The Sea-Wolf

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The Sea-Wolf
First edition cover
Author	Jack London
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Adventure novel
Publication date	1904
Media type	print (hardback & paperback)

The Sea-Wolf is a novel written in 1904 by American writer Jack London. Its first printing of forty thousand copies were immediately sold out before the publication of the book.^[1] Ambrose Bierce wrote, "The great thing—and it is among the greatest of things—is that tremendous creation, Wolf Larsen... the hewing out and setting up of such a figure is enough for a man to do in one lifetime... The love element, with its absurd suppressions, and impossible proprieties, is awful." ^[1]

Contents 1 Background 2 Plot 3 Characters 3.1 Humphrey van Weyden 3.2 Wolf Larsen 4 Film adaptations 5 References 6 External links

Background

The personal character of the novel's antagonist "Wolf Larsen" was attributed to a real sailor London had known, Captain Alex MacLean. London, who was called "Wolf" by his close friends, also used a picture of a wolf on his bookplate, and named his mansion "Wolf House." Given that Hump's experiences in the novel bear some resemblance to experiences London had, or heard told about, when he sailed on the Sophia Sutherland, the autodidact sailor Wolf Larsen has been compared to the autodidact sailor Jack London.

Originally from Cape Breton Nova Scotia, MacLean sailed to the Pacific side of North America when he was just twenty-one and worked there for thirty-five years as a sailor and sealer. His achievements and escapades while in the Victoria British Columbia fleet in the 1880s laid the foundation for his status as a folk hero.

The real-life Captain Alec MacLean was born May 15, 1858 in East Bay, Nova Scotia. He did sail mostly in the Pacific North West with his brother Captain Dan MacLean. Capt. Alec was at one time the Sheriff of Nome, Alaska. The MacLean Captains maintained their ties to Cape Breton Island despite having spent much of their lives sailing the Pacific Coast and do have living descendants (The Highland Heart of Nova Scotia, Neil MacNeil).

London's intention in writing the The Sea-Wolf was "an attack on Nietzsche's super-man philosophy." The novel also contains references to Herbert Spencer, Omar Khayyám, Shakespeare, and John Milton.

The real-life USRC Bear and its color commander, Captain Michael A. Healy, each icons along the late 19th century Alaskan coast, were reportedly inspirations for London when writing The Sea-Wolf. (The Bear is the American revenue cutter which comes to the rescue at the end of his story). In 1930, the Bear, then a museum ship in Oakland, California, portrayed a ship for a film version of The Sea-Wolf.

Plot

Like The Call of the Wild, The Sea Wolf tells the story of a soft, domesticated protagonist, in this novel's case an intellectual man named Humphrey van Weyden, forced to become tough and self-reliant by exposure to cruelty and brutality. The story starts with him onboard a San Francisco ferry, called Martinez, which collides with another ship in the fog and sinks. He is set adrift in the sea, eventually being picked up by Wolf Larsen. Larsen is the captain of the seal-hunting schooner, the Ghost. Brutal and cynical, yet also highly intelligent and intellectual (though highly biased in his opinions as he was self-taught), he rules over his ship and terrorizes the crew with the aid of his exceptionally great physical strength. Van Weyden adequately describes him as an individualist, a hedonist, and a materialist. As Larsen does not believe in the immortality of the soul, he finds no meaning in his life save survival and pleasure and has come to despise all human life and deny its value. Being interested in someone capable of intellectual disputes, he somewhat takes care of Van Weyden, whom he calls 'Hump', while forcing him to become a cabin boy, do menial work, and learn to fight to protect himself from a brutal crew.

