Asked by ISSC
What are some things you like about Mercedes
(From The Call of The Wild)
(From The Call of The Wild)
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Answered by
GPT-5 mini
Good question — Mercedes is an easy character to dislike at first, but there are several understandable and even sympathetic things about her that you can point to in an essay or class discussion:
- Genuine affection for Buck. Even if her love is sentimental and not always practical, she clearly cares about the dog and wants to comfort and protect him rather than see him mistreated.
- Emotional honesty and vulnerability. Mercedes expresses fear, worry, and grief openly. That makes her human and relatable — she’s not a heroic figure, she’s a frightened woman confronted with a brutal environment.
- Loyalty to family. She stands by Charles and Hal; her actions are often motivated by devotion to them, even when their decisions are wrong. That loyalty can read as a positive trait.
- Represents ordinary people out of their element. Mercedes shows what happens to civilians suddenly thrown into the Arctic. That perspective helps the novel dramatize the clash between “civilization” and the wild.
- Adds dramatic contrast and complexity. Her sentimental, pampered ways highlight the competence and toughness of Perrault and François and deepen the story’s moral stakes. A reader can like her for the complexity she brings to the group dynamic.
- Evokes sympathy rather than contempt. Many readers feel pity for how unprepared she is and how horribly events unfold; that emotional response is valid and can make her a sympathetic figure.
- Provides moments of comic or human relief. Her whining and fussing occasionally break the tension and make the narrative more varied in tone.
If you need to build this into an essay, you can use Mercedes as a foil to the experienced mushers (to show what the wild requires) or as an example of how Jack London treats ordinary human weakness with both criticism and sympathy.
- Genuine affection for Buck. Even if her love is sentimental and not always practical, she clearly cares about the dog and wants to comfort and protect him rather than see him mistreated.
- Emotional honesty and vulnerability. Mercedes expresses fear, worry, and grief openly. That makes her human and relatable — she’s not a heroic figure, she’s a frightened woman confronted with a brutal environment.
- Loyalty to family. She stands by Charles and Hal; her actions are often motivated by devotion to them, even when their decisions are wrong. That loyalty can read as a positive trait.
- Represents ordinary people out of their element. Mercedes shows what happens to civilians suddenly thrown into the Arctic. That perspective helps the novel dramatize the clash between “civilization” and the wild.
- Adds dramatic contrast and complexity. Her sentimental, pampered ways highlight the competence and toughness of Perrault and François and deepen the story’s moral stakes. A reader can like her for the complexity she brings to the group dynamic.
- Evokes sympathy rather than contempt. Many readers feel pity for how unprepared she is and how horribly events unfold; that emotional response is valid and can make her a sympathetic figure.
- Provides moments of comic or human relief. Her whining and fussing occasionally break the tension and make the narrative more varied in tone.
If you need to build this into an essay, you can use Mercedes as a foil to the experienced mushers (to show what the wild requires) or as an example of how Jack London treats ordinary human weakness with both criticism and sympathy.
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