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Jack London, an American author known for his thrilling adventure stories, showed the world that even an exciting story that takes place in exotic settings can include all the intricacies of great literature. This is seen in many of his stories with the implementation of symbolism, many times a recurring theme in his work. Also, London used many ideas of the day such as Darwinism and Spencerism in his writings in order to better portray his views. However, perhaps one of the most telling signs that London wrote good literature was through London's mastery of a rising literary movement known as naturalism.
As seen in multitude of London's works, symbolism plays a major role in his writings. One of London's greatest works of short fiction, "To Build a Fire" is a prime example of this inclusion of the literary technique that is so crucial in so many of London's greatest stories. In this story fire is a major symbol, symbolizing life in a world of cold, the freezing Klondike. This symbol helps London to show his belief that to survive in nature one needs nature. This is a recurring symbol/theme in London's work, also appearing in "Law of Life." Here, an old Native American must harness fire to survive the harshness of the wild. When the old man's fire finally expires, as happens in "To Build a Fire", so too does the old man's life (Hamilton ). Along with the use of fire as a symbol in many of his stories, London uses the symbolic canine in the majority of his stories, including "To Build a Fire", "Law of Life", Call of the Wild, and White Fang among many other stories. In all of these stories some sort of canine, whether dog or wolf, appears, becoming a motif in the works of Jack London. London often uses these charac...
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...rporated into his masterful works the element of literature known as naturalism and joined other great American authors such as Stephen Crane and Theodore Dreiser in the sphere of great naturalistic writers.
The author of such tales as White Fang and Call of the Wild, Jack London incorporated in his writings man facets of literature that proved that a story could be both exciting and thought provoking at the same time. This was achieved through numerous ways, such as the use of symbolism as a driving force behind the highly naturalistic stories that London produced. Also, the use of very different intellectual ideas, such as those of Herbert Spencer and Carl Jung helped to maintain London's belief that exotic stories could be great in the world of literature and have a place beside other great works such as Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Jack London whose birth name is John Griffin was known for his fiction adventurous novels. Although he was a sailor, gold prospector, rancher and served his country in the Army he still have yet served the time in the wilderness of Alaska. Jack London wrote ‘’The Call of the Wild’’ as if he lived it before. His words jump at you so viciously you had no choice to swallow, savor, and meditate on your life just like Chris McCandless. In the book ways of reading page 429 the dark knight of the soul by Richard E. Miller said that Jon Krakauer wrote about how Jack London actually persuade Chris McCandless that he could possibly escape the bonds of the corporatized world and reach a space of greater calm.
Mark Twain is a well-known novelist; his novels were a wide range from humor, details, and well-known characters. His most known literature, which are his classics include, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain’s notorious novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, has been and continues to be very controversial due to the fact of him describing racism, yet not calling those acts racism.
Fang the main character is a gray cub wolf. Wolves in this novels were used
Do the events and trials a writer goes through effectively make their writing style change? Both Jack London and E. E. Cummings were literary giants for their own times. Both had different life events, grew up in different settings, and had different influences in their lives, but how much of a difference does that make? Londons Call of the wild is regarded as one of the best naturalist writings that not only was a big hit for naturalists, but for every generation afterwards. Cummings The Enormous room, shows the crucial punishment of a soldier who is confined into a room in a concentration camp in La-Ferte mace, normandy. Cummings book is based off of his real life time experience in a concenctration camp in which he endured many difficult conditions. What life, and era events caused these two well known writers to write these stories?
writer who gave so much of himself in his belief that "writing was his duty on earth."
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.
Literature has played a large role in the way we perceive the world and it can affect the way in which we think about things. Edgar Allan Poe along with Mark Twain are two of the most influential authors that our world has ever seen. Their descriptiveness and diction has had a huge impact on their readers for centuries. Poe’s gothic style of writing was very enthralling and suspenseful; it left you wanting to know what was going to happen next. Whereas, Mark Twain was a very humorous author that intended to amuse all that read. The descriptiveness that was incorporated by these world-renown authors is tremendous.
...erryman, John, Stephen Crane: A Critical Biography. 1950. Rpt. In Discovering Authors. Vers. 1.0. CD-ROM. Detriot: Gale, 1992.
