Jack London

The Sea-Wolf Jack London

Millionaire Humphrey van Weyden, a bookish gentleman, was coming back, from visiting a friend in the East Bay shore. Crossing the waters to San Francisco, again, his ferry collides in the thick fog, with a steamer. Quickly sinking her, the dilettante, can't swim, good thing he has a life preserver on, going overboard, amid piercing cries, in the gloom, drifting in the chilly water, out through the Golden Gate (before the bridge was built). The tides and winds sweeping him, to the open sea, rescue vessels can't see Mr. Weyden, in the "pea soup", nobody around him, a quite calm prevails. It makes the survivor, very distraught, knowing the end is near, he screams into the darkness, despairingly, slowly going insane? Numbness through his whole body, time goes by, but how much, elapses? Sleep takes the victim, to another world, but he awakes, and sees a three masted schooner, heading directly at the lonely man . Barely missing his skull, watching the boat, pass by, helpless to shout out, Humphrey, dead tired, has no voice left, too much seawater, consumed. Captain Wolf Larsen spots the tiny object in the ocean, brought on board, later thinking, was this good or bad? Asking to be taken back to the city, the captain of the" Ghost," refuses, he's heading for Japan, this is a seal-hunting schooner. Owner, captain, tyrant, his word rules, the twenty seamen hate him, with a passion, they the worst of the scum, criminals, killers, thieves, on any sea. But are afraid more, of the Wolf, he has killed many... Makes the wealthy man, a cabin boy at 35, working in the galley, with the slimy, dirty, filthy "Cooky", and he's the cook! Treating the millionaire, like a lowly slave, the vicious chef, delights in tormenting Weyden, who's choice is, work or die. Survival of the fittest, Wolf Larsen, believes that, a very strange combination of intellect and brute strength, discussing philosophy and literature (life is valueless, except to itself). With the newest crewman, "Hump", between terrorizing everyone on the boat and putting down a mutiny. The captain has a brother, too. "Death" Larsen, arch- rival on a seal-hunting vessel, a steamer, owner, skipper, of the well armed, larger, "Macedonia", and in the area. Trouble is coming, the ocean is vast, but the seals, are in the same place, they, the siblings, hate each other with enthusiasm. The seals blood flows freely on deck, as the beautiful animals, are butchered, for their skins, why? For women's coats. Humphrey has to somehow escape this hell hole, how? Leaving the Ghost, is not easy, if he stays, the primitive Wolf Larsen, will kill him, someday. Complications arrive, five people are rescued, off the stormy coast of Japan, shipwrecked, four are immediately made crewmen, whether they want to be or not. There have been losses, on the "Ghost", one is a woman... Maud Brewster, a poetess, this is 1904, the lonely man, has read her poems, and enjoyed them. He starts to fall in love, and he a part- time, literary critic and reviewer of her work, in magazines!