¶ … Deepest Impression, Describe Work Influenced Explain
Although there was a good deal of writers that I read in this particular class, I would have to say that the one who made the deepest impression on me was Jack London. Specifically, I found myself enthralled by London's short story/essay entitled "The Law of Life." There were numerous facets of this story that were captivating. One of the most essential of these was the profound realness that is everywhere within this tale. I also was fond of the characters. I have always liked Native Americans and Eskimos, and it was pretty pleasurable to read a short story devoted to them and their way of life. Due to these reasons and others, I am quite sure that my reading of this tale will stay with me for some time, and perhaps even influence the way I write and other works of fiction that I read purely for pleasure.
"The Law of Life" is a story about Indians within the Alaskan wilderness who are moving because a deep, profound cold has settled upon the land. These Native Americans are moving to find fresh game for them to hunt. The central character in this narrative, however, is named Old Koskoosh. Koskoosh is a grandfather, whose son is the current chief of this particular tribe of Native Americans. In his younger days, Koskoosh was also the chief of this same tribe. However, a the point at which the tale beings, Old Koskoosh is so old that he is close to dying of natural causes. He has difficulty seeing and is able to compensate for this fact by hearing very well. His son and the rest of the tribe are moving on to look for animals to hunt. Because of Koskoosh's advanced years, he is left behind by the tribe in the freezing cold. It is snowing, and the old, former chief realizes that he is left behind so that he can die. The duration of the story consists of the chief reminiscing about his younger days. Finally, a pack of wolves descends upon him, and he is left to his fate alone.
In truth, there are a number of aspects of this story that are morbid and outright depressing, even. The general theme of the tale is about loss and the eternal carrying on of nature. Additionally, there is a fair amount of evidence that supports the notion that the author (or at least his narrator) believes that life is all downhill following early adulthood. Koskoosh, the narrator, reflects more than once about the fact that the sole purpose of life is to continue on. For humans and most other animals and plant life, continuing on means procreating. Koskoosh reflects about the fact that a young girl can swiftly pass into womanhood, become extremely desirable, and then in a year or two take a husband and have babies. What remaining life there is for such a woman is certainly not something to look forward to -- according to the narrator and the flowing quotation from this story. "With the coming of her offspring her looks left her. Her limbs dragged and shuffled, her eyes dimmed and bleared, and only the little children found joy against the withered check of the old squaw by the fire. Her task was done" (London). Such an outlook on life, that the only reason for living is to create another life and then to vanish, is a little sad.
Fortunately, London quickly transitions from this depressing anecdote to what represents the central point of the story: the old chief's memories about his youths. He reminisces about the toughest of times in which there was a seven-year famine, and also reminisces about the easiest of times when there was so much meat and good weather that the tribe barely had to hunt. I found it extremely interesting to see the chief's life unwind from the end. These scenes that the author portrays prove the saying that one has to be good at life in order to get old -- old people are not fools. By revisiting Koskoosh's past exploits the author is able to show the reader some of the good times that the old chief experienced, which are full of excitement.
Still, one of the best aspects of this story of London's is the fact that it portrays the full cycle of life. The author deliberately contrasts images and scenes of the Koskoosh in his youth and in his old age....
In doing so, the author is presenting the reader with the entire cycle of life, which goes from youth to old age. In this respect the story is representative of life itself. One may argue that the fact that the author chose to use Native American characters to emphasize this theme is highly important. Native Americans -- particularly those fortunate enough to live outside of the influence of Western Civilization -- adopted a more natural lifestyle than Westerners with their heavy reliance on technology. Thus, this natural aspect of life is reflected clearly in the like of Koskoosh and, somewhat, even in his death.
There are a number of touching point in this story that can emotionally involve the reader. One is the fact that Koskoosh apparently has a good relationship with his son, the current chief of the tribe. His son stops to talk to his father before the tribe abandons the old man, just to make sure that everything is okay with the latter. Koskoosh's son expresses concern for the old man's fire and the wood he has to stoke it up. The closeness of the relationship between these two is even underscored after the tribe leaves. Koskoosh has a few moments where he even believes that he hears someone approaching, and hopefully thinks that it is his son -- having changed his mind -- coming back for him. Of course, London is exceedingly realistic in the fact that instead of Koskoosh's son approaching, it is a pack of hungry wolves that have come to finish the old man off.
But even this part in the story helps to emphasize another crucial theme that makes it such an attractive read. This tale is extremely realistic. There is a great deal of realism reflected in the fact, for instance, that the story is set in the winter time. This setting has both practical and symbolic meaning. For the practical purposes of the author, it is largely due to the fact that it is winter that the tribe is forced to move in order to find more game to hunt. The tribe's moving presents one of the central elements of the story, since their migration means that they will leave Koskoosh. Symbolically, winter time is often used to represent death. Many things perish during the winter such as smaller animals who are unable to adapt to extreme temperature changes, as well as trees and other vegetation. The author has purposefully chosen a symbol that represents a time of change and a turning over of the cycle of life. This transition is evident in many places in the story, but ultimately so in the fat of Koskoosh.
The way that Koskoosh meets his fate is also symbolic of this cycle of life as well. Again, he meets his demise when a pack of wolves close in on him, looking to satisfy their hunger during a time in which there will be little game to hunt. However, one of the Koskoosh's most vivid memories, and the one which occupies most of the story, is of a time period when he was younger and he and a close friend of his tracked a moose that was hunted by deer. The youngsters tracked the moose and his pursuers for a good amount of time. While they were following the trail, they encountered victims of the moose's fury and his refusal to willingly accept his upcoming demise. It is highly significant that in this memory, it was also wintertime and snowing as well. The snow made it easy to track the moose, and to see, for instance, that on more than one occasion it had fallen and managed to stand up again to fend of the hungry wolves.
Nonetheless, the memory ends with the young boys finally catching up to the scene of the fight. They witness the deer finally succumb to the wolves. This memory ends right before the fire that Koskoosh was tending goes out and he is attacked by a pack of wolves. In fact, the old man briefly confuses these two incidents -- the current attack and the past one -- because they are so strikingly similar. London purposefully has the story end this way to show the cyclical nature of life. At one point Kooskossh was a young man watching a pack of wolves devour; later on he is an old man perceiving a pack of wolves devour him. This choice of plot helps to reinforce the cyclical nature of life, which is the most important theme…
