The Beliefs of Jack London
There were many magnificent writers who lived during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. One of the most magnificent was John Griffith Chaney, better known as Jack London. "He was among the most influential figures of his day"(Stasz), and "...one of the most attractive and romantic figures of his time"(Wissdorf 3). However, this success was not handed to him on a silver platter. "Jack London ascribed his literary success largely to hard work- to 'dig', as he put it"(Wissdorf 3). His life can be looked upon as a rags to riches story or a "poor-boy-turned-success"(Stasz). Along with his determination to escape poverty, many other things influenced his writings: socialistic views, geographical areas in which he had lived, and great philosophers. Jack London expressed his beliefs of social Darwinism as well as racialism by incorporating them as the main themes in his short story, "To Build a Fire". In order to completely understand the actions and beliefs of the man, the main character in "To Build a Fire", one must take a look at the way Jack London grew up. His family was very poor, but they were proud to be Americans. Since he started working at a very young age, he educate
"Contrary to popular belief, it was Herbert Spencer, not Charles Darwin, that first coined the phrase 'survival of the fittest'"(Sciambra 1). The way Jack London incorporated these two themes, social Darwinism and racialism, was certainly magnificent. It is known as racialism, and many of "the earlier 'Klondike' stories had as their central theme the struggle of white men to overcome the elements"(Sciambra 7). Jack London applied these life experiences to the character of the man. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. the struggle between the conflicting calls of barbarity and civilization"(Brooks 253) to present his theme of social Darwinism. Since he was not experienced in the ways of traveling the Yukon, he had underestimated the dangers and became another victim of racialism.
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