Jack London Research Paper

The ideas and subjects expressed in Jack London’s works are a reflection of his life and experiences. Jack London’s childhood was a constant with poverty, which enabled him to have adventures that most people would never experience. The country’s economy, during his life, was extremely low, and most families struggled with some level of poverty. Many of Jack’s experiences are revealed in his writings through growing up poor, man vs nature, and underdog.

Growing up in dire poverty caused Jack to be self-reliant at a very young age. Jack’s parents were horrible at managing money, so the family was always broke. “To help support his family, the ten year-old London took his first job” (Author Study, 144). There were many times in his life

London’s family had to overcome many struggles too. “When the family moved back to Oakland in 1885, after they lost their farm in Livermore, London discovered that he could check out all the books he wanted for free at the Oakland public library. These books gave him a basis for his education” (Reesman, Web). This text supports the fact that Jack London had problems but then overcame them with a passion. London also describes his characters as underdogs relating back to his own life like in his short story, “King of Mazy May.” “Walt reached out from his sled, watching their wheel dogs by the forelegs in midspring, and throwing him heavily. This snarled the team, capsizing the sled and tangling his enemies up beautifully. Away Walt flew, the runners of his sled fairly screaming as they banded over the frozen surface… And because of what Walt Masters did on this night, the men of the Yukon have become proud of him, and speak of him now as the King of Mazy May” (London, 156). Walt Masters was a poor man that overcame and became a king. London also used and underdog in his well known novel, The Call of the Wild. “Buck saw the Yeehats, that killed John Thornton and his sled team, dancing around the wreckage. He attacked them in a very fierce and constant motion, dodging the arrows getting shot at him. Buck killed many of the Yeehat indians and they fled the area and regrouped in a lower valley” (London,104). In this case Buck was an underdog but fought to avenge John. London had a poor and calm childhood but was soon tossed into a harsh environment where he had to work for his family’s survival. “He had been suddenly jerked from the heart of civilization and flung into the heart of things primordial” (London, 16). This explains Bucks life and how he was thrown into an unusually harsh lifestyle and had to adapt. Jack London uses his life and how