A key event in the story is an attempted mutiny against Wolf Larsen by several members of the crew. The organizers of the mutiny are Leach and Johnson. Johnson had previously been beaten severely by Larsen, and Leach had been punched earlier while being forced to become a boat-puller, motivating the two. The first attempt is by sending Larsen overboard; however, he manages to climb back onto the ship. Searching for his assailant, he ventures into the sleeping quarters, located beneath the main deck, the only exit being a ladder. Several, at least seven men, take part in the mutiny and attack Larsen. Larsen however, demonstrating his inhuman endurance, strength, and conviction, manages to fight his way through the crew, climb the ladder with several men hanging off him, and escape relatively unharmed. Van Weyden is promoted as mate for the original mate had been murdered. He later gets his vengeance by torturing his crew, and constantly claiming that he was going to murder Leach and Johnson at his earliest convenience, being after the hunting season is done, as he can't afford to lose any crew. He later allows them to be lost to the sea when they attempt to flee on a hunting boat.

Following this, the Ghost picks up another set of castaways, including a female poet named Maud Brewster. Brewster and van Weyden had known each other previously, but only as writers. Both Wolf Larsen and van Weyden immediately feel attraction to her, due to her intelligence and "female delicacy". Van Weyden sees her as his first true love. He strives to protect her from the crew, the horrors of the sea, and Wolf Larsen. As this happens, Wolf Larsen meets his brother Death Larsen, a bitter opponent of his. Wolf kidnapped several of Death's crew and forced them into servitude to fill his own rank], lost previously during a storm. During one of Wolf Larsen's intense headaches, which render him near immobile, van Weyden steals a boat and flees with Brewster.

The two eventually land on an uninhabited island, heavily populated with seals. They hunt, build shelter and a fire, and survive for several days, utilizing the strength they gained while on the Ghost. The Ghost eventually crashes on the island, with Wolf Larsen the only crew member. As a revenge, Death Larsen had tracked his brother, bribed his crew, destroyed his sails, and set Larsen adrift at sea. It is purely by chance that Van Weyden and Brewster meet Larsen again.

Van Weyden obtains all of the firearms left on the ship, but cannot bear to murder Larsen, who does not threaten him. Van Weyden and Brewster decide they can repair the ship, but Larsen, who intended to die on the island and take them with him, sabotages any repairs they make. After a headache, Larsen is rendered blind. He feigns paralysis, and attempts to murder van Weyden when he draws within arm's reach, but just then is hit with a stroke that leaves him blind and the left side of his body paralyzed. His condition only worsens; he loses usage of his remaining arm, leg and voice. Brewster and van Weyden, unable to bring themselves to leave him to rot, care for him. Despite this kindness, he continues his resistance, setting fire to his mattress.

Van Weyden finishes repairing the Ghost, and he and Brewster set sail. During a violent storm, Wolf Larsen passes away. They give Larsen a burial at sea, an act mirroring an incident van Weyden witnessed when he was first rescued. The story ends with them being rescued by an American revenue cutter.

Characters

Humphrey van Weyden

Van Weyden starts the book weak of body but strong of mind. He grows stronger as the story progresses, physically through the manual labor, including his learning of the ship's workings and rivalry with Thomas Mudgridge and spiritually as he endures the various hardships, including his inconsistent relationship with Wolf Larsen. Upon meeting Maud Brewster, he realizes just how much he has changed, gaining muscle mass, a more rugged appearance, and a different outlook on life.

Van Weyden has a unique relationship with Wolf Larsen. Though he is in effect the captain's prisoner, Larsen shows him favoritism and occasionally acts as a father figure, giving advice on how to survive aboard the ship. Though Larsen claims to take van Weyden aboard primarily because he needed an additional hand, he also seems to genuinely believe he is doing something good for van Weyden. He claims that van Weyden has never "stood on his own legs", meaning he has never had to work and always relied on his inheritance from his father to survive. Throughout the book, Larsen compliments van Weyden on his growth, eventually telling him he is proud of him, and calling him a real man, able to stand on his own legs rather than a "dead man's (his father's)" legs.

Van Weyden has an ideology that is in sharp contrast to Larsen's. He believes in the internal soul, inherent good, and that men should act justly under all circumstances. His views are constantly being challenged by Larsen, who encourages him to give into his desires and behave in an immoral fashion. Van Weyden resisted himself from the teachings, and kept his original ideology. By the end of the story, Larsen is annoyed that van Weyden still clings to his beliefs and refuses to murder him, despite all the suffering Larsen has put him through.

