A Study On Violence Writing In Jack London’s Short Stories

Jack London is one of the most famous and influential American realist writers in late 19^thand early 20^thcentury.London’s short stories are known for their large quantity and wide range of themes,reflecting his experiences among the lower levels of American society,depicting the lives of people of different regions,ethnics,identities and economic status,showing the influence of various thoughts and ideas on London and his complex ideological system,representing the different aspects of society and ideologies of the time.The short stories serve as a window to the American society of the era,as well as the views and attitudes on the society and the lives of such different social groups conveyed in London’s works.Guided by John Galtung’s theory of Triangle of Violence,this essay selects ten representative works of London’s short stories based on the different themes and character identities and studies the violence writing presented within.The essay analyses violence writing based on the distinction of direct violence,structural violence and cultural violence,exploring the narrative functions of violence writing and London’s thoughts and emotions conveyed through violence writing.It is revealed that direct violence,structural violence and cultural violence are featured prominently in the stories.The structural violence of the capitalist political and economic system has allowed the direct violence to take shape,while the cultural violence that are science,history,literary,religion and propaganda serve as the justification of direct and structural violence.The various vulnerable groups,including the Chinese,the Native Americans and the white working class,were affected by the infliction and oppression greatly.Without structural or cultural support,the vulnerable groups’direct violent resistance cannot overthrow the system of violence,and revolutions of social structures could be brought down by the power of cultural violence.The vulnerable groups had no way to improve their own conditions.Through violence writing,London has revealed the misery and hardship of the vulnerable groups,marked and criticized the capitalist political and economic systems as the origins of such misery,conveyed sympathy and support to the violent resistance of the vulnerable groups,and emphasized the importance to control cultural violence in a revolution to break the oppressive capitalist structure.This essay allows a more complete understanding of London’s thoughts and the society of his time,furthers the London studies and violence studies at home,helps identifying the various forms of violence in the society,presenting values in academic and social aspects.