The Vicissitude of Superman Beliefs in Jack London’s Novels.doc

the vicissitude of superman beliefs in jack londons novelsabstract: jack london, whose life symbolized the power of will, was the most successful writer in america in the early 20th century. his vigorous stories of men and animals against the environment, and survival against hardships were drawn mainly from his own experience, there appears many heroes like buck in his books, people think that he was deeply affected by nietzsches philosophy of superman, his superman exist in most of his books, and praise for it again and again. but it is not the true, read his works carefully, its easy to find that there is a vicissitude, his earlier works praise for superman, but latter, he change his attitude towards his superman. this paper, therefore, tries to analyze the vicissitude of the superman beliefs, and try to find out the reasons that make him change his attitude.key words: philosophy of superman；tragedy of superman；comedy of superman； final despair杰克伦敦作品中超人理念的变迁研究摘要：.杰克伦敦, 是意志力量的象征, 他是20世纪初期美国最成功的作家。在他充满活力的作品中，常常会出现与恶劣的环境做斗争，面对生存的艰难不退缩的角色，这一切的素材和构想都主要是来自于自己的经验, 作品中出现许多象巴克这样的英雄角色。人们认为伦敦深受尼采的超人哲学的影响, 他的大多数的著作里都会出现他的超人, 他不停地，反复地称赞超人，完全沉迷于他的超人理念当中。但实际上并非如此, 仔细地读过他的作品, 很容易发现伦敦的作品里出现对超人理念的质疑, 他早期的作品里是有称赞超人, 但后来, 随着生活的变化，他改变他的对于超人理念的态度。本文设法分析伦敦对超人理念的变迁, 并设法发现使他改变态度的原因。关键词：超人哲学; 超人悲剧；超人喜剧；最终绝望contents1.jack londons life and his works.12. philosophy of superman.2 2.1 nietzsches philosophy of superman.22.2 londons philosophy of superman.23. the superdog in the call of the wild.4 3. 1 the description of bucka symbol to sing high praise of the superman.4 3.2 the comedy of superman.74. the sea wolfa compromise of the notion of superman.84.1 description of wolf larsen.94.2 description of van weyden.105. martin edentowards the final despair of superman philosophy 5.1 the description of martin eden.125.2 tragedy of superman.126. conculsion.15referencs.16acknowledgements.171.jack londons life and his worksjack london was a famous writer whose work combined with socialism, mysticism, darwinism, and nietzsches theories of race. of the fifty books he published during his short career, super believes are the call of the wild is the most famous and widely read. londons fiction, particularly the call of the wild, and the sea wolf are considered the classics in american literature.born in san francisco and abandoned shortly after birth by his father, london took the name of his stepfather. because of his familys poor financial condition, he had to leave school and support the family. he had worked as cannery worker, longshoreman, and nocturnal scavenger of san francisco bay. in his spare time, he tried to further his education by reading the works of herbert spencer, karl marx, friedrich nietzsche, and others. he joined the klondike gold rush of 1898,returning to san francisco penniless, but with a wealth of memories which provided the raw material for his stories.when london grew up, he began to experience the world and get in touch with the explosion of radical ideas. at that time, darwins origin of the species provided the foundations of evolution and also for the formulation of the distorted theory of social darwinism. herbert spencers synthetic philosophy established evolution, not only as a science but also as a philosophy. karl marxs communist manifesto issued a challenge to capitalism that would result in decades of conflict. and finally, nietzsche introduced the “superman” theory, bringing the concept of the individual intellectual into the foreground. these men and the ideas they fostered affected the ever inquisitive, intelligent young mind of jack london. the conflicts of social darwinism versus social justice and individualism versus socialism are subjects that permeate londons works. although jack london had the physical and mental abilities to identify with nietzsches “superman,” he also had the experience with poverty and a capacity for sympathy that enabled him to understand and to take up the cause of the helpless and the impoverished.the wide variety of readings and experiences that fed londons imagination produced the two seemingly contradictory world views found in his work such as the sea wolf, reflecting the doctrines of rugged individualism and the superman, which london had learned from reading darwin and nietzsche. the paradoxes of londons fiction mirrored the contradictions of his personal life. london also declared that such works as the sea wolf and the autobiographical martin eden were written to refute the doctrines of individualism and the superman, an argument which many critics have been unable to reconcile upon examination of the texts.2. philosophy of superman2.1 nietzsches philosophy of supermanone of jack londons favorite books was nietzsches thus spake zarathustra. in this book, nietzsche expounded his theory of the beyond - man or superman. the superman was perfect in both mind and body. he was unmatched in strength and intelligence. he was also not encumbered by religious or social mores. it was the idea of the superman that jack london would incorporate into many of his novels and short stories.2.2 londons philosophy of supermanmost well known of jack londons works are the call of the wild, the sea wolf, and martin eden which established his superiority in the field of nature and adventure stories. all of these works are characterized by power, bold ideas, concreteness of language, mystery and suspense. these works, as do most of londons pieces, describe thrilling battles against great odds, for london viewed life as a continual struggle against an indifferent or even cruel nature.for jack london there were