Jack London - The Sea Wolf (1904) Lots of angry men on a boat - and the Skipper's a nutter

The next time you are congratulating yourself heartily on achieving some perceived great feat of endurance or practical innovation – a recent example being my walking the pitiful 3.5 miles home from work in the January snows in the early hours of the morning – take time to read some Jack London afterwards, you will soon be reassured that you are in fact still a pampered milksop, safe in the comparitively luxurious ease of 21st Century living.

Many of London’s works are based on endurance, survival against all odds and good old fashioned adventure; one of his most famous novels, The Call of The Wild, told from the point of view of its canine hero and his peerless short story To Build A Fire are two fine examples.

Somewhere along the way into my reading marathon I found out via my Mum that my maternal Grandfather, Walter Baker (I never got to meet the man as he passed away a few years before I was born) loved to read Jack London, so this was my incentive to read my chosen book for the latest blog, The Sea Wolf.

The Sea Wolf deals with the plight and adventures of a literary critic, Humphrey Van Weyden, who is on board a ferry in San Francisco Bay which collides with another vessel and sinks, leaving him at the mercy of the sea. He is rescued by the crew of a seal hunting schooner, The Ghost, but soon realizes that his ‘rescue’ is in fact an involuntary capture against his will and that he is condemned to his new role in life as cabin boy - the very lowest amongst a bunch of the already pretty low. Here begins his adventure.

Captain of The Ghost is Wolf Larsen, physically strong, ruthless, cruel and brutal towards his crew. Faced with this constant threat of violence, a near crippling knee injury sustained in a fall and dealings with his immediate superior – the vile and fawning ship’s cook, Muggridge, whilst trying to come to terms with this sudden and undeserved loss of his liberty, VanWeyden soon realizes that his only chance of gaining the measure of Larsen is intellectually, owing to his obvious physical inferiority.

Van Weyden’s growth of character lies not only in his enforced ‘manning up’ as he strives to learn quickly the skills of sailing and the strengths to survive life on board ship, but in the development of his edgy relationship with Larsen, with whom he slowly forms an intellectual bond, albeit a very delicate one. The dialogue between Larsen and Van Weyden is often very reminiscent of the spiky banter between Quint and Hooper in Jaws and – similary – is mostly based on preconceived prejudice on the part of Larsen.

Further complications abound when The Ghost rescues three more castaways, one of whom is ………….. a lady!

The Sea Wolf is a compelling read with a steady narrative pace that doesn’t let up. It is not over long either (I read it over three consecutive evenings last Summer just after my legendary bicycle accident!) and upholds an atmosphere of claustrophobic tension throughout. Wolf Larsen is a superb literary creation; an unpredictable, manipulative and amoral bully, yet London reveals as the novel progresses that even such an unmatchable physical strength cannot compensate for some ultimate weaknesses.

The narrative is filled with detailed nautical terms, which at first I felt tempted to ‘google’ to have a better understanding, however in the end I just let them happen – who cares if I didn’t understand exactly what they meant – they just sounded great in the context of the tale. The contrast between the freedom of the sea and the open air, against the claustrophobic powder keg of life on board The Ghost is tangible throughout.

So, all in all, we have an exciting and totally readable tale of survival both physical and psychological and a great starting point if you haven’t read any Jack London before. The contemporary theme of seal hunting might seem a little brutal by today’s standards, but – rightly or wrongly – it was still an established means of making a living at the time this was written, hence the lack of sensation or concern in the manner in which it is described.

Perfect for an absorbing read under any circumstances that suit, The Sea Wolf gets a big, chunky Chairman’s score of 8/10.

More to follow……………..