A Reason for Living and Dying: Conflicting Themes in Jack London’s “The Law of Life”

Jack London's novel "The Law of Life," at first glance, is an entertaining, if a little depressing, account of an Eskimo tribe's decision to leave behind an old man, Koskoosh, who was once their chief. When the old man was just a young boy, he witnessed the pack of wolves hunting down an old moose, and when the old man was killed by the same pack of wolves, he witnessed his own blood-curdling death. There are two larger, deeper themes that emerge beneath the action and suspense of the story. It is London's contention that all men and women are compelled by the forces of nature to reproduce in order to contribute to the survival of humanity. These same forces of nature are said to lead to the same inevitable end: death, by London. These two opposing ideas are expertly interwoven in London's story of a man and his ongoing relationship with nature. As noted by Lawrence I. Berkove in his essay "Jack London's 'Second Thoughts,'" this struggle with nature's forces and laws is a direct extension of Charles Darwin's theories of natural selection and survival of the fittest." Berkove claims that "respect for Darwinism was if there was a constant concern in London's mind. Despite this, London was a fan of Darwinism, but he didn't go out of his way to promote it.

It was seen in London as a law that linked humans to animals and, as a result, restricted their freedom (62). As a result of his adherence to Darwinian principles, London came to the conclusion that man's fate was predetermined by nature. "The Law of Life" is an example of Jack London's masterful synthesis of two opposing themes into one resounding conclusion about the dominance of nature over human beings.

There are three distinct approaches to the theme of human purpose in London.

To begin, he points out that nature has a tendency to prioritize reproduction over all other aspects of a person's life. Second, he shows that despite the fact that future generations owe their existence to the men and women who came before them, they are quickly forgotten. Third, he deduces that a woman's value is almost entirely determined by her ability to bear children by nature.

Firstly, London declares that nature completely disregards the hopes and dreams of man, thus making it obvious that reproduction is man's only purpose. As Koskoosh is left behind, he begins to contemplate life and death and the laws of nature that govern these. "N" is the final word, he concludes "it did not treat flesh well. She was unconcerned about the concrete entity we refer to as the person " (1044). Nature obliterates the uniqueness of each person. They don't have any names. They don't even have eyes. "Nature's interest lay in the species, the race," he wrote (1044). This is a sweeping declaration that greatly diminishes the individuality of man.

The forces of nature are unconcerned with the desires, needs, hopes, and dreams of an individual aside from the ability to reproduce. London also points out that once a man has had children, his own descendants tend to forget about him. Nature doesn't care if we're remembered; all it wants is for us to keep reproducing. Koskoosh adds, "The Koskoosh tribe was very old. The old men he knew as a kid knew older men who knew older men. Since the tribe had persisted and stood for everyone's obedience in the distant past, where even their final resting places were forgotten, this was true (1044). They are the only evidence of their existence, and the only one that will last. This isn't the only reason why these men are so dangerous "episodes were not counted; they were not counted in the total. In the same way that summer clouds drift away, so had they. The same would happen to him; his life would end abruptly. No one cared about nature. Only one thing mattered in this world, and it was to perpetuate..." (1044). This is a more emphatic statement of the insignificance of man, which is likened to the scurrying nature of an August cloud. Men are eventually forgotten once they have children and grandchildren, and as a result wiped clean from the minds of future generations' memory banks.

The value of women, according to London, is largely determined by their ability to reproduce. A young girl becomes more attractive and desirable as she ages, and one young man can no longer contain his desire for her. A marriage and a family follow. It wasn't long before a hunter, unable to contain his admiration, took her to his lodge and made her the mother of his children (1044). Even though it's poetic, it's still a very accurate depiction of the desires of youth. It is strikingly different from the women's attractiveness prior to childbirth image of a woman who, except for the children she has given birth to, is worn down and broken that London so poignantly paints after she has reproduced. "And her looks faded away with the birth of her children. Squaw's legs were limp and her eyes were dimmed; only the small children found joy in touching her withered cheek against the fire. Her job was finished (1044).

