“It’s a unique phenomenon when a male becomes a man so late in life–probably because if he never truly became a man when most do, he likely never will. He certainly won’t seek out someone to father him like his own father failed to do, and if one such person appears on the scene he will likely avoid the man in a mechanism of defense.” (Christine Weber) When readers first encounter Humphrey Van Weyden, he measures up to almost no man. Throughout the novel The Sea Wolf, “Hump” as he’s nicknamed by Wolf Larsen transforms into much more than a man, Hump becomes his own Superman. His profound transformation into Humphrey Van Weyden-- man, can be credited to his experiences aboard Ghost and interactions with the crew. On first impression, Hump is a far cry from debonair. He is portrayed as cowardly and faint-hearted. The sinking of the ferryboat evidences this. As the boat begins to sink, Hump sees people screaming, including a multitude of women. Hump likens this to “the squealing of pigs under the knife of the butcher.” (Jack London) This startles Hump so much that he must remove himself by running out on deck to regain his composure. Once the ferry sinks, Hump is left floating in the dark, cold water. “I was alone, floating in the midst of a grey primordial vastness, I confess a madness seized me, that I shrieked aloud as the women had done, and beat the water with my numb hands.”(Jack London) It becomes clear that Humphrey has never been alone, and he is afraid to be. He has never been able to fend for himself and test his abilities. Hump doesn’t know what he is truly capable of. After the ferry sinks, Hump is rescued by the ship Ghost, under the command of Wolf Larsen. Once he is taken aboard, two sailors revive Hump. One of... ... middle of paper ... ... a man who is no longer absent to reality, but in a much more real sense, now driven by it. Bibliography Auerbach, Jonathan. Male Call: Becoming Jack London. Durham, NC: Duke UP, 1996. Print. Barrish, Phillip. The Cambridge Introduction to American Literary Realism. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2011. Print. Deane, Paul. "Jack London: The Paradox of Individualism." New York State English Council, Oswego 19.2 (1968): 14-19. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. . London, Jack. The Sea Wolf, Etc. [A Novel.]. Macmillan Co.: New York; Macmillan &: London, 1904. Print. Sauble, Margaret. "The Sea Wolf's Humphrey Van Weyden: From Meek to Man."Suite101.com. Suite 101, 25 Nov. 2013. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. Weber, M. Christine. "Humphrey Weyden And Wolf Larsen | M. Christine Weber." M Christine Weber RSS. N.p., 15 Apr. 2010. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
Perkins, Geroge, and Barbara Perkins. The American Tradition in Literature. 12th ed. Vol. 2. New York: McGraw Hill, 2009. Print
The seagulls in this story are used to symbolize human frailty and nature’s indifference to it. As the men continue their journey through the fierce waves, Crane incorporates the use of imagery to describe the nature around them by giving it gloomy colors that are often used to represent death. Toward the end of the story, as the men are still hoping to be rescued, they encounter a shark swimming around the boat that symbolizes that something bad is about to happen. At the end of the story, readers learn that the Oiler, Billie, dies, but if one pays close enough attention to the detail used in this story there is enough evidence to foreshadow the death of one character. In this story, “The Open Boat,” Stephen Crane uses imagery and symbolism through the use of colors and objects in nature to depict the characters lack of power over
American author, Stephen Crane often wrote about different predicaments that his fellow men encounters. “The Open Boat” is a fictional account of his experience as a correspondent shipwrecked while on expedition to the Cuban revolutionaries in 1897 (http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/stephen-crane) where he spent over 30 hours on a life boat with three other passengers. This realistic story depicts how four men are forced onto a 10 foot dingy after their ship sinks. Crane takes a realist approach when describing the natural elements such as unsettling winds and the raging seas which represent the uncaring and unforgiving nature of life. Clearly, Crane narrates the role as the correspondent, while he provides dialog to provide an understanding on how the other passengers are feeling. “The Open Boat” demonstrates that man cannot survive the natural elements and hardships while isolated in the sea without an understanding of nature.
Perkins George, Barbara. The American Tradition in Literature, 12th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2009. Print
The characters also are involved in the belief of the anti-transcendental philosophy. The story shows how each character acts with nature and each other. Many of the whalers must protect the boat and each other as they trek through the wild tides and horrible weather conditions. They try their hardest to fight these conditions, but sadly the narrator is the only survivor. These men exemplify the philosophy by fighting the animals; especially the whales ...
Writing in “Fact, Not Fiction: Questioning Our Assumptions About Crane’s ‘The Open Boat,’” Stefanie Eye Bates remarks, “By mentioning the men’s friendship, the atmosphere of congeniality and fraternity, the captain’s calm voice and the comfort the others took in it, Crane fully explains how he draws the conclusion that ‘although no one said it was so,’ the sense of unity was felt by all” (73). Since this bond of brotherhood is felt by all the men in the boat, but not discussed, it manifests in small ways as the men interact with each other. They are never irritated or upset with each other, no matter how tired or sore they are. Whenever one man is too tired to row, the next man takes over without complaining. When the correspondent thinks that he is the only person awake on the boat, and he sees and hears the shark in the water, the narrator says, “Nevertheless, it is true that he did not want to be alone with the thing. He wished one of his companions to awaken by chance and keep him company with it” (Crane 212). In reference to this scene, Shulman remarks that “the central theme of community [is] touchingly rendered here because the correspondent does not awaken his exhausted companions” (451). Nobody makes any statements about the bond that the men develop, but it is evident in small things like this, where the correspondent lets the other men sleep
The novella The Call of the Wild is a story of Buck overcoming challenges while being thrown into the real world and learning new traits like persistence and resilience. Protagonist Buck is a colossal St Bernards cross Scotch shepherd dog, transforms from a humble house dog and then eventually returns to a primordial state as a best of the wild. Along the way he is faced with an endless array of challenges. London achieves this by portraying Buck’s change in character in a manner that explores and incorporates diverse motifs.
Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 2189.
Curtis, Jim. "The Seagull: Overview." Reference Guide to World Literature. Ed. Lesley Henderson. 2nd ed. New York: St. James Press, 1995. Literature Resource Center. Web. 9 Feb. 2014.
Baym, Franklin, Gottesman, Holland, et al., eds. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 4th ed. New York: Norton, 1994.
Pizer, Donald. Realism and Naturalism in Nineteenth-Century American Literature, Southern Illinois University Press, 1984. 22-28. Rpt. in Literary Themes for Students, War and Peace, Ed. Anne Marie Hacht. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 447-449. Print.
Baym, Franklin, Gottesman, Holland, et al., eds. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 4th ed. New York: Norton, 1994.
Baym, Franklin, Gottesman, Holland, et al., eds. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 4th ed. New York: Norton, 1994.
Baym, Nina et al, eds. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. 1995.
Brenner, Gery. The Old Man and the Sea- The Story of a Common Man. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1991.