Fire is a symbol of power in this novel. In Part 1, Henry uses fire to protect himself against the wolf pack. He first sets branches on fire as a way of fending the wolves off, but eventually they outsmart him. He ultimately saves his life by creating a circle of fire around his body, preventing the wolves from entering his space and killing him. The ability to use fire is one of the things that sets humans apart from other animals. For Henry, fire is his one defense against wolves that are more powerful in every other way. Fire symbolizes humans’ power in Grey Beaver’s camp, where White Fang experiences fire for the first time. He approaches the fire and licks at it, then burns himself. This is a formative experience for White Fang because of the pain of both the fire and the mockery he receives from the humans.

A motif in this novel is nature versus nurture. White Fang’s character development follows this motif because he must adapt to so many different settings and situations. In the nature versus nurture debate, “nature” is considered the genetic qualities an individual possesses without the intervention of a socializing force, while “nurture” is considered any behavior learned in a family, social, or institutional