Sea Wolf--Jairus

 Background 

Sea Wolf, published in 1904 by Macmilian was written by Jack London. Sea Wolf is an excellent example of nautical fiction, following the themes that typically surround the genre. These themes usually comprise issues with masculinity, division of class, capitalism, racism, and technicality, which is the ability of the author to describe naval devices. The book follows the adventures of Humphrey Van Weyden, a gentleman who hasn't gone through many difficulties in life; when he suddenly finds himself aboard a sailing vessel called the Ghost, which is captained by Wolf Larson. The book takes place during the Bering Sea Dispute, which was when countries were putting limitations on sailing vessels that´d hunt different marine animals for their resources. 

Summary 

When Humphrey Van Weyden is thrown into the sea due to his ship colliding with another vessel, Weyden is rescued by a passing ship headed by Wolf Larson. Weyden soon learns that he is aboard a seal-hunting vessel and that Captain Larson is a ruthless and tenacious being. As the novel progresses, Weyden gets to see the atrocities throughout the ship and is able to learn more about the work the crew does through Larson. Thus, Weyden is able to transform from a soft, weak boy into a seasoned sailor.

 During his time aboard the Ghost, Weyden interacts with a variety of people that have been negatively impacted by capitalism and other issues. Characters, such as Mugridge, represent the class struggles that many sailors faced and these issues were often what brought them to this dangerous business in the first place. Weyden even acknowledges the fact that Mugridge didn’t have much of a chance in life due to his circumstances. 

The rest of the crew aboard the Ghost all have different senses of morality, with most of them not having much regard for life and simply focusing on money. All of this time at sea and their experiences growing up, have caused their morals to change. This has resulted in the crew being extremely aggressive and greedy, often responding to whoever can benefit them the most. However, these morals are challenged when a woman boards the ship. The arrival of Maud Brewster within the novel has a profound impact on the crew. 

Their inability to interact with women on the job has turned them into ferocious beasts, and Weyden was tasked by Larson to protect and aid her during her time on the Ghost. With the arrival of Brewster, Weyden puts all that he has learned from his time spent on the Ghost into practice as he learns to take care of himself and another person. This evolution of Weyden showcases his character development and is ultimately the end goal of Weyden’s journey. 

Analysis 

Sea-Wolf ‘s main conflict that fuels the novel is the rivalry between Weyden and Larson. While writing the book, London would often quote philosophers such as Nietzsche and Schopenhauer and a lot of the dialogue between Weyden and Larson becomes extremely philosophical. They’d often debate many topics such as the sanctity of human life or the ramifications of pleasure. 

With philosophy being a major part of Sea Wolf, it isn’t surprising to see that some of the characters within the novel are expressions of different philosophical concepts. Wolf Larson could be seen as a representation of Nietzche’s Übermensch, which is a superhuman that was so superior that it justified the entire human race. Weyden on the other hand seems to take inspiration from Schopenhauer and his belief that humanity could surmount their destructive tendencies of pleasure through self-restraint. 

London also challenges a lot of gender stereotypes that were common throughout nautical fiction through the introduction of Maud Brewster. Brewster as a character was quite progressive during this time period due to being more than just a simple romantic interest or a damsel in distress. Brewster is a strong character who has been able to support herself through life and is also quite adamant about contributing to her and Weyden’s own well-being throughout the novel. 

Overall, Sea-Wolf was an extremely interesting novel that was able to captivate me through the journey of Humphrey Van Weyden. The progression of Van Weyden’s character from a small, insignificant boy, to a hardened veteran of the sea, was enjoyable to witness. The inclusion of philosophy throughout the novel enticed my interest as well due to being able to see differing ideologies and what happens when these ideologies clash with one another. As a piece of nautical fiction, I believe that Sea-Wolf is a good representation of it while also being quite progressive.