Nature has set things up in such a way that a woman's only value is in her capacity to bear children and raise them. That women exist solely to reproduce and perpetuate the human race is a powerful argument made by London in this observation. While London is meticulously developing this theme of man and his sole purpose of preserving life, he is also developing the decidedly contradictory theme of every man's inevitable demise, as imposed on him by nature. With three distinct arguments, London argues in favor of nature's inevitable conclusion. The youthful vitality of youth is contrasted with the frailty of aging, an ever-present threat that threatens even the toughest and most resilient of Earth's sons. London also convincingly shows that the same pattern is abundantly evident in the animal kingdom. Lastly, he argues that because the most basic necessities of man's subsistence, food and water, are available to him merely by nature's whim, nature must both keep man alive and put him to death. First, London compares the vivacity and vitality of youth to the deterioration of the senses and physical capabilities of old age.

In order to draw this comparison, Koskoosh is shown to be drastically different from his young granddaughter. "London" writes:

'Old Koskoosh' listened intently. It's hard to believe that his eyesight had faded so much. That was the case.

Screaming anathemas at the dogs as she beat and cuffed them, Sit-cum-to-ha harnesses. As the daughter of his daughter, she had no time to spare for her grandfather, who was sitting alone in the snow, forlorn and helpless in the cold. The responsibilities of living, not dying, beckoned to her. He was also close to her.

The end is here now. A man unable to see or care for himself, Koskoosh represents the end that nature has imposed on all of her children. While the other, the energetic and vivacious Sit-cum-to-ha, has yet to be touched by nature's unbiased hand, the other is still in the midst of its youthful exuberance. But she will eventually succumb to the ravages of time; decline is a universal phenomenon. It is inevitable that death will strike, whether suddenly and in one's prime, or gradually and ploddingly, as nature's forces continue to carry its offspring away.

Even the plants and animals of the natural world succumb to death's ultimate victory over life in London's depiction of this inevitable occurrence. Winter's sickle of cold wreaks havoc on the leaves, causing them to wilt and die in a blaze of color. Even the most magnificent of beasts eventually succumb to those who would usurp their position as rulers of the animal kingdom for a short time before they too were overtaken and discarded. London's prime example of this is Koskoosh's vivid childhood memory of the moose and his valiant fight against the wolves and surrender to them.

According to Koskoosh's recollections:

The trail had turned red, and the great beast's clean stride had shortened and slowed. slovenly. Later, the first sounds of battle emerged, but it was not the full-throated roar of the but a short, snappy bark that hinted at teeth and close quarters

flesh.… Their gazes met as they pulled back the undergrowth on a young spruce. They saw the end coming. (1046)

A magnificent specimen of nature, such as the moose, is powerless to stop the forces of nature from bringing about his own demise. For the final part of London's argument, he cleverly demonstrates that every man and every woman are utterly dependent on nature for their very survival. Three essentials for human survival are food, water, and a temperature that allows life to thrive. Without these three, mankind will not be able to thrive. These essential elements can only be obtained, furthermore, through the processes of nature. It is through London's recounting of another one of Koskoosh's memories that this truth is revealed: Koskoosh continued to delve deeper into the past. There was a time during the Great Famine when the elderly men sat huddled around the fire, unable to eat.

That famine had taken his mother's life. The salmon run had been unsuccessful in the summer, so the tribe was looking forward to the winter and the arrival of the caribou. It was then that winter arrived, but there were no caribou to accompany it. Even in the lives of the elderly, there had never been anything like it. Even though it was the seventh year in a row, no caribou had shown up, and the rabbit population had not recovered... It was during this time that the children wailed and died, as well as the women and the elderly; not one in ten of the tribe survived until the sun came out again in the spring. (1045)

Humans will live as long as nature provides food, and will die as nature removes it. Another example is the small pile of sticks left by Koskoosh's granddaughter, whose heat upon burning would serve as a barrier.

