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THEMES
Major Theme
Love
Begets Love
The major theme of the novel is that love begets love.
This classic tale is about a violent, morose, and suspicious wolf-dog who is ‘tamed’
by the love and kindness of his gentle master. By the end of the book, White Fang
has submitted totally to his kind master and will doing anything to protect him
and his family. In the same vein, London shows that hate begets hate, as proven
by White Fang’s early experiences with his cruel masters and by the case of Jim
Hall.
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Minor Theme
Survival of the
Fittest
The minor, but equally important, theme of the novel is the
Darwinian theory of “survival of the fittest” in a cruel, ruthless, and wild world.
Charles Darwin (1809-1882) was a British naturalist who contributed to the theory
of evolution. In White Fang and other works, London makes references
to the concept of natural selection by which only the strongest members of a species
will survive. White Fang, despite the many external factors that conspire against
him, is an example of an excellent physical specimen who can survive in his harsh
environment. Had he not been able to protect himself in the wild, he would never
have experienced the love of his kind master.
MOOD
The main mood of the novel is cold and frightening. London creates a tale of horror in an unexplored land, pointing out the mysteries of the wild and the fear of the unknown. In the beginning, the Northland Wild is portrayed as a threat to any form of life. Later, the deep, dark woods seem to hold all kinds of terrors, which intimidate the weak-hearted. Overall, the mood is fearful, combined with a sense of bitter cynicism and suspicion on the part of White Fang. The violence perpetrated upon him is as chilling as his rages are frightening. This bleak mood is in sharp contrast to the domesticate happiness that White Fang feels at the end of the novel with his new, kind master, Weedon Scott.
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