Call of the Wild

Who was the short, half-naked man in Buck's dream?

Chapter 4

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I'm not sure myself but here is one version,

"The hairy man that Buck dreams of is a partner to him, Buck believes that man and dog go together. It may be a representation of Weedon Scott form 'White Fang", another of Jack London's stories."

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http://www.chacha.com/question/who-is-the-short,-half%26%2345%3Bnaked-man-in-buck's-dream-in-'call-of-the-wild'

The physical description of this man makes it clear that he is intended to be an example of prehistoric man: hairy, practically naked, long-armed and short-legged, inarticulate, equipped only with a club. He is a symbol of the primitive, a figure from ancestral memory, a reminder of the time before civilisation. This is of course pertinent to the book as a whole as it details Buck's gradual reversion to primitive life in the cold Arctic regions where man and beast alike fight to survive in a harsh environment. This figure becomes more prominent in Buck's dreams as he becomes ever wilder and more wolf-like. In the end, absolutely no trace remains of his former civilised ways...