Dancing With The Wolf:an Analysis Of Jack London’s Wolf Complex

The wolf image is always one of the themes in western culture and literature. It is one of the themes of Jack London’s works as well. Jack London had a lifetime fascination with the wolf, and this fascination can be called the "wolf complex". London shows the reader his fascination with the wolf through both artistic creation and his own experiences. This thesis attempts at analyzing his wolf complex from three aspects:his artistic creation of different wolf images, his quest for the wolf spirit, and his concern with ecological harmony.In chapter one, London’s artistic creation of different wolf images is examined. There is an extensive list of London’s fictional works dealing with the subject of the wolf. London’s wolf-related fiction involves various characters and themes. On the one hand, he depicts the primitive living conditions of wolves or dogs in the wild, showing the law of nature and Darwin’s principle of "survival of the fittest". On the other hand, sometimes, the wolf characters are personified as brilliant animals that have feelings and thoughts such as in The Call of the Wild and White Fang, expressing his great passion for animals and his concern for the relationship between humans and animals. In addition, he creates many vivid characters that are named as the wolf to reflect the characteristics of his heroes, exploring human nature and human destiny in the universe.Chapter two is engaged in discussing London’s quest for the wolf spirit in the capitalist world by analyzing the wolf spirit presented in his fiction and the reasons for his quest. The wolf spirit presented in his fiction can be interpreted in three aspects:the strong will to survive, adaptation to different surroundings, and possession of strength and intelligence. London’s call for the wolf spirit has profound causes, of which social background is a very crucial one. London lived at a time with highly advanced industrialization; many people were trapped in a society like a human jungle."Survival of the fittest" is a demonstration of this. Another profound reason for London’s quest is his life experiences. His poor family background and adventures in different places led to the formation of his idea about the wolf spirit. The last reason is that London was influenced by Darwin’s "survival of the fittest" and the Nietzschean concept of "superman" during his lifetime.Chapter three analyzes how London’s wolf-related fiction operates on the level of ecology as well. He criticizes anthropocentric views or behaviors and appreciates the beauty of eco-centric deeds. London re-imagines the wolf or wolf-dog character to express his quest for ecological harmony through depicting the relationships between humans and nature, humans and animals, and between humans themselves.It can be concluded that London’s vivid descriptions of the wolf in many of his writings and his exceedingly great interest in nature during his lifetime reflect his search for a balanced relationship between humans and nature and between humans themselves.