Analysis of the Social Darwinism in The Sea Wolf

孔丹丹

Abstract： Jack London is a renowned realist writer in the United States in the 19th century. The Sea Wolf， as one of his representative works， vividly describes different legends of destiny of diverse characters happened in a ship named the “Devil” and interprets social Darwinism. From the perspective of social Darwinism， this thesis explores the historical background of the author， analyzes the historical reasons for the creation of The Sea Wolf and the influences of Darwins theory of evolution and Nietzsches Superman philosophy on the formation of social Darwinism. The purpose is to provide readers with an in-depth understanding of social Darwinism and the background of The Sea Wolf.

Key Words： The Sea wolf ; Social Darwinism; Characters Analysis of the Social Darwinism in The Sea Wolf

I.Background Information

1.1 A brief introduction to Jack London

Jack London （1876-1916） is a renowned realist writer in the American literary world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries， occupies an important position in the history of American literature and in the world. His works are full of dedication and affection to life. He is an industrious and prolific genius writer， and his life was full of works.

1.2 A brief introduction to The Sea Wolf

The story of The Sea Wolf took place on a ship named the “Devil”， which can be considered as an epitome of American society. The story is about a ship crashing in the Gulf of San Francisco; a writer named Van Weyden in the ship drowned， but was rescued by the “Devil”， and the ensuing series of exciting stories.

II. The Definition of Social Darwinism

Social Darwinism is derived from Darwins theory of evolution， which refers to the Western sociological school derived from Darwins theory of biological evolution. The standpoint advocates that using Darwins survival competition and natural selection to explain the law of social development and human relations. The view argues that the survival of the fittest also exists in human society. Therefore， only the strong can survive. The weak can only suffer the fate of demise.

III. Jack Londons Characters Reflected in The Sea Wolf

Jack London came from the bottom of the heap， experiencing the frustrations such as parents divorce， loss of school and other life frustrations， and tasted the hardships of life. So he owns personal experiences of the lower class of social life. It is not difficult for readers to find out that the characters in the short stories of his works are generally born in the lower classes. The images may be sailors， boxers or gold diggers， what they all have in common are strong perseverance and indomitable spirit. His adolescent experience has given him a profound understanding of poverty. He has great sympathy and concern for the tragic fate of the working class.

IV. Social Darwinism reflected in characters

4.1 Wolf Larsons fate changes

Larsen was made by the sea， and his heart kept a state of incessant fighting. The lives when he was a sailor opened for him another window to the world. He realized that only become formidable could beat others. “Humanity” and “Beast” kept fighting on him， making him a moody man. It also makes him a glamorous image in the history of world literature. Larsen， captain of the “Devil”， he is the wolf on the ship. He is not only cruel and brutal， but what is frightening is that he also has a wealth of knowledge of astronomy， geography， literature， science.

4.2 Van Weydens physical and mental improvements

On the “Devil”， he witnessed too many bloody killings， feeling himself was in another world. Initially， Van Weyden was at the bottom of the “Devil”， always being ordered to do a variety of arduous work， and always being abused. Speaking of the fight， he is far from Lassen. He is a weak man who is obliged to obey. He gradually realized that if he wishes to survive， he must become strong.

V. Conclusion

Literature is a special way to understand the history and society， no matter how far they appeared， on condition that it truly recorded and reflected the society， the humanity， the time， humans pursuit for the kindness， and beauty. Readers can understand a writer through his works. Therefore， they could get a good understanding about Jack London through The Sea Wolf.

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