Type of work:Adventure novelSituationNorthland (Alaska); 1890s Gold RushMain CharactersBuck, a large, intelligent, well-behaved dogSpitz, a cruel lead sled dogJohn Thornton, Northern and Buck's masterBuck, a huge four-year-old Scottish Shepherd and St. Bernard cross , lived an easy life at Judge Miller Estate in the Santa Clara Valley. As the Judge's faithful companion, working with his sons and guarding his grandchildren, Buck ruled over all things, including humans. Combining his mother's intelligence with his father's size and strength, Buck became the undisputed leader of all the dogs on the estate. By this time, gold had been found in Alaska, and thousands of men were rushing to the Northland. They wanted dogs, dogs like Buck. One evening, Manuel, the estate gardener, who felt that he did not earn enough to support his family and his gambling habits, took Buck for a walk to the station. There, money was exchanged, a rope was placed around Buck's neck, and his life in the civilized world came to an end. For two days and two nights, Buck traveled north in a luggage carrier. Caged, without food or water, his placid character transformed into that of a raging demon. In Seattle, Buck was greeted by a man in a red sweater, holding a club. As Buck ran out of the open crate, the man cruelly beat him into submission. Buck had learned his first lesson: he didn't stand a chance against a man with a club. Buck, along with other dogs, was purchased by François and Perrault, Canadian government dispatchers, and transported by ship to Alaska. Buck soon came to respect his French-Canadian masters. But life among dogs was wild; no law existed other than that of fangs and force. On his first day, Buck watched as one of his shipmates, shot during a fight, was savagely killed by the anxious pack of dogs. He thus learned that in the event of a fight, he must always remain standing. Spitz, the cunning and powerful lead dog of the sled team, took pleasure in these arguments. The ribbon-cut dogs seemed to amuse Spitz, which made Buck hate him from the start. Buck got to know his teammates: which dogs were accessible and which ones to leave alone. He learned the necessary skills of a sled dog, including digging under the snow at night to keep warm, surviving on much less food than he was used to, stealing other dogs' food, and pulling a load...