The Beliefs of Jack London
There were many magnificent writers who lived during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. One of the most magnificent was John Griffith Chaney, better known as Jack London. "He was among the most influential figures of his day"(Stasz), and "...one of the most attractive and romantic figures of his time"(Wissdorf 3). However, this success was not handed to him on a silver platter. "Jack London ascribed his literary success largely to hard work- to 'dig', as he put it"(Wissdorf 3). His life can be looked upon as a rags to riches story or a "poor-boy-turned-success"(Stasz). Along with his determination to escape poverty, many other things influenced his writings: socialistic views, geographical areas in which he had lived, and great philosophers. Jack London expressed his beliefs of social Darwinism as well as racialism by incorporating them as the main themes in his short story, "To Build a Fire". In order to completely understand the actions and beliefs of the man, the main character in "To Build a Fire", one must take a look at the way Jack London grew up. His family was very poor, but they were proud to be Americans. Since he started working at a very young age, he educate
The man failed to survive due to his racist views that Jack London had instilled. His pride and racism blinded him to the dangers that the below freezing temperatures presented. He thought "any man who was a man could travel alone"(London 495). This ignorance created many problems that contributed to his failure to survive. "He was a newcomer in the land, a cheqaquo, and this was his first winter"(London 491). Since he was not experienced in the ways of traveling the Yukon, he had underestimated the dangers and became another victim of racialism. "...[A]nd upon man's frailty in general...it did not lead him to the conjectural field of immortality and man's place in the universe"(London 491). The way Jack London incorporated these two themes, social Darwinism and racialism, was certainly magnificent. The man portrayed many of the same things that Jack London had believed. As for the husky, it was support for the theory of "survival of the fittest", coined by Herbert Spencer. It was no wonder that he was one of the most well known writers of his time. He overcame many of the struggles he was dealt and became successful at what he loved to do. http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/London/index.html, September 21, 2000. Stasz, Clarice. The Jack London Collection. [Online] Available London, Jack. "To Build a Fire." Rpt. in The American Experience.
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Approximate Word count = 928
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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