It is the wind that fans the desire until it leaps up to mastery. The argument is concluded when Humphrey says:The man's soul is his desires. During one of their discussions Brewster and Larsen take opposite positions on the importance of desire versus soul. Later in the story he and the captain are joined by a young woman, Maude Brewster who, like Humphrey, is well-educated and literate. Humphrey joins Larsen's crew when a ferry he is on sinks. It is in the clash of these two forces that London gives vent to his innermost struggles: idealism versus materialism, conscience versus instinct, desire versus soul. He put himself and his contradictory nature into the two opposing characters, the captain Wolf Larsen, a ruthless and rugged individualist, the superman, and Humphrey van Weyden, a weak, but highly cultivated and virtuous gentleman. The story ranks in the great tradition of one of London's literary influences, Herman Melville, while I saw similarities to another story of a life changed by sea voyage, captured by Rudyard Kipling in Captains Courageous.Drawing upon his experiences seal hunting in the North Pacific, London created a story with a lot of realism. Not only did it achieve great popular and literary success, but it also was effectively realized in several cinematic versions (most recently as a TV mini-series). Many consider The Sea-Wolf by Jack London to be among the best sea stories ever written.
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