The Sea-Wolf - The Original Classic Edition. London Jack

Its the tale of a rather bookish gentleman who is virtually press-ganged to work on a sailing ship. Through vicious hardship he is faced with the choice of survival (and in the process compromising his morality) or almost certain death. The main villain, if you will, is the Captain of the ship, whos physical strength and presence is overwhelming. <p> When I first dipped into THE SEA WOLF, I was struck by its similarity to CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS. Humphrey van Weydons ferry-steamer, The Martinez, is rammed by another ship in San Francisco Bay in a heavy fog. Van Weydon is rescued by Wolf Larsen, captain of the seal-hunter, The Ghost. Larsen refuses to take Van Weydon ashore, laughing at his offer of money. Once again, I am reminded of another famous book, MOBY DICK, and Larsen is Captain Ahab. Ruthless and single-minded, Larsen decides to make Van Weydon his cabin boy on this four month trip to provide seal pelts for fashionable American women. Van Weydon resists until Larsen catches hold of his arm and squeezes. A man of letters who freely admits never working a day in his life, Van Weydon does everything hes told from that point on, including aiding and abetting the Captain as he mistreats his crew. <p> Early on we learn some of Larsens motivation when he and Van Weydon have a literary discussion. We discover that Larsen is a literary bully. Hes never spent a day in school, but he reads Shakespeare, Robert Browning and John Milton. Londons theme becomes clear and Larsen and van Weydon argue about immortality, van Weydon declaring that man has a soul; Larsen retorting with a Scrooge-like Bah! And suddenly we have the first gleanings of an existentialist novel. If there were no God, how should man behave? Larsen, seeing evil everywhere he looks, decides he will do whatever is best for him personally. <p> The conflict is not precisely good versus evil. Van Weydon is a weakling, a pampered rich man, a coward. There is also much to admire about Wolf Larsen. He outduels seven men during a mutiny. Hes constantly reading, constantly trying to understand. When Van Weydons story arc begins to ascend–he learns seamanship, rebuilds the ship when its masts are destroyed–we cant help but give Larsen a bit of credit. Larsen never took no for an answer, no task was too difficult. <p> Another interesting element in the book is Londons fledgling steps toward womens liberation. Van Weydon falls in love with another castaway, Maud Brewster, and together they overcome storms, isolation on a small seal rookery, and sabotage. <p> Its well worth the read. Get past the first ten pages, and you may find it hard to put down. <p> Great book! This book is excellent, entertaining and fast paced.