Wolf Larsen

Larsen is a complex character. Physically, he is described as approximately five feet ten with a massive build: broad shoulders and a deep chest. He displays tremendous strength throughout the story. Van Weyden describes Larsen as beautiful on more than one occasion, perfectly symmetrical, a perfect specimen of masculinity. Yet, despite this, his true strength is described as something more primal, more primitive and animalistic. He is extremely intelligent, having taught himself a variety of fields, including mathematics, literature, science, philosophy, and technology.

Larsen was born in Norway, though he is of Danish descent. He spent his entire life at sea; cabin-boy at twelve, ship's boy at fourteen, seaman at sixteen, able seaman at seventeen. It is unclear when he obtained the Ghost and became captain. He has several brothers, but only Death Larsen is mentioned.

Larsen displays characteristics of a sociopath. He has absolutely no fault with manipulating and bullying people to better serve his needs. He routinely takes men hostage, castaways such as van Weyden and seal hunters from other ships, and uses them to fill his own ranks when needed. He murders and abuses people without hesitation, seeing no value in life. He enjoys the intellectual stimulation that van Weyden and Brewster provide, but van Weyden describes their relationship as one between a king and his jester. According to van Weyden, he is only a toy to Larsen.

Despite his immense internal strength, Larsen at times shows signs of weakness and depression. He is envious of his brother, because his brother is simple minded, and so is able to enjoy life unburdened. He also claims he is envious of Brewster's and van Weyden's faith, but later says it is only his mind, and he knows he is better off without it. He also speaks of frustration that he never amounted to anything great. He claims he had all the determination and will, but was never given the proper opportunity.

Wolf is not Larsen's real given name. His genuine given name is never spoken. Dialogue heavily implies that he is called "Wolf" because of his nature and viciousness, and for similar reasons, his brother is called "Death". Wolf in the novel seems to be a very strange and violent man and for no particular reason. But in one scene where Wolf and Humphrey fight, Humphrey stabs him in the shoulder. Clearly this did little damage to him but he stumbled back with a severe headache.

Film adaptations

Jack London's novel has been adapted for motion pictures many times:

• The Sea-Wolf (USA, 1913), starring Hobart Bosworth, with Jack London appearing as an unnamed sailor;
• The Sea Wolf (USA, 1920), starring Noah Beery (Larsen) and Tom Forman (Van Weyden);
• The Sea Wolf (USA, 1926), starring Ralph Ince and Claire Adams (Maud);
• The Sea Wolf (USA, 1930), starring Milton Sills;
• The Sea Wolf (USA, 1941), starring Edward G. Robinson (Larsen), Ida Lupino (Maud), and John Garfield;

• Wolf Larsen (USA, 1958), starring Barry Sullivan and Peter Graves;
• Der Seewolf (Germany, 1972, TV, 4 part miniseries), starring Raimund Harmstorf and Edward Meeks;
• Il Lupo dei Mari (Italy, 1975, The Legend of the Sea Wolf), starring Chuck Connors and Giuseppe Pambieri;
• Morskoj volk (Russia, 1991, TV), starring Liubomiras Lauciavicius and Andrei Rudensky;
• The Sea Wolf (1993, TV), starring Christopher Reeve and Charles Bronson;
• The Sea Wolf (1997), starring Stacy Keach.
• The Sea Wolf (ProSieben, Germany, 2008), starring Thomas Kretschmann. As the result of a yet unsettled court case raised by TeleMuenchen this version may have to be renamed^[2][3].
• The Sea Wolf (ZDF, Germany, 2009), starring Tim Roth, Neve Campbell and Sebastian Koch; Produced by TeleMuenchen^[4].

References

External links

• The Sea-Wolf at Project Gutenberg
• Full text of The Sea-Wolf