London's use of Buck as the main character...

Jack London's The Call of the Wild has often been used to study human nature even though its main character is a dog--Buck.  While I don't think what I am doing is anything new, I do think that this small text is used so much to study humanity is because it allows a non-threatening gateway into the ideas of human nature.  In fact, I think the biggest part of the novel that allows for readers to get this glimpse into their own human nature is London's reliance upon Buck as the main protagonist.

Buck is a dog, and while that may seem like a fairly obvious statement, this was surely a conscious decision on London's part.  He picked a character close to human (man's best friend, many would say), and yet not quite human.  Buck has some human qualities.  He has fear and trust issues.  He thinks, acts and reacts to situations like being dognapped and taken to a strange new land of cold and snow.  Even with all of this connection to Buck, we can begin to separate ourselves from him and remain distant because, ultimately, he is a dog.  Once we separate ourselves from the main character, we can begin to open our minds to how this all affects our own opinions about the complexities of human nature.  

And it is vitally important to explore our own opinions about the complexities of human nature.  If we do not take careful, considerate examinations of humanity, how will we be able to realize where we stand as a species?  As a society?  We must study our humanity just as we study history or philosophy, to learn from the past and to mark our progress along the way.