The Life of Jack London

Jack London was born John Griffith London to Flora Wellman. There is only speculation as to who his father was. Flora was ill and jack was raised throughout his infancy by a former slave Virginia Prentiss. In 1876, Flora married John London, a civil war veteran. The family settled in Oakland, where Jack went to grade school. The name Jack was adopted as he began to look for work as an adolescent. Jack had numerous jobs but return to finish school at age 19. He found socialism upon returning to school and was known as the "Boy Socialist of Oakland at the street corner oratory". Jack even ran, although unsuccessfully, for mayor on the socialist ticket.

Jack decided to become a writer because the prospect of working in a factory for the rest of his life seemed bleak.  Jack spent the winter of 1897 in the Yukon which provided him with his naturalist style that we know today. Jack went to write on of his most well known works, The Call of the Wild (1903). Jack then took a two year voyage across the Pacific which gave him material for more writing. Jack broke through the "taboo" barrier of writing about leprosy. He was also instrumental is popularizing Hawaii as a tourist spot.

Jack was one of the most publicized figures in his day. He used this fame to spotlight a few of his political views such as socialism, women's suffrage, and prohibition. However, Jack London was an inconsistent man in his views. He publicly accepted Social Darwinism, yet he claimed the "inevitable white man"(Stasz) would destroy the rich cultures of various native groups he had encountered through his travels. He openly supported women's suffrage, and created some of the most strong female characters known in American fiction, yet he was controlling and "patriarchal" over is wives and two daughters. He was an avid socialist, but he had a strong bond with his own capitalistic success. All of these issues where Jack London contradicts himself are why he remains such an interesting figure today.

Jack London was troubled by several physical ailments throughout his thirties. Jack developed a kidney disease, and died of a renal failure on November 22, 1916 at his ranch in California. Jack’s writings have been translated into several dozen languages and are more widely read around the world than in his home country. Jack's work has given way to several studies of the contradictory nature of the American writer. His work also gave us an idea as to the "key movements and ideas prominent during the Progressive era." Jack London was portrayed as a womanizer, and an alcoholic, however "recent scholarship based upon firsthand documents challenge this caricature"(Stasz).

Citation:

Stasz, Clarice. "Jack [John Griffith] London." Jack London. Dr. Clarice Stasz, 19 AUG 2001.       Web. 24 Oct 2010. <http://london.sonoma.edu/jackbio.html>.