The Call Of Jack London
During a time when man had gold fever, and
philosophical views plagued the minds of many, one man took
these views and turned them into great outdoor adventures.
John “Jack” Griffith London, a twentieth century author,
wrote The Call of the Wild, other novels, and short stories
that depict the philosophical views of the time and added
adventure to them by using his own life experiences that
carried thousands of men including himself to the Klondike
in search of gold.
In Winter 1876 San Francisco John and Flora London
shared the joy of childbirth in the celebration of their
only child together. They named the baby boy John Griffith
London, or Jack for short. He became the twelfth child of
his father, for through his first marriage he had eleven
children. Jack London’s family was stricken by poverty.
His father had many trades, however worked mainly in truck
gardening(McCracken 370). After Jack’s graduation from
grammar school, which he attended in Oakland, Jack read many
novels, mainly ones about romance, travel, and adventure.
He took many odd jobs to make ends meet(Comptons Interactive
Encyclopedia).
Jack had ambitions for a life at sea. At age fifteen
Jack London bought a boat of his own, called Razzle Dazzle.
He became an oyster pirate, sailing the San Francisco Bay
robbing oyster beds and becoming a heavy drinker. Jack had
many hard times. He spent some time as a hobo and spent
some time in prison. At the age of nineteen he entered high
school. Hard work enabled him the privilege of attending
The University of California at Berkley. Less than a year
passed and he gave up school to try and support his family
and persue a writing career. He did not sell any of his
work(Kunitz and Haycraft 844).
He joined the gold rush to the Klondike in the summer
of 1897. The group stopped along the Yukon near about the
Stewert River for winter. London became vary ill with
Scurvy and was forced south for survival. Upon his re entry
to San Francisco Jack learned of his fathers death. He
could not find work of any kind, so once again he tried his
hand at writing. His first writing, a story about life on
the Yukon, was accepted by a magazine called Overland
Monthly. He was in demand by other magazines. Jack London
had finally found his niche. He was also starting a family.
He married Elizabeth Maddern and had two daughters, Joan and
Bess. He wrote his first novel shortly after this
engagement entitled The Call of the Wild. He became famous
however fame could not cover his depression(McCracken 371).
Soon after his new fame, Jack London went to the
Russo-Japanese War as a correspondent for The San Francisco
Examiner. Upon his return to the USA he was sued for
divorce. The day after the divorce was final...
