The Sea-Wolf

The Sea-Wolf by Jack London (1904) I realized I had never read anything by Jack London except that story that everyone reads in high school—so I picked out The Sea-Wolf, more or less at random—wanting to read some sort of nautical tale, as I’m always fond of. I went into it not knowing a thing about the story (even though countless movies were made, based on it, over the years). It was quite a revelation—not so much that it’s a great book, seeing how it’s a famous book from way back—but I was surprised at the story and scope of the book and where it took me. It’s exciting and satisfying, because each step of the story was a surprise—and I didn’t see where it was going, for the most part. It’s about a well-off gentleman who is rescued from a shipwreck by an oceangoing ship, a schooner, which is embarking on a seal hunting journey. Instead of returning him to shore, the ship’s captain, an amazing character named Wolf Larsen, essentially kidnaps him and makes him work on the ship. He only survives because he’s remarkably resilient, and also, the captain takes a liking to him, as they are both readers and they enjoy discussing their various philosophical views. There are lot of great characters, actually, but Wolf Larsen is exceptionally complex. He’s a monster, but you have to admire a side of him, an incredible human being, too—his strength, skill, and willpower—but not without weakness. The reader is pulled into the moral quandary—would you kill this man if you had a chance—or try to escape from him—or even follow him? The story takes some vicious turns—to say the least—and constantly defies expectations. Eventually, a woman is rescued from another shipwreck, and her introduction into the mix brings things to the boiling point—as one might expect!