Countless people have read and fallen in love with author Jack London's numerous books. London was a truly misunderstood man who often claimed that he used the characters in his books to help readers grasp what he was like inside. One of his most iconic books, White Fang, contains one of his characters that relate to him the most. The main character, White Fang, is much like him, except in wolf form. He developed White Fang to sound more and more like him as the pages advanced along. The theme of the book came into contrast with him as well. He suffered and endured much throughout his life and never had much of anything. At a young age he stole food out of a girls basket just because he wasn’t receiving enough food at home. London had lived …show more content…
He had lived in a tiny cabin with little resources, but still was very satisfied with the life he had chosen. Because of the way he lived, he connected the simplicity of his life to the many themes of the book. For example, in the beginning of the book, all London talked about was nature. He demonstrated what nature could do to the two dog mushers, Henry and Bill, in part one of the book. Also, when the book was taken into the perspective of White Fang, he demonstrated how humans deal with nature. London was also very connected to nature in his early years of life. He had hunted seals and dealt with many creatures of mother nature. He understood the delicate balance of nature, and throughout the book tried as hard as he could to explain it through White Fang’s eyes. Another theme is the theme of competition. London and White Fang both had to endure competition throughout their lives. London had very stiff competition in the writing world and White Fang had very stiff competition in the wild. London had to compete for fans, readers, and money to make a living and continue on doing what he loved. White Fang had to compete for food, shelter and life. If both had not endured competition in their lives they would not have the same attitude or be shaped the way they were. Lastly, one of the most interesting and relatable themes, suffering, is one that London and White Fang
What is a myth? Well to most it’s a concept or idea that are adapted to lead someone to believe a certain idea or concept. America is full of myths, tons. As a society they are lead to believe that if they put in the effort and work hard successes will come their way. If they want to succeed creating their own opportunities is a must. Our society feeds into these myths when in fact race and gender play a huge role in the successes they achieve. Heaven forbid the employee that works hard and puts in the time and effort should receive the rewards that are deserved, not based on whether they are male or female, black or white. Society and the media sensationalize the idea that a happy life is a wealthy and lavish life. Material possessions are
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Whitechapel's narrative focuses on the symbolism of seeing; the reason for this is to give the reader a sense of the extent to which society enforced its beliefs upon people and how much it effected them. Whitechapel has lived a very long time and has finally realized the truth about his enslavement and the extent to which he is dehumanized; this is emphasized by his regretful tone and demonstrates his disgust. The dehumanisation that has occurred is over his philosophies that as a slave he could earn respect through hard work and loyalty; this is rejected when his son is killed. The repetition of the phrase, 'I am nobody'; acknowledges that as a slave the society could not reward his loyalty or hard work because he had no status.
When we think of civilization, what comes to mind? Some might think of etiquette, compassion, and many other concepts of that nature. These are the things that people have come to accept as proper human behaviors. However, what of our more primitive instincts? Things that are often frowned upon such as pride, gut-instincts, and looking out for ourselves first are some of our most basic human needs. People in the modern world would like to rely more on teamwork and recognition that pride and independence. They prefer to trust logic and scientific reasoning in place of trusting what we believe to be right. They also seem to want us to help everyone around us before we do anything to help ourselves. In London’s The Call of the Wild, primitive nature is not something to be feared and overcome, but rather something to be utilized and fulfilled.
The Call Of Jack London During a time when man had gold fever, and philosophical views plagued the minds of many, one man took these views and turned them into great outdoor adventures. John “Jack” Griffith London, a twentieth century author, wrote The Call of the Wild, other novels, and short stories that depict the philosophical views of the time and added adventure to them by using his own life experiences that carried thousands of men including himself to the Klondike in search of gold. In Winter 1876 San Francisco John and Flora London shared the joy of childbirth in the celebration of their only child together. They named the baby boy John Griffith London, or Jack for short.
He uses the values and expectations to try to define himself. All that comes from that was him having to fake it to make it, still not finding out who his is as a person. Later on in the story when the narrator chooses to join the Brotherhood, he doing this is because he thinks that he can fight his way to racial equality by doing this. Once he enters in to this he figures out that they just want to use him because he was black. While at the place where this battle royal was going to take place is where some of the most important men in town are "quite tipsy", belligerent and out of control. When he gets in the ballroom there is a naked girl dancing on the table at the front of the room. He wants her and at the same time wants her to go away, "to caress her and destroy her" is what is states in the story. The black boys who were to take part in the battle were humiliated, some passed out, others pleaded to go home. But the white men paid no attention. The white men end up attacking the girl, who is described as having the same terror and fear in her eyes as the black boys. Over all, the narrator comes to conclusion that the racial prejudice of others influences them to only see him as they want to see him, and this affects his ability to act because
Throughout the novel , In the Heat of the Night, written by John Ball, there are many situations in which racism is incorporated. There are several characters in the novel that are racist, but their opinions are expressed in different ways. For example, the character, Sam Wood, usually keeps his opinions about racism to himself. The character, Bill Gillespie, expresses his opinions about racism vocally, but in a subtle way. The character, Harvey Oberst, expresses his opinions about racism vocally and without hesitation. All in all, each of these characters are clearly racist, but express their opinions differently.
