A major results of the age of exploration was

Impact of the Age of Exploration
Explorers learned more about areas such as Africa and the Americas and brought that knowledge back to Europe. Massive wealth accrued to European colonizers due to trade in goods, spices, and precious metals. ... New food, plants, and animals were exchanged between the colonies and Europe.

One of the dominant themes of the novel is the debate between primitivity and civilization. In this story, we follow the transition that Buck undergoes from civilized to primitive. Buck's former life was defined by his comfortable house in California, and the position of power that he has in that household. However, after he is kidnapped, Buck begins to move towards primitivity, towards the "wild" in a slow but constant way.

The author not only contrasts primitivity and civilization, but he also makes a judgement on these. The author argues that primitivity is the most "authentic" way of life. He implies that the modern phenomena of modernization and civilization go against our true nature.