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Posted by lev on March 18, 19103 at 01:15:05:
In Reply to: short sea wolf summary posted by john cantrell on February 07, 19102 at 20:24:28:
Sea Wolf is Man vs. Man. Or in this case Man versus the man beast. Humphrey Van Wyden is on his way across the San Francisco bay when his boat carrying him, the Martinez was hit by a ping boat. The boat began to sink and ‘Hump’ jumped off board along with the other pengers, who sat in the water till they were all picked up, and Hump no longer heard them, he was all alone. After floating in the cold water for and unknown period of time a large sealing boat came upon him, The Ghost.
As he was pulled into the boat he witnessed the first glimpse of Wolf Larson’s little regard toward other people. The first mate had just died and Wolf cursed and beat the dead body then had it thrown overboard with little sadness or care. Then attention was turned to Hump where it was noticed that he was a “gentleman” and “stood on the legs of his father and other dead men”.
Wolf Larson was a large, bulky, strong and beastlike man. He ruled the “ghost” with a powerful hand and was feared and despised by all the men on board. He had a quite contrary belief system to Hump. He believed that people only had value to themselves and morals were only in your head, people did what they did to survive and the way of looking at people was what separated the two men. He was a self taught man who had both the beastlike qualities of a lion and the intellectual capacity of a professor but he used it differently than one would because of his experiences.
Hump was immediate taken in on the boat and held as a sort of captive. Larson wouldn’t let him leave and made him become the new cabin boy. As cabin boy he spent countless hours peeling potatoes and serving men. His superior was Thomas Mugridge. Thomas (or Tommy by the hunters and cooky by Larson) was first introduced as a somewhat dirty but caring man, who helped Hump when he was the new gentleman on board, but now he was “bellicose” and “domineering” as he had been kind. He refused to make any considerations that Hump had never done any real work all his life. He later in the book becomes a fiend and jealous of humps relationship with Larson and always carrying and sharpening a knife to intimidate others. But he learns his lesson as he annoys people and they vent on him instead of the culprits and last of all his foot is bitten off while being dragged in the water.
Along the voyage tensions build between the men and Larson and Hump become engaged in long philosophical talks that may absolve him from his Cabin boy duties, making Mugridge resentful of him for he had to do the work.
One day a Hunter, Johnson began to speak badly about the clothes in the boats store. Larson being captain takes responsibility and offence at this and beats him to a bloody pulp. Leach, another crew member then harbored Johnson and cared for him after he was wounded, he called out to Larson and called him nasty things and a murderer. Larson plainly looked on, but this wouldn’t be forgotten in the times to come. Leach and Johnson would always be enemies to Larson and he lets them die when the time comes.
Hump is in a sense two faced throughout this all, he seems to enjoy Larson and yet despise him. He befriends him and talks to him yet wants him gone. One day after both Johnson and Leach had escaped on one of the small boats that the sealers used, a boat with 3 men and a woman was spotted. When the boat came onto the “ghost” the woman was taken to sleep and she did for 3 days straight. Hump identified her as Maud Brewster. She is rich and does not work and uses her intelligence to survive. She is not accustomed to doing things for herself. She’s is beautiful and 27 years old.
Immediately things on the Boat began to change. The hunters and men were less rowdy and Hump had fallen for her and was determined to get them both from that place.
One late night Hump stole away with Ms. Brewster. Miss Brewster and Van Wyden escape from the Ghost on a small boat and land on an island that they name “Endeavor Island”. Life on the island is hard and Miss Brewster and Van Wyden become self-sufficient and fall in love. The Ghost, in disrepair and abandoned except for Captain Larsen, arrives at the island one day. Van Wyden attempts to fix the ship and in spite of Larsen's attempts to sabotage his work he succeeds. Larsen is slowly dying of a brain tumor. Miss Brewster and Van Wyden set sail on the Ghost and Larsen dies of the brain tumor shortly afterwards. Miss Brewster and Van Wyden are rescued by an American ship.
The main plot of the story is about the conflict between the two types of men, those who can stand on their own legs and those who “stand on their fathers legs” and how Hump changes. It’s also about people’s experiences and how that effects their sense of morality.
: +The Sea Wolf
: +Jack London
: +First published in 1904
: It is about a long and perilous sea voyage that starts off when a San Francisco high society type, Humphrey Van Weyden, is rescued by a seal-hunting schooner, the Ghost, after a ferryboat accident in San Francisco Bay. Van Weyden winds up a reluctant crew member on the schooner, captained by Wolf Larsen, a brutal man. Van Weyden acquires the nickname Hump and begins a long journey of both mental and physical obstacles. High adventure but lots of intellectual content as well.