Jack London

Paper Summary:

Jack London was a creative American novelist and short story author whose works deal romantically with the overwhelming power of nature and the struggle for survival. This paper examines how his literature falls into the category of naturalism, since typical naturalist fiction places the human, a creature living by survival instincts, against a cruel world. It also discusses how through his literature such as "The Call of the Wild", London perpetuated the vision that for man to survive he must fight his environment.

From the Paper:

"Fascinated with the Arctic region, London developed what has been called his code of the North. To survive, one must be as harsh as external conditions, and one achieves such toughness by imposing an austere discipline on oneself. Deeds are far more significant than words. One must shun pride and arrogance and must be unselfish and tolerant. When the individual reaches this level of personal advancement, he or she can be elevated into a mythical space beyond civilization and the material world. For instance, Buck, after surviving human brutality, numerous fights with other animals, and the harsh exigencies of nature, heads off into this primordial paradise at the end of the novel, a prime illustration of how Naturalism sometimes resembles Romanticism."

More papers on Jack London:

• Book Review # 69182 : "Jack London"
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• Analytical Essay # 55550 : "Jack London and his Writing Style"

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