White Fang
by Jack London
Table of Contents
Grey Beaver
Grey Beaver is White Fang’s first master. He is Kiche’s master, and when she returns to the Indian village, Grey Beaver takes White Fang as his dog. Grey Beaver is a mostly neutral human figure. He is violent to White Fang, beating him as his form of discipline, but he is not sadistic. Once White Fang is trained, Grey Beaver no longer beats him regularly. Grey Beaver’s casual use of beating as a form of training prepares the reader for Weedon Scott and Matt, two good men who carry clubs to use against dogs. Because Grey Beaver controls White Fang’s life so completely, White Fang comes to view him as a god, which signals a transition to dependence upon humans that exists throughout the novel.
Grey Beaver also teaches White Fang about the danger of relying upon his master. Grey Beaver is a weak man, and when the novel’s antagonist, Beauty Smith, decides he wants to get White Fang, he uses alcohol to make Grey Beaver vulnerable. Grey Beaver eventually trades White Fang to Beauty Smith for whiskey. Beauty Smith is horrific to White Fang, and when White Fang escapes from him, he runs to Grey Beaver, but Grey Beaver returns White Fang to Beauty Smith.
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