That Spot

by Jack London

Short story.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

26 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1908

About the author

John Griffith Chaney, better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction.

London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of animal rights, workers’ rights and socialism. London wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam.

His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in Alaska and the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay" and "The Heathen".

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars*

An amusing little tale about two men who buy a dog as part of their sled team for their trip to the Klondike in 1897. They called the dog Spot - he’s a big beautiful brute of a dog, with a large dark spot on his coat, hence the name. Now Spot might be beautiful, but this dog doesn’t like to work, he is however adept at stealing food, and bullying the other dogs. Having had enough, they decide to sell Spot, but that won’t be the last of him!

[Connie G · Rating 3 out of 5]

It makes an amusing story when animals can outsmart their human owners. "That Spot" had a good ending that tied back to the first paragraph.

[Aby · Rating 3 out of 5]

كان يا ما كان...
كان يوجد كلب يمثل إنسان
إنسان لئيم انتهازي ثقيل على القلب و الوجدان
إنسان يأخذ و يأخذ دون أن يعطي شيئاً لأخيه الإنسان
يسلبك قدرتك على العيش و يملأك بالخوف و الهذيان
يجعلك تكره الحب والعطاء وتنسى طعم الحرية والأمان
يتلاعب بك نفسياً و عاطفياً و يصير لك فجأة سجان
فلا تستطيع منه فراراً و لا تتمكن من جعله مدان
فهو ماكر كالثعلب و خبيث كالثعبان
إن قابلت مثيله يوماً فالبقاء لله في روحك والله المستعان

Aby
16.09.2024

[K. Anna Kraft · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have arranged my thoughts into a haiku:

"Man's very best friend,
A long lasting commitment,
No matter how smart."

[Lea Berryreadinbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best opening paragraph and written in an excellent casual style!

[Jimmy Leitsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious, especially if you have ever had a dog that just drives you up the wall.

[Mahmoud Moftah · Rating 2 out of 5]

بدأت أقتنع أن جاك لندن لم يكن يمارس الكتابه لهدف أدبي بل يمارسها بشكل تقريري تسجيلي مستعرضاً فيه معلوماته وخبراته التي إستقاها من رحلاته البحريه لمناطق جليديه خلال إنتشار حمى الذهب بين الناس في القرن التاسع عشر

[gloriabluestocking · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely doesn't compare to The Call of the Wild.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was entertained but only because Spot wasn't with me.

[Clarissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was honestly a little confusing... I listened to the audio book, which helped so I don't skip any small details for these short stories I read for school. It's about a a dog named Spot, who literally can not die. The owners paid $110 for him (keep in mind that its in the 1890s) and won't do the work they need him to do. They are in Alaska (it doesn't say why) but he won't do anything they need him do. He becomes more trouble than he is worth, where he sneaks all the food there is, as well as sneaking other peoples food, who live far away. The owners eventually get extremely mad, so they try to get rid of him and sometimes the dog just does things that are stupid. BUT OF COURSE HE SOMEHOW COMES BACK!! So I would say that this story is 3 stars. It's not bad, its not amazing, its just honestly kinda weird but I guess it's better than bad.

Thanks for reading this review!!!
~Clarissa

[Phil Giunta · Rating 3 out of 5]

A man reminisces about a lazy yet resourceful dog named Spot that he and his former partner purchased as part of a sled dog team in the Klondike in 1897. After their failed attempts to kill the dog after it managed to eat their food without earning its keep, they tried to sell or trade Spot only for the uncanny canine to return a few days later—no matter where the two men were in their journey. An amusing tale, the kind told around a campfire, with an ending that circles back to the opening.

[Mustafa Alsinan · Rating 4 out of 5]

سبوت الكلب الكسول الذي لا يحسن أي عمل عندما يأمراه سيداه لكنه في نفس الوقت مقاتل شرس وسارق بارع خصوصا عندما يرتبط الأمر ببطنه وحاجاته الشخصية. يمكن وصف سبوت بالطفيلي الذي يقتات على سيديه لدرجة أن جميع محاولاتهما للتخلص منه - وحتى قتله - كلها بائت بالفشل وأصبح كلبهما مثل الكابوس أو اللعنة التي حلت عليهما.

يعجبني جاك لندن عندما يكتب على الحيوانات و البرية يجيد الإيجاز و عنصر التشويق، وحتى كوميديته رائعة.

[DeNae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great and engaging story telling with an exordium that immediately draws the reader in to find out if Stephen Mackaye can really be the meanest man in the world.

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story about a dog and I thought it amusing (in the end anyway). 🙃

[K Marcu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, funny story

[Josiah Richardson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reminded me of Old Yeller with an odd twist.

[Liudas Mikal · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the funnier tales from the Northland. As usual for Jack London's works - there are many parallels with everyday life.

[Annabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

read for school and had to compare it to “a dogs tale”

classic lit is not my thing lol

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devil dog

[Viktor Malafey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Чудово весела історія від улюбленого автора!

[مريم · Rating 3 out of 5]

نبذة:

تحكي الرواية عن كلب مشاكس يعود في كل مرة يقرر اصحابه التخلي عنه.

رأيي:

لطيفة جدًا وخفيفة ❤️