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The law of club and fang refers to the primitive law of nature that reigns in the Northland, which rules according to the necessities of survival in reference to both dog's relation to man and to other dogs. We see the two parts of this law in action through particular devices: the man in the red sweater's club and the dog fangs that rip Curly to shreds. Through powerful blows the man in the red sweater's club teaches dogs, like Buck, to obey their masters. Meanwhile, the dogs' attack on Curly symbolizes the power of the fang. Together, the law of club and the law of fang prescribes a code for survival in the Northland—obey man's club, never let your guard down, and fight to win.
The Law of Club and Fang Quotes in The Call of the Wild
The The Call of the Wild quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Law of Club and Fang. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1
Quotes
He was beaten (he knew that); but he was not broken. He saw once for all, that he stood no chance against a man with a club. He learned the lesson, and in all his after life he never forgot it. That club was a revelation. It was his introduction to the reign of primitive law. Again and again, as he looked at each brutal performance, the lesson was driven home to Buck: a man with a club was a lawgiver, a master to be obeyed, though not necessarily conciliated.
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"Well, Buck, my boy," he went on in a genial voice, "we've had our little ruction, and the best thing we can do is to let it go at that. You've learned your place, and I know mine. Be a good dog and all 'll go well and the goose hang high. Be a bad dog, and I'll whale the stuffin' outa you. Understand?
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Chapter 2
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He had been suddenly jerked from the heart of civilization and flung into the heart of things primordial. No lazy, sun-kissed life was this, with nothing to do but loaf and be bored. Here was neither peace, nor rest, nor a moment's safety. All was confusion and action, and every moment life and limb were in peril. There was imperative need to be constantly alert; for these dogs and men were not town dogs and men. They were savages, all of them, who knew no law but the law of club and fang.
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Chapter 7
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He had killed man, the noblest game of all, and he had killed in the face of the law of club and fang.
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The Law of Club and Fang Symbol Timeline in The Call of the Wild
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Law of Club and Fang appears in The Call of the Wild. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1: Into the Primitive
...the crate, leaping towards the man. He's stunned when the man strikes him with a club. Buck lunges again and again, but is struck down each time. Buck has never been...
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Chapter 2: The Law of Club and Fang
...are not "town dogs and men," but "savages" who abide by the law of the club and fang.
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Chapter 4: Who Has Won to Mastership
...the scruff of his neck, removing him from the traces, then threatens him with the club when Buck attempts to assume Spitz's position again. Buck eludes the club's reach, until François...
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Chapter 7: The Sounding of the Call
...that John Thornton is dead. Buck, overcome by rage and grief, defies the law of club and fang, attacking the Yeehats, killing some of them, and causing the others to flee.
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