The Remembrance of Jack London

By: Maeve Tannish

“The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time,” said popular American novelist, social activist, and muckraker Jack London, who died yesterday, November 22, 1916. He definitely lived up to his words, making himself one of the most famous authors of our time, writing popular novels such as The Call of Wild. Not only did he write fictional novels, but he also spoke out against ​ ​ important social issues- such as child labor, animal cruelty, and poor living conditions.

London was born on January 12, 1876, in San Francisco, spending most of his life in

California. He began his life as a writer in 1893 after his mother saw an ad in the newspaper for a writing contest and suggested that he join it after hearing about the absurd things he’d been through on a sealing voyage in Japan. He won the contest, winning himself 25 dollars and a new outlook on writing. This jump-started his career, but he truly found his start to fame in 1903, after writing The Call of the Wild. ​ During his fame, he wrote several novels and short stories exposing companies and specific people(s) for engaging in modern social cruelties. For example, London’s non-fiction novel The People of the Abyss criticizes and speaks out against the state of Britain’s underclass ​ ​ living conditions, using his own personal observations instead of secondary sources. London was also an animal activist, expressing his disgust toward the cruelty of circus animals in his novels

Jerry of the Islands and Michael, Brother of Jerry. ​ ​ Fortunately, London’s words have not gone unnoticed by our public. He has informed and educated many of us on upsetting topics. Many are pushing for change and are definitely hoping to see reforms in the near future, and Jack London helped people become brave enough to speak up.

Sources

www.victorianweb.org/genre/slumfiction/jacklondon.html. www.biography.com/writer/jack-london. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_London#Animal_activism.