An Analysis Of Characters And Theme In Jack London's Martin Eden

Martin Eden is one of the representative works of Jack London and is widely acknowledged as the most leading work on social ideological content at the beginning of the twentieth century in America. As a semi-autobiography, based on the description of Martin Eden's tragic life, the story reveals the real life in that period. The thesis mainly analyzes characters and the theme. According to the characteristics of characters, the writer shows us the distinction between thoughts and value standards among different classes. Meanwhile, the novel emphasizes the dominating and crucial place of class status and value of wealth. American Dream is the central theme whole story. And Jack London becomes one of the writers who touch the theme so early at the turn of the 20^th century. In the process of exploring the theme of American Dream, the pursuit of American Idealism, the destruction of American Dream and the disillusion of American Dream are revealed from three different stages of the protagonist. Those facts disclose, from another point of view, the hypocrisy and fraudulency of "civilized" bourgeoisie; attack the vulgar relationship among people in society. The working class is suffering a hard time; society is poisoning and corrupting the spirits of people.