two types of supermen. london wrote, i have been more stimulated by nietzsche than by any other writer in the world. london considered himself an admirer of nietzsche, but also an intellectual enemy. london regarded both the sea wolf and martin eden as indictments against the selfish individualism of the superman theory. determined to overcome the impoverished conditions into which he was born, london became, at a very young age, the type of “rugged individualist” often featured in his short stories and novels. working at a series of occupations, including that of sailor on a sealing ship and trail-breaker on a gold mining expedition in the klondike, london play developed physical strength and a sense of adventure ,qualities celebrated in his works. andrew flink points out that london identified himself with buck in several passages of the novel. for example, a one-month internment for vagrancy that london served in a pennsylvanian penitentiary, flink contends ,is reflected in bucks experiences as a captive of dog traders. both london and buck emerged from captivity wiser, stronger, and more independent.wolf larsen, in the sea wolf, and martin eden were the antithesis to burning daylight. in regards to martin eden, london stated that one of my motifs, in this book, was an attack on individualism. i must have bungled for not a single reviewer has discovered it. london considered both wolf larsen and martin eden as doomed failures because their nietzsches philosophy, as jacks did, did not include cooperation, i.e. socialism. jack londons attack against individualism was never more eloquent than as it is stated in the pages of martin eden. the exhilarating purpose and energy of martin was inspiring because of his underlying dedication to the enlightenment of man. however, this inspiration turned to despair when martin eden found that his individual success was empty and lacking in convition. unable to conform to the ideals and expectations of the bourgeois society, both author and character died frustrated and alienated individualists.3. the superdog in the call of the wild the call of the wild is the most famous book among jacks animal writing novels. its also londons first best seller. this story, now familiar to young people all over the world, also for its striking and unique style, follows the readers indication and makes jack london rich. it can well represent features of his characteristic “klondike stories”. one of the characteristics of his novels lies in their themes, especially focusing on superman ,focusing on the fight between the human and the nature and his expression of his respect for humans strong will in these fights.3. 1 the description of bucka symbol to sing high praise of the supermanuntil buck is kidnapped, he lives the life of a sated aristocrat. his education into the harsh realities of an unprotected life begins shortly after he is abducted. in a fever of pain and rage, buck meets the man in the red sweater, who provides the first step of his initiation into the wild. buck had never been struck with a club in his life, but the shock came again and again, he is brought crushingly to the ground by a vicious blow of the club. buck thus learns his first lesson: a man with a club is a master to be obeyed. “the club was a revelation. it was his introduction to the reign of primitive law, and he met the introduction half-way” (the call of the wild, p15) having seen a dog that would neither obey nor conciliate killed makes the alternatives clear to him: to obey, to conciliate, or to die; and buck is above all a survivor. bucks next lesson takes place when curly, his friend, is killed by the huskies when she makes friendly advances to one of them .in two minutes, she is torn to pieces. “so that was the way. no fair play. once down, that was the end of you.”(the call of the wil , p19 ) at once he realized that “he must master or be mastered; while to show mercy was a weakness. mercy did not exist in the primordial life, it was misunderstood for fear, and such misunderstandings made for death. kill or be killed, eat or be eaten, was the law.”(the call of the wild, p68)the philosophy of the survival of the fittest runs through every page of londons book. when buck tries to sleep that night, he is unable to find warmth. after wandering around the camp, he decides to see how the team is making out. he comes across billie buried in the snow, proceeds to make his own hole and fall asleep instantly. when he awakes, he instinctively forces his way out of the snow that has gathered over and around him. without realizing it, he has begun to draw on the ancestral knowledge that is his birthright. perrault and francois are very glad to have buck. when the dogs are harnessed, buck marvels at the change in dave and sol-leks. they are no longer passive, but excited and ready to work. more dogs are added, and they all lose the look of unconcern as soon as their sled is moving. buck is still learning, but soon the whip snaps less frequently.the journey grows more difficult as the dogs have to break their own trail. every night in camp, buck is exhausted. he is bigger than the other dogs, and though he receives a larger ration, he never feels satisfied. once a dainty eater, he has lost all fastidiousness after his being robbed for eating slowly. he duplicates the actions of pike, a new dog, by stealing a whole chunk of bacon. he is not caught, and another, weaker dog is punished in his place. bucks theft marks him as fit to survive in the northland environment. property and personal feelings can no longer be respected. he does things because they are necessary. he acts not on reason but on