I’m teaching a unit on survival surrounding Jack London’s The Call of the Wild. We’re focusing on the idea of primordial instinct and the questionably immoral things that people and animals do when survival instincts kick in. We’re also talking about which of those things we consider excusable and inexcusable and why.

I’m looking for short stories (preferably fiction rather than totally true personal narratives) that focus on these themes. Ideally, I’d like to have them read something that isn’t about the cold — maybe something about a desert, ocean, or tropical location would work better.

Any ideas?