Jack London
Jack London fought his way up from a life of hard, factory labor in Oakland, California, to become the highest paid, most popular author of his time. His writings questioned the meaning of life and death and captured the essence of the natural struggle to survive. Drawing on his own experiences in Alaska, at sea, and as a hobo, he wove his thoughts into adventurous stories, becoming a prolific author in expressing his own struggle in life. The trials and tribulations Jack London faced instilled in his work a sense of truth and realism that appealed to millions of people around the world. Jack London was born in San Francisco on January 12, 1876. He was the only child of a short-tempered spiritualist, Flora Wellman, and William Chaney, a man of many trades. Chaney never finished what he started, trying carpentry, sailing, editing, lecturing, and teaching. He had an interest in astrology and after traveling the country attending astrological meetings; he opened a small astrology parlor. Chaney abandoned Flora nine months after Jack's birth. Flora Wellman then married John London, a widower and father of two, in September of 1876. John London gave his name to Flora's illegitimate child, and it was not until his college day
By 1900, Jack London's stories were being published in national magazines and receiving excellent reviews. That year he married his math tutor, Bess Maddern, who later gave birth to his two daughters, Joan and Bess. It was a "Victorian marriage typical of the time, based on good breeding and not love (Wilson)." His famous novels, The Call of the Wild and The Sea-Wolf, both sold astoundingly well, earning more money that he had ever seen. During a visit to London's East End, Jack gathered material about the ravaging effects of industrialism on society and wrote The People of the Abyss. In 1904, Jack London was commissioned by the Hearst newspapers as a war correspondent and sent to Asia to cover the Russo-Japanese War. After returning to America, he unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Oakland in 1905. That same year, Jack London divorced Bess Maddern and married his secretary, Charmian Kittredge, three days later. This time he knew it was meant to be. Jack and Charmian played, traveled, wrote, and enjoyed life (Wilson). Together they only had one child, whom lived for only 38 hours. Jack and Charmian were determined to circumnavigate the globe on yacht that Jack had designed himself, The Snark. The boat was fifty-five feet long and had six foot ceilings below the decks. The cruise was planned to last seven years, but was cut short after being forced to stop in Sydney, Australia. It was here that Jack was treated for what was thought to be Leprosy, but was diagnosed as Psoriasis. After the diagnosis they were advised to return home to California. Jack soon purchased his first piece of real estate, the Hill Ranch. After six additional purchases, the name was changed to Beauty Ranch. His landholdings had increased over the years to fourteen hundred acres of trees, fields, springs, streams, canyons, hills, and wildlife. The ranch was to be the building site for the majestic Wolf House. The house took two years to construct of the native red wood trees, locally quarried boulders, volcanic rock, and blue slate. Only a few days before Jack and Charmain were to move in the house, it tragically burned down due to the careless oversight of a workman. At Beauty Ranch Jack rai
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Approximate Word count = 1471
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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