instinct. buck speedily develops more heightened senses, hardened muscles, and an iron stomach. he becomes the son of his ancestors, and when he howls at the moon he repeats the same ancient song they sung before him. all of this comes about, because a gardeners assistant did not earn enough to support his family and his gambling habit.heroes of jack londons novels are always great .the settings are almost all in the environment filled with many difficulties ,where hard will, strength, and morality are shown. the heroes go from one difficulty to another, experience disaster after disaster. for instance, the hero of the call of the wild, buck, can be considered as a typical example of londons hero, he struggles bravely against the hostile environment in the northland and rapidly gets accustomed to it with its great adaptability. he also struggles against his antagonists with his bravely and intelligence and eventually becomes the leader of a wolf pack. buck has a strong willpower and remarkable power of endurance and lives through many plights. buck eventually finds a new living style which is to live with a wolf pack in the wild. on bucks first day on the dyea beach he sees that he has been flung from civilization into confusion and chaos. he had learnt the regulation, he must always be working and alert among the savages who know only the law of club and fang. attack is a constant threat. the good-natured curly is killed simply for trying to make friendly advances towards a husky dog only half her size. the dog takes her down with efficient, quick technique. once it is certain that curly will not rise again, the rest of the dogs in the camp attack and kill her. spitz, the lead dog of bucks team, laughs. buck hates him bitterly. he has learned that fair play does not exist, and he resolves that he will never go down. the first time he is harnessed to the sled, his dignity is hurt but he is too wise to rebel. dave, an experienced wheeler, nips at buck whenever he is making mistakes. spitz growls at him warningly from his front post. buck learns quickly from these two dogs, and francois is pleased. when a husky, sol-leks, dave arrives, he is noncommittal and expects nothing from anyone; buck soon discovers the only thing that will move sol-leks. buck accidentally approached him from his blind side, and he is given a vicious cut in return. he learns quickly not to repeat the mistake. buck lives in special environment, and his potential will and strength are aroused out of the repeatedly emerging dangers; his wit, courage and characteristics are tested .but he never gave in to fate .bucks tender and moral senses soon lost in the survival competition. in the world of the law of club and fang, morality is nothing. he had drew a lesson from spitz that in order to succeed, any way can be used. just because of this, he could become an outstanding head among the wild beasts. if he has no strong will and fine endurance, he cannot live ;he becomes more and more powerful because of his strong will, then his greater strength will let him become braver than before, and thus strengthened him to defeat the unfortunate enemies.london was clearly influenced by several important philosophers and scientists during the writing of the call of the wild. darwins theory of evolution, herbert spencers ideas about the “survival of the fittest,” and nietzsches “superman” theory play important roles in plot and characterization. the presence of these overarching ideas lends credence to those who argue that the call of the wild should be read as an allegory for human experience.the writer demonstrates his belief of the survival of the fittest, and shows his appreciation of superman, buck becomes a modol , with strong will , and this strong sled-dog is presented under the adverse circumstances , living and competing in the wild world which builds up his firm strong body and will, and in the end creates a superdog.3.2 the comedy of supermanthe result of the story is satisfactory, bucks arduous journey began in the arctic wasteland after it is stolen from the family ,and he learned the law of sticks and the white fang quickly, the harshi environment awaken the savagery that existed in his the cockles of his heart. gentry and reason has been replaced by instinct. the call of the wild was heard from the forest, and it makes him anxious, on the one hand he is filled with longing for the call of the forest, on the other hand he didnt want to leave the civilization because he loves his master , a love keeping him in the civilized society, the conflict between the desire to return to savagery and the love to remain to stay in civilized society is extremely sharp and painful , it can only be resolved until the owner was killed. the masters death rescued it from a civilized society, and finally he rushed to the wilderness without hesitation, and obtains the thing which it longs for even in dreams. london worships individualism and natural resistance, as reflected in most of his works. in the eyes of strong individualists, the universe was full of fierce , struggles, waiting for them. but they never lose faith, and will fight the end. through a series of londons works, london demonstrated many superdogs or superwolves who have the spirit of individualism and the air of ancient knights , through londons own life, this kind of affirmative manner obtains further manifesting. critics advancing an allegorical interpretation of the novel maintain that london used the popular, genre of the animal story to convey his philosophical principles. strong influenced by the writings of charles darwin and friedrich nietzsche, london viewed life as