel life. In the fight and struggle against the harsh living environment, the wild instinct of Buck’s hidden deep inside was evoked one by one. Finally, it finally rushed into the wilderness and joined the wolves. The fate of Buck is just like a picture of the modern industrialized society of the United States, full of violence, oppression, stifling and blood, and its abandonment of civilization and return to the wilderness shows Jack London’s original nature that has not been polluted by industrial civilization. Praise and yearning also reveal the writer's pursuit of the simple, natural and united overall balance deeply buried in the heart.

3.2.1 Ecological urgency consciousness reflected in the novel

The sense of ecological urgency is that the human being is worried about the future and destiny of the growing ecological environment. The basic ecological process is the destruction of the structure and function of the ecosystem and the disintegration of the life support system, thus endangering the survival and development of mankind. It is caused by unreasonable activities of human beings. For human beings, the most sad and most terrible thing is not to encounter an ecological crisis, but to lack the proper vigilance of the ecological crisis and the imminent threat. The catastrophe is unconscious, even blindly arrogant and optimistic. By perceiving the ecological crisis, human beings come up with ways to deal with it, and finally can live in harmony with nature. The protagonist Buck in the novel The Call of the Wild is a mixed-type wolf dog that combines a sacred breed with a Scottish breed of sheep and wolf. It has a bright golden brown fur, a smart head, a tall, strong skeleton and a body weighing 120 kilograms. However, despite his intelligence and bravery, he was born with a kingly demeanor, but under the pressure of the "sticks" rule, he still suffered unimaginable torture and suffering. On the way to the north, Buck suffered a lot of suffering, ruthless imprisonment, abuse, ridicule and insult, and its resistance in exchange for more aggressive sticks and whip. On the way to Alaska, the blood on it was even more constant, and it was all played by the owner Hal. In the novel, Jack London described the fate of these sled dogs in a sympathetic tone: "They are alive. Even with it, there are a total of seven. In the great misfortune, they become even with the whip. Feeling painful. The pain of being beaten is vague, er... the spark of life is faintly shimmering in the body." Bating being beaten, the sled dogs such as Buck and the sleigh dogs have endless hard labor, they run at minus five or six. The extreme coldness of ten degrees, the weight of the sled, the whip of the owner, and the environment of the wild dogs and wolves all around, no longer have mercy and kindness in Buck's world. They lick every muscle, every rib, and even every cell in the body, and they are tired and tired. Even so, their masters - American Hal, Charles and Messi, are indifferent to the experience of these animals. When Billy in the dog team looked down, Hal "broken the head of Billy in the reins with an axe, then cut the body from the harness and dragged it to the side." Here vividly shows the hypocrisy and cruelty of the people.

The human world and the biological world are an organic whole, and they are accompanied by each other, as the ecological philosopher Ralston pointed out: "In this large field of vision, the integrity of other species makes life richer." Humans not only kill animals but also it will create a tension between people and animals, break the balance of the ecological environment, bring about the disorder of the natural biological chain, and also make the natural ecological crisis become an unstoppable trend, which will eventually endanger human beings. Jack London shows the trauma and harm of nature through the fate of these slaughtered animals.

3.2.2 Ecological critical consciousness reflected in the novel

In the face of increasingly deep natural, social and spiritual ecological crises, Jack London has not only stayed at the level of worry. In his novels, he also thought about and explored the root causes of this series of crises, reflecting a strong sense of ecological criticism. The ecological critique consciousness mentioned in this paper refers to the purpose of reflecting on itself and exploring the root causes of ecological deterioration by re-examining human thoughts, cultures, ways of living, and the development mode of civilization in the face of ecological crisis. The author believes that the ecological critical consciousness of the novel mainly focuses on three aspects: one is industrial civilization and urban criticism, the other is the expansion of human desire criticism, and the third is anthropocentrism criticism. The process of industrial civilization has intensified human exploitation of nature. In this context, mankind has liberated from the fear of nature and stood on the opposite side of nature. At the same time, influenced by the values of commercialism, human desire for the expansion of material interests also corrodes and exiles human souls, causing people to lose their closeness and natural connection with nature, but instead present a cold, numb, intertwined, human nature. Anthropocentrism is the deep-seated reason for ecological problems. To change the status quo of ecological deterioration, we must oppose the anthropocentrism that human interests are supreme from the source of thought.

In the novel The Call of the Wild, the writer changed the image of the weaker who used to depict the animal as a victim and the reverse to the recipient, and portrayed Buck as a strong image with strong rebellious spirit and amazing adaptability. It was sold away from home, went to the North Pole, stayed away from civilization, fell into a wilderness, and experienced a series of cruel life. In the fight and struggle against the harsh living environment, the wild instinct of Buck’s hidden deep inside was evoked one by one. Finally, it finally rushed into the wilderness and joined the wolves. The fate of Buck is just like a picture of the modern industrialized society of the United States, full of violence, oppression, stifling and blood, and its abandonment of civilization and return to the wilderness shows Jack London’s original nature that has not been polluted by industrial civilization. Praise and yearning also reveal the writer's pursuit of the simple, natural and united overall balance deeply buried in the heart.