English Language and Literature ETDs

Ronald Gower

Publication Date

8-5-1970

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study is to consider the concept of struggle, of life as battle, in Jack London's work. Criticism in the past has focused on the man himself, his era, or the intellectual milieu in which he lived; yet none of these approaches, by itself, has fully explained the attraction of London's fiction. Yet all do suggest that the insistent theme in his work is that view of life as conflict, and it would seem to be this concept that gives his writing its vitality and dramatic appeal. There seem to be three distinct phases to this life-view as represented in London's fiction. In his best, and generally his earliest, writing, struggle is a sufficient end in itself to the author, and the fascination with conflict is the main feature of his work. The second phase is that period in which London tried seriously to find a purpose for struggle; his fiction shows a struggle to understand, to reach conclusions and to resolve his own philosophic ambivalences and uncertainties, and it is often a conscious dramatization of ideologies in conflict. When no satisfactory resolution was found, in either his life or fiction, London entered a third phase in which his major literary emphasis was upon escape. This third group of stories illustrates his attempts to create artificial resolutions to the struggle of life, to escape into a happy ending which usually involved a "mate-woman" and/or rest and peace in a benevolent rural setting. The introductory chapter establishes the theme of struggle as central to London's work, and also shows the sources of the author's life-view. All three major sources are considered: the era, the intellectual currents, and most important, the author's own experiences. These sources also show the ambivalences implicit in London's thought which ultimately led to personal despair and artistic failure. The study then discusses the three phases of London's life and work, considering especially the effect of natural and societal settings on his literature. The fiction indicates a definite progression, from a portrayal of struggle for its own sake, to dramatization of ideological conflicts, to the final escapism. Much of London's attraction to an immense audience lies in his view of life as a constant struggle--for survival, for dominance, for social reform. The quality of the fiction seems to depend on the cycle of London's own life and thought, as might be expected from so personal a writer. It is at first relatively simple and uncluttered, less an intellectual exercise than an emotional experience related with great force and little self-consciousness. As London's life became more complex and troubled, so the work becomes more conscious and complicated; and finally, the literature reflects London's loss of the will to struggle. The very best pieces seem to be those works which portray elemental struggles, often in a natural setting: the least effective stories are those which portray a final, contrived escape from life-as-battle.

Degree Name

English

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

English

First Committee Member (Chair)

Robert E. Fleming

Second Committee Member

Ivan Peter Melada

Third Committee Member

David A. Remley

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

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