Themes

• Survival of the fittest

• Man versus nature

• Philosophical debates on morality

• Personal growth and transformation

• Class struggle and social hierarchy

• The duality of human nature

• The power of resilience and adaptation

Setting

The Sea-Wolf is set in the early 20th century, around 1904 when the novel was published. The story primarily takes place aboard the seal-hunting schooner Ghost, captained by the brutal Wolf Larsen. The action begins in San Francisco Bay, where the protagonist Humphrey Van Weyden is rescued after a ferry collision.

From there, the Ghost sails north along the Pacific Coast toward the Bering Sea. Much of the novel unfolds on the open ocean as the ship hunts seals off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Alaska. The harsh conditions at sea serve as a backdrop for the psychological battles between Van Weyden and Captain Larsen.

In the latter part of the story, Van Weyden and fellow castaway Maud Brewster escape to an uninhabited island in the North Pacific. This remote setting, teeming with seals, becomes the final stage for the conflict with Larsen when his ship runs aground there. The novel's settings—from bustling San Francisco to the isolated Alaskan wilderness—reflect the era's spirit of exploration and man's struggle against nature.

Characters

• Humphrey Van Weyden: The protagonist and narrator. A gentle, well-educated literary critic who is forced to toughen up after being rescued at sea by Wolf Larsen. Van Weyden undergoes a physical and mental transformation throughout the novel as he adapts to life aboard the seal-hunting schooner Ghost. He maintains his moral principles despite Larsen’s influence and falls in love with Maud Brewster.

• Wolf Larsen: The brutal, intelligent captain of the Ghost. A physically imposing and cunning man who adheres to a harsh philosophy of survival and domination of the fittest. Larsen is a complex antagonist who challenges Van Weyden's beliefs while also serving as a twisted mentor figure. His strength and ruthlessness are eventually undone by a degenerative illness.

• Maud Brewster: A poet and intellectual who is rescued by the Ghost. She becomes Van Weyden's love interest and ally against Larsen. Maud demonstrates courage and resourcefulness as she adapts to the harsh conditions at sea and on the island.

• Thomas Mugridge: The ship's cook, a cowardly and unpleasant man who torments Van Weyden early in the voyage. Mugridge serves as an example of the brutality of life aboard the Ghost.

• Leach and Johnson: Two sailors who attempt to lead a mutiny against Wolf Larsen. They represent the crew's discontent and the constant threat of rebellion aboard the Ghost.

• Death Larsen: Wolf Larsen's brother and rival. A brutal seal hunter, he appears briefly in the novel, highlighting the violent world of the sealing industry.

Quick facts

• Jack London wrote The Sea-Wolf as an attack on Friedrich Nietzsche's “super-man” philosophy.

• The character of Wolf Larsen was inspired by a real sea captain named Alex MacLean that London had encountered.

• Spurred by the success of London's previous novel The Call of the Wild, The Sea-Wolf became an immediate bestseller, with the first printing of 40,000 copies selling out before publication.

• Noted writer Ambrose Bierce praised the character of Wolf Larsen as “among the greatest of things” in literature.

• London named his own home “Wolf House” and used a wolf image on his personal bookplate, showing his connection to the novel's themes.

• The word “Wolf” appears 422 times in the novel, more than any other word.

• The novel contains references to philosophers such as Herbert Spencer, Charles Darwin, and Omar Khayyam, reflecting London's intellectual interests.

• The Sea-Wolf has been adapted into nearly a dozen film versions, starting in 1913.

• Perhaps the most famous screen adaptation is the 1941 Hollywood classic starring Edward G. Robinson as Wolf Larsen.

• A 1991 BBC Radio 4 adaptation featured musician Ian Dury in the cast.

• In 2012, The Sea-Wolf was adapted into an award-winning French graphic novel by the artist Riff Reb's.

About the Author

Jack London (1876-1916) was one of America's most popular and prolific writers of the early 20th century. A native of San Francisco, he led an adventurous life that provided rich material for his fiction. As a young man, London worked a variety of jobs including oyster pirate, sailor, and hobo before finding success as an author. His experiences in the Klondike Gold Rush inspired some of his most famous works, including The Call of the Wild and White Fang. He also wrote about the South Pacific and his native California. Some of his other well-known novels include The Sea-Wolf, Martin Eden, and the dystopian The Iron Heel.

While best known for his gripping tales of adventure, London explored themes of class struggle and social injustice in many of his novels as well as works of nonfiction. Beyond writing, London was a passionate advocate for workers' rights and animal welfare. He was also a vocal supporter of socialism. 

A pioneer of commercial magazine fiction, London became one of the first American authors to achieve worldwide celebrity and fortune from his writing alone. He built an innovative ranch in California's Sonoma Valley and sailed the South Pacific on his yacht, the Snark. His hard-living lifestyle took a toll on his health. London died at the age of 40, leaving behind a vast body of work that continues to be read and studied today.