London teaches us the harsh effects that nature can have on someone who is unprepared. We see that simple mistakes, like not traveling with a partner, or not bringing enough food, can bring down the whole trip. It shows us that pride can be the ultimate downfall of a man. Pride leads to overconfidence in oneself, which can lead to illogical decisions, which can lead to disaster. As was the case with the man in London’s story, his pride overtook him and led him to make choices that were senseless. We must learn from his actions and don’t think too highly of ourselves, but instead make informed and logical decisions. This includes asking the opinions of others and taking their advice, especially those far wiser and experienced than us. We must heed the warning that London gives us, and strive to live with
The book, The Devil in the White City, takes place during the late nineteenth century. During that time, the total picture of the late nineteenth - century America that emerges from The Devil in the White City is very different than now.
When Jack London wrote "To Build a Fire" he embraced the idea of naturalism because it mirrored the events of daily life. Naturalism showed how humans had to be wary at every corner because at anytime death could be there, waiting for them to make a mistake and forfeit their lives. He used naturalism, the most realistic literary movement, to show how violent and uncaring nature really is and how no matter what you do nature will always be there. London also presented the basic idea of Darwinism and the survival of the fittest, basically if you are dumb you will die. Collectively, London used naturalism to show how in life, humans can depend on nothing but themselves to survive. "To Build a Fire" is a short story that embodies the idea of naturalism and how, if one is not careful, nature will gain the upper hand and they will perish.
Jack London wrote the novel The Call of the Wild; it was also his first success (Feast). The Call of the Wild is an exciting beast fable which dramatizes the unforgiving harshness of existence but shows that suffering can lead to heroic self-awareness (Buckner). London was big on the philosophical idea of Naturalism. As well as having links with literary naturalism, "The Call of the Wild is also a mythical book informed throughout with such traditional myths as the Myth of the Hero." Although Buck is always a dog throughout the story, his predicament is highly relevant to the human condition in a novel beginning with concise patterns of description and moving toward an increasingly lyrical style (Williams). The protagonist of The Call of the Wild is a dog named Buck. He's part German Sheppard and half Saint Bernard, he's labeled the "hero" of the story. The story takes place primarily in the Klondike region of Alaska except for in the first chapter it takes place in the Santa Clara Valley of California. The story is centrally focused around Buck; if it wasn't for him not having any speaking parts the reader would think he was a human because of the personality traits he possesses. In this paper we will discuss traits such as Buck's ability to adapt, Buck's bravery, his mental and physical strength, his loyalty and love and his instinct of the wild.
Through vivid yet subtle symbols, the author weaves a complex web with which to showcase the narrator's oppressive upbringing. Two literary
...ezing, cold weather. The two types of conflict in “The Open Boat” and “To Build a Fire” are: man vs. self and man v. nature which are common in naturalism literature. London uses naturalism to show how harsh and indifferent nature really is and how no matter what, nature will always be there. He furthermore presented the basic idea of Darwinism and the survival of the fittest, ultimately if you are not the strongest you will not survive. London showed us that we only can depend on ourselves to survive in this world or in the Yukon of Alaska. "To Build a Fire" illustrates that the closer to death the character comes, the plot declines. As the story advances, the man's ambitions go from making it to camp, to staying warm, to just simply surviving. When reading, you can sense the lack of effort on the man's part, only brings him closer to a freezing, unavoidable death.
The law of club and fang applies to all creatures. Both man and animal are lured by the attractive forces of their ancestry. It is up to them to decide if they are willing to submit to the call and embrace their primitive nature. The Call of the Wild enlightens readers with a story about a dog who yields to said call and renounces his domesticated ways. Jack London juxtaposes the events in The Call of the Wild with those in his life by creating characters that are indicative of mankind, and incorporating the themes of heredity and the influence of the environment on both man and animal and double meanings of places and characters in the novel.
Jack London brings man versus nature discussion into his story. The environment, however doesn't play against him for say, but does warn him from the very beginning. The audience can conclude that just like “the man” everyone is alone in the world - fighting for ourselves and the things we wish to acquire. The character created by London is isolated from the universe and fooli...