How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph) Shmoop has numbered the chapters continuously, but the book renumbers them in each Part.
Quote #7
They were his environment, these men, and they were moulding the clay of him into a more ferocious thing than had been intended by Nature. Nevertheless, Nature had given him plasticity. Where many another animal would have died or had its spirit broken, he adjusted himself and lived, and at no expense of the spirit. (17.8)
Man and Nature meet here in the form of White Fang. The poor little puppy's just getting it on all sides. Yet he's also pulling strength from nature that's allowing him to survive man's cruelty: perhaps a sign that nature is stronger than man, even when man is crueler.
Quote #8
Of his own choice, he came in to sit by man's fire and to be ruled by him. (12.17)
This is the moment when White Fang stops being a creature of nature and starts being a creature of man. It's a bumpy road, but he makes the choice by himself. He has a will of his own, just like we do.
Quote #9
"He's in with all the big bugs. If you want to keep out of trouble, you'll steer clear of him, that's my talk. He's all hunky with the officials. The Gold Commissioner's a special pal of his." (18.86)
Men have their power and their pecking orders too. The way they describe Weedon Scott here, he could probably be called Alpha dog… just like a wolf would in the Wild.