Lessons-from-Jack-Londons-The-Law-of-Life

LessonsfromJackLondon'sTheLawofLifeJackLondon'sshortstoryTheLawofLifefollowsKoskoosh,aneldermemberofanindigenoustribeintheKlondike,throughhisfinallivinghours.Becauseoftheharshenvironment,scarcityoffood,andtheimportanceofthegroup'ssurvival,thetribeabandonstheblind,oldmaninthetundrawithonlyafireburningnearbyandafewpiecesofwoodtosustainit.Whilethemanwaitsfordeath,thereaderlearns,throughKoskoosh'smemory,ofhislife,histribe'straditions,andthelawsofnaturetowhichhe'dalwaysknownhewassubject.ThisessaywillexploreLondon'stalebyexplainingitsattractivenesstoabroadaudience;bydetailingKoskooshasacharacter;andbyillustratingsomelawsoflifetowhichLondonintroducesthereader,bothexplicitandimplicit.IfthedescriptionofTheLawofLifereadsimplyTheDeathofanIndigenousTribesmanintheKlondike,manyreaderswouldimmediatelyturnaway.Wordedlikethat,thetopicappearsirrelevanttotheaverageAmericanaudience.Still,Londonmanagedtobringanaudiencewhoselivesarevastlydifferentfromthestory'smaincharacter,peoplewhowouldneverfindthemselvesinKoskoosh'ssituation,intothestorybyfocusingonasomethingallhumanbeingseventuallyfaceregardlessoftheirlifestyles:theinevitabilityofdeath.Thereaderdoesnothavetoknowanythingaboutthetribetorelatetothecharacter;thethoughtsbeforedeathofthismanreflectwhatmanyimaginetheirownthoughtswillinclude:memoriesofyouth,life,andfamilymixedwithfear.Inadditiontothecommongrounduponwhichboththereaderandthecharacterstand,thestoryitselfiswritteninamannerthatallowsforwidespreadreadership.Thoughthetopiciscomplex,thewordsthemselvesarenot.Londondoesnotuseflowerylanguagenordoesheover-complicatetogethispointacross.Instead,heoptstotellhisstorynaturallyandsimplistically.Thisstraight-to-the-pointtechniqueworkswellinastorythatdealswithabandoningsomethingunnecessaryforthegoodofthewhole.Toconvoluteitwouldinjurethestoryitselfanddiscouragetheaudiencefromreadingitinthefirstplace.Althoughthestory'slengthlimitstheamountofgrowthonecanexpecttoseeinacharacter,thereaderunderstandsthatthedying,oldKoskooshinthestoryisnotthesameKoskooshofhisyouth.Whilehedidnotcomplainabouthisfate,hebecomessympathetictootherlivingbeingsthatwereabandonedwhenthegroupdeemedthemaburden,thoughinhischildhoodhewouldnothavegivenfurtherthoughttoleavinganoldtribememberbehindtodie.Hehadevenlefthisownfatherwhenitwashistime(London392.)Thereaderwitnessesthischangeofperspectivethemostwhenherelatesthetaleofthemoosebeingchasedbywolves.Whenhewasachild,Koskooshandhisfriendwantedtowatchthemoosedie,andwereevenexcitedaboutit,remembering,HowZing-haandhefeltthebloodlustquicken!Thefinishwouldbeasighttosee!(393.)Hethengoesontotellabouthowthemoose,againsttheodds,foughtthewolvesbecauseitwantedtolive.WhenthewolvesencircleKoskooshintheendofthestory,heagainrecallsthemoose'sfinalstand(394.)Whilehedecidesthatfightingthewolvesinhiscaseishopeless,he'sstillverysympathetictothemoose'sdesireforlife.Evenhehadbeenupsetthathisgranddaughterdidnotbringhimmorewood,despiteherdutytothetribe.Likewise,hestillheldouthopethathissonwouldreturnforhim.(393)Butinhisownyouth,hewouldhavedonethesameastheyhad,butasdeathgetsnearer,hegetsabitupsetthattheyarefollowingtradition.Thoughasaperson,IdidnotwantKoskooshtobedevouredbywolvesintheend,asareader,Iunderstandthatthatwastheonlywaytoendthestorywithoutlosingitslegitimacy.HadhissonreturnedorhadKoskooshdiedpeacefully,theentirelawoflifethemewouldhavebeenrenderedirrelevant.Tomakesuchaboldstatementasnaturedidnotcare(391),andthenendwitharescueoraquietdeathwouldhaveshownsomebenevolenceonbehalfoftheenvironment,contrarytothewholestoryfromthebeginning.ThoughKoskooshfeelssomesympathyforthosewhohavebeenthroughwhatheisgoingthough,hedoesnotfeelregretbecausedeepdownheunderstandsthedeathisalawoflife,and,liketheendingofthistale,itismerciless.Itcouldnothavebeenwrittenanyotherway.Besidesillustratingtothereaderthatdeathisaninevitability,thereotherlessonsonecandrawfromthisstory.First,thereisthefactthatwhileKoskooshgrewupunderstandingthelawsofnature,mostAmericansdonotliveclosetotheearthinasenseandmaynotknowtheselaws(391.)Despitethis,allhumans,whethertheyknowthemornot,arestillsubjecttothem.Second,thesurvivalofmanreliesonnature.Whentherewasagreatfamine,thetribealmostdidnotmakeit(392.)Likewise,industrializedsocietywouldnotmakeitifnotforagricultureinruralareasorinotherpartsoftheworld.Althoughitisnotseeneverywhere,naturestillhasahugehandinthelivesofallhumans.Onemajorthemethatstandsoutinthestoryisthequestionoftheethicaltreatmentoftheelderlyanddying.LondondoesanexpertjobatallowingthereadertopityKoskooshwithoutviewinghistribeascruel.Whileitisunderstoodthatthismusthappentoensurethesurvivalofthatparticulargroup,thereaderstillseesthefunctioningandlivingmindofthisoldman.Accordingtothephilosophyofdualism,--ahumanbeingisacombinationoftwodistinctparts:abodyandmind--(Creel240)Thisisaverycommonassumption.Mostpeoplebelievethatapersonmaintainstheirpersonhoodsolongastheirmindstillfunctions.Onecanpresumablygoblind,losetheabilitytowalk,andbecomeinotherwaysunproductive,butaslongasthereiscomprehension,thenthereisapersonthatrequirestreatmentsuitable