And so we leave Buck howling at the moon, surrounded by an adoptive wolf pack and free to roam the boreal forests for the rest of his life. A lovely ending to a tale of grueling hardship and perseverance, don't you think? Sam, for one, thinks not. Sam has been raised on circular narratives, poetic justice and happily ever after. Sam saw the Hollywood ending coming from the get go and, frankly, he's not impressed by Jack London's failure to deliver some teary reunions for the good guys and harsh retribution for the bad guys.
Sam: Is that it?
Mom: Ya, that was the last scene. These other pages are Questions for Discussion....
Sam: There are no more chapters?
Mom: No. It's over. He finds a wolf family. That's how it ends.
Sam: But what about California?
Mom: What do you mean?
Sam: He was stolen. When does he get back to his house?
Mom: He doesn't.
Sam: WHAT?!
Mom: Well, it's way too far away—he's deep into the wild woods... He couldn't get there if he tried; and besides, he seems happy now.
Sam: But his family doesn't know where he is: they will think he's gone forever!
Mom: I know. They were probably sad for a long time, but that happens to some dogs. That's what happened to Huddie once—but now we have him, and that's a happy ending.
Sam: Yeah. Hhm. (double checking) So Buck's wild now.
Mom: M-hmm. That's the "call" part: he felt himself wanting to run free of men and sleds.
Sam: And that's the ending. That he's wild.
Mom: That's it. No more masters. There's nothing else.
Sam : All right. (long pause) So let's read the Discussion Questions, I guess.
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