Beauty Smith (Jack London)

Beauty Smith is the main antagonist of Jack London's White Fang.

APPEARANCE
He is an ugly and cruel man whose outer hideousness represents the corruption of his soul. Smith, who is hated by the world, uses White Fang as an object on which he can vent his own hatred.

He seems to take an inner satisfaction out of deliberately tormenting White Fang physically, with jabs and punches and whips, or else tormenting White Fang mentally, with derision and laughter. He uses the dog only to gain money; otherwise, he does not respond to the dog.

HISTORY
When White Fang is five years old, he is taken to Fort Yukon so that Grey Beaver can trade with the gold-hunters. There, when Grey Beaver is drunk, White Fang is bought by Smith.

White Fang defeats all opponents pitted against him, including several wolves and a lynx, until a bulldog called Cherokee is brought in to fight him. Cherokee has the upper hand in the fight when he grips the skin and fur of White Fang's neck and begins to throttle him.

White Fang nearly suffocates but is rescued when a rich, young gold hunter, Weedon Scott, stops the fight and forcefully buys White Fang from Beauty Smith. He tries to steal White Fang back after Scott forcefully buys him, but White Fang brutally attacks him.