Another example of man's reliance on nature's supplies to survive the forces of nature is the frozen tundra. "At last, the measure of his life was a handful of fagots," Koskoosh muses.

When the final stick had given up its heat, the frost began to gather its strength. As he lay there, resting, his head would drop to his knees (1044). When it comes to the length of a man's life and the point at which he dies, it is up to the laws of nature. Indeed, man's utter reliance on nature's whims for the most basic necessities of life reveals nature's control over man and his fate.

When it comes to human purpose and ultimate demise in this world, London has nailed it down. These two ideas, on the other hand, appear to be at odds with one another. Humans' sole and unequivocal mission is to sustain life, and they also have an unavoidable fate: death. Nature is both a provider of food and a destroyer of life. It's clear that London is aware of this inconsistency, as he illustrates with two examples. That of Zing-ha, a skilled hunter and Koskoosh's childhood friend who dies from exposure to the bitter cold of nature's winter (1045).

To put it another way: The premature death of a hunter in his prime is counterproductive to the survival of the tribe. Secondly, there is the case of a small child, Koo-tee, who is sick and weak (10430). "It would die soon, perhaps, and they would burn a hole through the frozen tundra and pile rocks above to keep the wolverines away," says Koskoosh of Koot-tee. " (1043). As the struggle between the worlds of life and death continues to rage, the likely death of a sickly child prior to reaching sexual maturity and the ability to reproduce.

So, how can mankind carry out their duties when they have no control over their fate? London's response is straightforward and to the point. Death is the victor. Despite the fact that nature strives to maintain life, death always triumphs and nature cares not. Naturalist authors often lead readers to believe that a character's fate has been predetermined, usually by genetics and the environment. They also lead readers to believe that humanity's destiny is misery in life and oblivion in death and that there is nothing anyone can do about it. Xiaofen Zhang explains this very well in his article "On the Influence of Naturalism on American Literature" (Zhang, par. 2.1). This assessment of London's viewpoint in "The Law of Life" is absolutely correct. Koskoosh's musings on both the plight of the child Koo-tee and the value of the child to the tribe help establish London's point of view. "A few years at best, and as many empty stomachs as full ones," says Koskoosh. Finally, Death awaited, the most ravenous of them all (1043). This is a somber statement that conveys the terrifying reality of one's own impending demise. No matter how early or how late a person's demise may be, the laws of nature hold the final say.

The death of Koskoosh. Nature's whims can be both pleasant and painful, and man is powerless to resist them.

As gloomy as this realization is, there is at least one silver lining. In him

Vivekanand Palavali writes in his article "Loving Life While Accepting Death" that "[Koskoosh] accepts death as the 'law of life,' and that his time has come. That brief but impactful tale convinced me that death is an unavoidable fact of life. It is difficult to go about one's daily routine when one considers the fact that one's life will come to an end.

It's irrelevant. However, it is important right now.... Rather, I focus on the beauty, pleasure, wonder, and magnificence that life has to offer" (39). When faced with the prospect of humanity's inevitable demise and its utter helplessness in the face of nature, it's easy to fall into a state of hopelessness.

In old Koskoosh's willing acceptance of his impending death, London subtly suggests this alternative, which becomes increasingly apparent throughout the story. As a result, Koskoosh concludes that life and death are the inevitable outcomes of all things. Every person has the ability to control his or her outlook on life while it is still going on, allowing him or her to appreciate the joys of life rather than resent them death's gloom and doom.

To sum up, London masterfully weaves together two seemingly disparate themes within a single narrative. Contrary to his first theme, he asserts that nature has only one unavoidable end in store for every man: death. He claims that nature has only one purpose for man: the perpetuation of life. Despite the apparent dichotomy, London only does so in order to emphasize his final point, which he subtly interweaves beneath the overt themes of life and death. Nature rules both in life and death, London concludes. Nature always has the final word. In the face of this terrible and beautiful force, man has no choice but to accept his fate. This is a universal rule.