Jack London is the name you can hear everywhere, his writing appealed to millions of people all around the world. London was an American novelist and short-story writer, who wrote passionately about questions of life and death, surviving. The writer had a lot of adventures, experienced the life at sea, or in Alaska, or in the fields and factories of California, all of these influenced his writing style. Jack London descended from the family of his mother Flora and astrologer and journalist William Chaney. The writer has got his education by himself and with help of a librarian Ina Coolbrith - he has a passion to read books at public libraries. Later in life, Jack finally graduated from high school in Oakland. Jack London's work carrier was so variable, he has been a laborer, factory worker, and oyster pirate on the San Francisco Bay, member of the California Fish Patrol, sailor, railroad hob, and gold prospector. Yes, gold prospecting was the big part of his life, when the young writer with his brother-in-law sailed to join the Klondike Gold Rush where he would set his first successful stories. Jack London was a hard-worker, he tried never miss his early morning 1,000-word writing stint, what helped him to write over fifty books between 1900 and 1916. In addition to it, he corresponded with his readers, and made huge researches for improving his writing style, what is, obviously, genius. The consequences of such a hard work became the fact that Jack London had become the best selling, highest paid and most popular American author of his time. Many authors and social advocates have been inspired by Jack London’s heartfelt prose, and readers travel and experience so much through his books.
Jack London’s “To Build a Fire,” is a story about a man who travels only alongside a husky through the frigid conditions of the Yukon, and becomes a victim to Mother Nature. The man was warned before hand by an old man that he should not travel alone through the frigid Yukon. He ignored the old man’s advice and tried to prove to him that he would be able to cross the Yukon on his own. As the man traveled he was able to recognize the dangerous conditions around him and notice what it was doing to his extremities. Still he made no effort to slow down which resulted in his death. The imagery, irony, and relationship between the man and dog in the story help foreshadow death.
Another tool that London uses to make this a great story is the way he uses the character of the dog to illustrate the failings of the main character. He describes the dog as a simple creature, a product of its instincts. The dog knows of the foolishness of being out in the open, and only wants to shelter itself from the cold. Because of the cold the dog "experienced a vague but menacing apprehension that subdued it and made it slink along at the man's heel," (L...
Pizer, Donald. Dictionary of Literary Biography Volume 12 : American Realists and Naturalists . Boston: The Gale Group, 1982.
Jack London was an American man of many talents, which included being an author, journalist and a social activist, despite being minimally educated. Nonetheless, he was undoubtedly most recognized for his short stories and novels that fixated on the harsh, cold climates that Mother Nature crafted. London focused on a deeper level of the wild and the literary devices in his work are littered throughout every one of his novels and short stories, including The Call of the Wild, White Fang, as well as “To Build a Fire.”
By reviewing the authors during the naturalism and realism movements of literature, it soon becomes clear which writers supported which view. While every one of them were sure to have different views on certain matters, many used their fiction to show a more reasonable if upsetting life. These inspiring authors told tales that represented many things they believed and had confidence in. There were many before these men and women who shared their ideas on paper and there will doubtlessly be countless still to come.
Within London’s stories, he presents a dark tone but life lessons throughout his pieces of work. One of London’s works that mirrors dark tones, and life lessons is “To Build a Fire”. This story is about a man who is traveling in extreme, miserable cold weather conditions with his dog. Though this man was advised by an older man not to travel in these harsh conditions, he does it anyway. In this story, the man’s destination is a faraway camp with people whom in which he is supposed to meet with. At the beginning of the story, he starts out with such optimism and courage that he is going to make it to his destination with no problem. As the story goes along, his health and optimism starts to deteriorate. I loved how London, throughout the story included the turmoil that this man was starting to comprehend. For example, a sign of trouble that the man was experiencing was when the “circulation of wet and freezing feet cannot be restored by running when it is seventy-five below. No matter how fast he runs, the wet feet will freeze the harder.” (pg. 1052). At this point in the story, the stubborn man is now remembering the older man from Sulphur Creek who had warned him, and tried to give him advice. London has managed to present the downfall of the man’s well-being. As the man gets worse and his dog is no longer wanting to be in his company, the more the old man’s advice is brought up. Further in the story the man’s optimism is beginning to disperse, and he decides at one point after trying so hard will not make it to the camp. He later dies under a tree, and the dog later goes away from him, and heads to the camp alone. This story is a representation of regret and troubled events that this man endures because of his stubbornness. London was able to present a story with hope, optimism, doubt, regret, life lessons, and the reality. As a result, this is why I love this work by Jack London,