The Perspective Reader

I love books that give you a new perspective on life. Recently, I read Call of the Wild and White Fang by Jack London. These two books are inverts of each other. Call of the Wild is about a dog, Buck. He is a tame dog who is stolen and turned into a sled dog up in the Yukon. It sequences his transformation from happy family working dog to his final transition to wild dog running with the wolves. The entire story is from Buck’s perspective of life. White Fang is about this ¼ dog, ¾ wolf who is taken at a young age to be trained as a sled working dog. White Fang find a hard life in the beginning, learning the ways of how wild mixes with domestic. But eventually he find his one true “god” and follows him all the way to San Francisco where he eventually becomes completely domestic.
In both the stories the idea of dog’s intelligence and understanding of what is going on around them is well portrayed. Buck, who knew humans before the wild understands them better than White Fang who has only know the laws of the wild. White Fang calls the humans “gods” because they can wield inanimate objects to their will. Also, both dogs eventually find one human whom they devote themselves to and realize the idea of love and relationship, and the complete submission and willing servitude that comes with love.
Since reading these books I have totally looked at my dog, Mocha, in a different way. I think about what she is processing and understanding, the pack mentality that she has with my family. She was hand raised by us so I think she has a deeper connection to us. It is just a different look on life for me.
I am also reading Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire. This is another one of those different perspectives books. I really like it so far.