Comprehension Template
by Raphaela Brandner
1. Character List
1.1. Buck
1.1.1. What do you know about Buck? What are his most important features?
1.1.2. What is “atavism”? What role does it play in Buck’s development as a wild animal?
1.2. Dogs
1.2.1. Which dogs help Buck during his journey?
1.2.2. What causes conflict between Buck and other dogs?
1.3. Masters
1.3.1. What are the different motives of Buck's masters?
1.3.2. Compare the roles of John Thornton and Judge Miller. Who, from the novel’s point of view, is the better master? Defend your answer.
2. About the Book
2.1. What type of book is it?
2.2. Genre?
2.3. Sub genre?
2.4. What is the historical background of the story?
3. Comprehension Questions
3.1. How does The Call of the Wild present the human-dog relationship?
3.2. What is the law of Club and Fang?
3.3. Why does Buck howl at the moon at the end of the chapter?
3.4. Discuss the influence of Charles Darwin’s and Friedrich Nietzsche’s theories on The Call of the Wild.
3.5. Which events directly and indirectly lead to the kidnapping of Buck?
3.6. What is the reader told about Buck's original owner?
3.7. Why does Buck attack the Yeehats?
4. Any Questions of your own?
4.1. Unfamiliar vocabulary
4.2. Unclear references
4.3. Unclear motives
