russia has launched a full-scale war in Ukraine! Donate to the charity fund to support Ukraine and protect the world’s peace.

Support Ukraine

logo

Is Headway the right choice for you? Take the quiz and discover!

Start the quiz
library / 
book

Summary of Call of the Wild 

4.6 . 788 reviews

Short summary

Few novels capture the imagination and pull the heartstrings like Call of the Wild, a true literary classic that has spanned the decades. Far from a simple animal love story, this book takes you on a journey to the heart of the Gold Rush, a time when trying to hit the big time was at the forefront of every man’s mind, and the ability to get there was constantly struck by disaster. Through the eyes of lovable Buck, we are taken on a journey of emotion, transformation, and love, learning many lessons along the way. Written by Jack London, one of the world’s most-loved novelists, Call of the Wild was originally published in 1903, yet London’s troubled childhood led him to publish his first novel a year before that. “Life achieves its summit when it does to the uttermost that which it was equipped to do.” ~ Jack London

You’ll learn

  • Why loyalty is more than a human trait
  • About the power of instincts in life's toughest moments
  • What true leadership looks like in the wild
  • How to discover yourself against all odds

Table of content

  • Summary of Call of the Wild
  • About the author
  • What is Call of the Wild about?
  • Who should read Call of the Wild
  • Topics in Call of the Wild
first key point

A lovable Saint Bernard learns life lessons in the frozen north

Listen the first key point
00:00
00:00
Call of The Wild follows four-and-a-half-year-old Buck, a huge Saint Bernard and half Scottish Shepherd dog. Living a charmed life in Santa Clara Valley, California, with his owner Judge Miller, Buck spends time with Molly and Alice, Judge’s daughters, with whom he enjoys long walks and plenty of fun.

A cruel twist of fate leads Buck away from his home and thrusts him into the heart of the action in the frozen lands of Alaska, at the heart of the Klondike Gold Rush. Forced to work grueling, long hours and often beaten by master after master, Buck is forced to realize that life is far from charming.

Call of The Wild may seem like another animal adventure story on the outside, but on the inside, it is about learning some of life’s harshest and most challenging lessons. Buck sees things he never thought existed and experiences emotions and pain that no dog should ever feel. In the end, he learns life’s greatest lesson — that no matter how much you run, no matter how much you try to deny it, your true self, your true life’s calling will catch up with you in the end.
Always be yourself — just like Buck, you’ll find that sticking to your true identity always gets you through.
There is much to learn from Buck’s journey, and while it is an emotional one indeed, the novel’s deeper themes touch every person’s journey through life. Whether living a charmed life, a problematic existence, or you’re not sure where you stand, the hardships and lessons that Buck endures will open your eyes to things we should all understand — that love, devotion, loyalty, and being kind to others are the cornerstones of life.

There is an excellent reason why Call of the Wild has been so wildly popular over the years and continues to be to this very day. It isn’t about unwavering love of animals; it’s about the deeper themes and the affection you will undoubtedly feel for Buck when you pick up the novel.
second key point

Buck is quickly forced to realize that life isn’t charmed for long

Buck is content with his lot. He is a lovable companion to Molly and Alice, and to his master Judge Miller.
book
Continue reading with Headway app
Continue reading
Full summary is waiting for you in the app
third key point

Buck begins to learn harsh lessons as the truth inside starts to awaken

fourth key point

Forced to fight the alpha, Buck becomes the dominant male in the pack

fifth key point

Buck meets a man who wins his devotion and, ultimately, his heart

sixth key point

Disaster strikes and forces Buck’s instincts to be unleashed in fury

seventh key point

Conclusion

Buy full book on AmazonContinue the summary

What is Call of the Wild about?

Who should read Call of the Wild

book
book

Enjoy summarized nonfiction bestsellers

Grasp the book’s key ideas in less than 15 minutes

Get started

Get new knowledge easily

Let’s check how many titles you can finish in a month with Headway! Tell us how much time you’d like to spend on reading:

2 min/day
5 min/day
10 min/day
15 min/day
20 min/day
30 min/day
45 min/day
4 titles/month
10 titles/month
20 titles/month
30 titles/month
40 titles/month
60 titles/month
90 titles/month
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
4 titles/month
10 titles/month
20 titles/month
30 titles/month
40 titles/month
60 titles/month
90 titles/month
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image

Join 30+ million learners around the world

60K5 reviews on App Store and Google Play
icon

Everything you need to be motivate, to learn & to self improves is all here. I actually do appreciate the reminders because otherwise this wouldn’t work for me. Thank you

icon

sandypantalones

icon

Headway is the answer! No longer accumulating books I never read. With Headway, I initially chose the areas important to me such as productivity, time management, etc., and each day I'm provided several book summaries from which I devote 20 minutes or more each day reading. All of this on my phone! My life has improved with Headway. Truly my most useful app.

icon

Carol Slinker

icon

An excellent concept, executed well. Headway can help you retain what you've read while introducing you to the essential core of new information. It's an easier way to stay inspired, and to be reminded of the mental tools you've learned

icon

Fuse Henry

icon

In today’s world, we rarely have time. Between our jobs, our families are social obligations, when do we have time to grow and develop ourselves? Headway is an excellent app that gives you that time it gives you those little snippets of information that you need to direct your focus in on your life. Headway gives you a chance to find out the meat of a book that you might want to purchase and read or listen to in-depth without wasting a lot of time trying to figure out is this book for me? I highly recommend the app.

icon

sleepy sprite

icon

The selections are on point and the summaries are excellent! I listen while I walk my pup 🐶 and have in turn, ordered a few selections! REALLY loving the app, it’s layout, daily selections and features!

icon

JuicyBaby328

icon

I've gotten multiple books out of the library with the intent to read them, but always have a hard time finding the time. This app has helped me finally be able to get to them. Summarized, yes, and thank goodness too! Just short enough I can finish one on my way picking kids up from school/practice, or while I'm cooking dinner. I can't wait to listen to them over the summer when we visit the beach!

icon

Jillian Emmert

icon

It amazed me! There is the possibility to highlight the most important points of each book and instantly translate unfamiliar vocabulary. With the ability to review the searched words. It's a great way to learn more about English as well. The price is great.

icon

Fiamma

icon

I’m enjoying what I’m learning on headway.each summary comes with quotes at the end which you can save to help you remember key points. You can listen or read, I’ve found that reading puts me to sleep before I can finish but the listening feature keeps me engaged and I can finish in a brief amount of time if not one session.

icon

Epic waters

icon

The app it’s so easy to use. I use it while driving or cooking and is great. I love the fact that the chapters are short, so you can finish them quickly. Very knowledgeable.

icon

kathytaveras

icon

The best app for self development.It helps to keep pace with your reading and also suggests the kind of reading material you might like.It is fun as you can switch from reading to listening and vice-versa as per your convenience .Just get started and partake of the treasure of knowledge at your fingertips .I feel lucky to have spotted the app.It has helped me become self-disciplined and much better informed.The audio track is excellent.

icon

anita yadav

icon

Exactly what I need! I always have booklist to read, but can't committed enough to finish/start bc of too much pages. Headway is really helpful and concise with their summary. What I love the most is that the essence of the book is well crafted, so I don't only read the key points, but also there's the story and how personality of the author still well shown through the summary. Well done!

icon

Feninda Amalia

icon

This is outstanding best app ever and honestly whoever came up with is my app is an absolute genius kudos my gratitude definitely goes out and I’m only on my first week free trial and I’m certainly going to purchase this app annually. Now that I have it, I can’t even imagine living without it.

icon

Darlin NIKKIDOLL0923