how is life and death represented in the chase of the snowshoe rabbit?

The rabbit that precipitates the chase and long-awaited fight between Buck and Spitz inspires in Buck "blood lust" and "the joy to kill." In some ways Buck has become more like Spitz, for the idea of killing is no longer foreign to him. Buck's joy for the chase, and especially for leading the chase, signals his readiness to defeat Spitz. The tone of London's prose becomes more frantic as the two roll in the snow. Significantly, it is Buck's imagination, not his greater instinct, which allows him to kill Buck. This idea is different than that advanced thus far in the novel. Before London emphasized the importance of instinct over reason, and the greater happiness of the dog that harkens back to instinct. Now London suggests that Buck is superior to the other dogs because of a combination of instinct and human-like intelligence. The fact that he is on more of a human wavelength gives him an advantage over most other dogs.