Abstract

Naturalism, first proposed by French novelist Emile Zola, was introduced to America by the novelist Frank Norris. Jack London (1876-1916) was generally regarded as one of the greatest naturalistic writers. He was also very popular in America during the late 19th century. The Call of the Wild is considered as London’s most representative work of naturalism. Besides, it is widely read by people, his most successful and one classic of American literature among his works, which helps him achieve international fame. The novel demonstrates London’s naturalistic view that environment and heredity affect one’s personality and fate deeply. To live or to die, the key is self adjustment in the terrible environment where all the moral standards are supposed to be meaningless. This paper will analyze The Call of the Wild from the perspective of naturalism, specifically reflecting on the influence of the milieu and heredity, and indicating the key to survive is adaptation, which are overwhelmingly importance in The Call of the Wild. The paper will mainly elaborate the protagonist Buck’s fate from the impact of environment and heredity and reveal the theme: the survival of the fittest.

Key Words：Jack London  The Call of the Wild  naturalism  environment and heredity

摘 要

自然主义理论是法国小说家埃米尔•左拉首先提出，而把它引进美国的是小说家诺里斯。杰克•伦敦(1876-1916) 被普遍认为是最伟大的自然主义作家之一，也是19世纪末一位非常受欢迎的美国作家。《野性的呼唤》则是伦敦自然主义理论最具代表性的著作。也是伦敦小说中最被人们关注、也是他最为成功的一部代表作，也是美国文学的一部经典之作，为他赢得了国际声誉。这部作品显示了伦敦的自然观，即环境和遗传深深影响人的性格和命运。生存和死亡，关键是在恶劣环境中的自我调整，所有的道德标准都是没有意义的。本论文将从自然主义角度解析《野性的呼唤》。具体体现在环境和遗传的影响、并指出生存的关键在于适应，这在《野性的呼唤》中显得至关重要。本文主要集中在遗传和环境对主人公巴克命运的影响进行阐述，并揭示主题：适者生存。

关键词：杰克•伦敦 《野性的呼唤》 自然主义 环境与遗传

1 Introduction
Jack London, one of the most famous authors of America is honored as a genius. Published in 1903, The Call of the Wild which is hailed as a “classic enriching America literature” is one of his most famous works.