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Darwinism Jack London

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The american society at the turn of the 20th century was characterized by its system of industrial capitalism. This essay explores the idea that Jack London’s short story “A Piece of Steak” of 1909 takes a critical stance on behalf of the working-class towards the contemporary industrial capitalism represented by the system of boxing sport within the story.
A capitalist society is defined by the usage of private capital on a profit-based fashion (Schäfers 123). Industrial capitalism is furthermore marked by Social Darwinism, which applies Darwin’s theory of natural selection to society (Jillson 117-8). Another trait of capitalism is the emergence of two social classes, the upper and the working-class. Critics often describe the system solely through its shortcomings, such as poverty and harsh labor conditions of the working-class, while the upper-class lives in wealth (Jillson 121, Ginzberg 38). …show more content…

The winner of the physical fight “[takes] the big end of the purse” (London 449). The prize money is certainly enough to live comfortably, as “money was flush” in King’s winning days (London 449). The loser, however, goes home with only three pounds, a wage that cannot sustain a family as shown by the poverty of the King family (London 448, 450). Therefore, winning the fight becomes synonymous with surviving and it is thus truly survival of the physically fittest, a Social Darwinism characteristic of industrially capitalist societies such as during the beginning of the 20th

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Author Norman Cousins's essay is powerful and well written undoubtingly. However I feel as though the descriptiveness in the writing shows more of a spotlight on human nature than a need for boxing to be outlawed. When the relationship between the fans and the competitors is described in full, the author, makes well known that it's the fans that demand brutes. A graphic descripition on the fraility of the human brain emphasized the unnecessary risks involved but with little condemnation to those who actively participate. Futhermore a description towards the end of the essay gives me the impression the author isnt fully objectified to boxing.

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Boxing, a very physical sport which consist of two men or women(nowadays) fight and attempt to knock on another down for 10 seconds, is a very controversial sport among critics due to the number of health risks that can happen to due to the violence of the sport. Norman Cousins, a journalist from The New York Evening Post wrote about the incident and bashed everyone from the boxers to the fans involved. He criticized the sport and described it as a barbaric and uncivilized sport for killers. This opinion seems completely inaccurate when reading “In Defence of Cassius Clay” by Floyd Patterson, a former boxing world champion.

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