Plot Summary
Chapter 14 of White Fang, titled "The Famine," traces White Fang's growth from a yearling returning to the village to a formidable three-year-old survivor of a devastating food shortage. The chapter opens in spring, when Grey Beaver's sled team returns home. White Fang, now a year old, tests his new strength against Baseek, an aging dog who once intimidated him. When Baseek tries to steal White Fang's moose shin-bone, White Fang attacks with startling swiftness and drives the older dog away, marking a pivotal shift in the pack hierarchy.
White Fang's reunion with his mother Kiche proves bitterly anticlimactic. She does not recognize her grown son and slashes his face when he approaches, defending her new litter of puppies. White Fang accepts this rejection stoically, realizing she no longer holds any place in his life. As months pass, he grows more morose, solitary, and ferocious, earning grudging respect from the village dogs.
In White Fang's third year, a catastrophic famine strikes the Mackenzie Indians. Fish fail, caribou vanish, and moose and rabbits nearly disappear. The Indians eat their leather moccasins; the dogs eat their harnesses. Dogs devour one another, and the Indians begin eating dogs. White Fang flees to the forest, where his wild upbringing gives him an advantage. He hunts squirrels with patient cunning and even roots out wood-mice. He encounters and kills a starving young wolf, and later finds and kills his old nemesis Lip-lip in a swift, merciless confrontation. Eventually, White Fang discovers that the village has relocated and the famine has ended. He trots into camp, is welcomed by Kloo-kooch with fresh fish, and settles down to await Grey Beaver.
Character Development
This chapter charts White Fang's transformation from a subordinate yearling into a dominant, self-sufficient predator. His victory over Baseek gives him "a greater faith in himself, and a greater pride," establishing his place among the adult dogs. His encounter with Kiche reveals his emotional growth: he briefly feels the old attachment but quickly moves past it when she rejects him, demonstrating his developing self-reliance. During the famine, White Fang's survival skills prove superior to both domesticated dogs and wild wolves, confirming his unique position between the two worlds. His killing of Lip-lip resolves a long-standing rivalry and symbolizes his complete ascendancy.
Themes and Motifs
The dominant theme is survival of the fittest, London's central Darwinian concern. The famine serves as nature's crucible, separating the strong from the weak. The "law of meat"—eat or be eaten—governs every interaction. The chapter also explores the nature versus nurture theme through London's clay metaphor: White Fang's heredity provides raw potential, while environment shapes his character. The motif of severed bonds appears in Kiche's failure to recognize her son, reinforcing the novel's unsentimental view of the natural world. White Fang's return to the village at the chapter's end underscores the tension between wildness and domestication, as he chooses the fires of men over the freedom of the forest.
Literary Devices
London employs an extended metaphor comparing heredity to clay and environment to the sculptor, illustrating how White Fang's character is shaped by forces beyond his control. Foreshadowing appears in White Fang's growing ferocity and isolation, hinting at future conflicts. The confrontation with Baseek uses dramatic irony, as readers understand the power shift before Baseek does. London's naturalistic imagery—"a grey projectile, incredibly swift, never failing its mark"—captures White Fang's predatory efficiency during the famine. The chapter also features parallelism in the repeated encounters with Kiche, each revealing a different stage of emotional detachment.