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Literary Devices
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
Chapter 2: The Law of Club and Fang
Explanation and Analysis—Darwinian Evolution:
Indirect allusions to Darwin's theory of evolution are a motif in the novel. For example, in Chapter 2, London describes how Buck's latent instincts are reawakened by his new, harsher environment:
And not only did he learn by experience, but instincts long dead became alive again. The domesticated generations fell from him. In vague ways he remembered back to the youth of the breed, to the time the wild dogs ranged in packs through the primeval forest and killed their meat as they ran it down.
Related Themes:
Chapter 6: For the Love of Man
Explanation and Analysis—Totem Pole:
In Chapter 6, London uses an idiom alluding to the cultures of American Indian and First Nations peoples in the Northwest:
Unlock with LitCharts A+That winter, at Dawson, Buck performed another exploit, not so heroic, perhaps, but one that put his name many notches higher on the totem-pole of Alaskan fame.
Related Themes:
