Owner Three

John Thornton was the name of the epithetical man who saved the life of Buck and nurtured him back to the life he was familiar with. John shows a new aspect of life to Buck that he had never truly seen before in the frigid Alaskan territory. John showed Buck compassion, friendship, and love. “Other men saw to the welfare of their dogs from a sense of duty and business expediency; he saw to the welfare of his as if they were his own children, because he could not help it” (81). With John came a group of friendly dogs as well and “to Buck’s surprise these dogs manifested no jealousy toward him” (81).
John like the others shares the same need to find Alaskan gold but goes about it in a smart and efficient way. John lets Buck venture off on his own in the woods when he is busy panning and digging. On these adventures Buck feels the instincts of his ancestors living in the wild without an owner. It is on these lone adventures that Buck learns the common phrase “it’s too good to be true” and he learns to never let your guard down.
While adventuring, John and the rest of the dogs are killed by a tribe of local natives called the Yeehats. Buck is thrown into a rage upon the Yeehats demonstrating a force never seen by natives throughout the wilderness. The story is told from the few that managed to escape the desecration of Buck. The Yeehats deemed him a legend for expressing such power and never again entered the valley where john was killed, in fear that the “Ghost Dog” will seek revenge once again.
Buck learns some valuable life lessons that would help anyone survive their life. He learns that when placed in an upbeat situation never to let your guard down because it can be taken from you in an instant. He also learned out of instinct how to act on an event which gains him a legendary status.