On Binary Opposition In Jack London’s Art Of Characterization

Jack London (1876-1916), as a reputed realistic writer in the early20th century, has invariably attracted critical attention. His novels have been explored from diverse perspectives, such as New Historicism, Ecofeminism, Marxism etc.. However, critics and scholars seem to ignore his art of characterization. The unique technique of binary opposition in characterization endows his works with perpetual allure. The Sea-Wolf, Martin Eden and Burning Daylight, London’s three representative novels, serve best to present how binary oppositions work within as well as between characters. On the basis of structuralist binary opposition and its relevant theory, this thesis seeks to examine both the surface and deep-hidden binary oppositions reflected in characterization of the above-mentioned novels so as to prove that binary opposition is a keynote in Jack London’s art of characterization and to embody the aesthetic qualities consisting in contradictions.The thesis includes six chapters. The first chapter reviews Jack London’s life and his major works, presenting literature review and thesis statement. Chapter Two introduces the theoretical framework, i.e. structuralist binary opposition and the theory of "mythic matrix". Chapter Three focuses on binary oppositions within characters. Employing structuralist binary opposition and "mythic matrix", it expounds opposing bundles of mythemes in protagonists’inner worlds and draws out deep binary oppositions. Chapter Four delves into binary oppositions between characters under the same theories, analyzing opposing mythemes between characters and extracting deep binary oppositions. Chapter Five explores reasons for Jack London’s binary orientation. His complexity in identities and the colliding ideologies of his time jointly lead to this creation mode. The last chapter concludes the whole study and reasserts Jack London’s artistic feature of binary opposition as a keynote in characterization, which not only facilitates better understanding of the writer but also provides useful references for appreciating the aesthetics of contradictions.