每个作家一般有自己喜欢的常用的意象，对于杰克伦敦来说，他受过达尔文进化论影响，处在美国资本社会的上升期，他的创作主题还是比较向上的积极地，后期转变了认识和风格。在他那里，狼这种生物一般象征着侵略、血性、进取和进贡，是不顾一切追求利益的代表。有好的一面也有坏的一面、
Plot
Like The Call of the Wild, The Sea Wolf tells the story of a soft, domesticated protagonist, in this novel's case an intellectual man named Humphrey van Weyden, forced to become tough and self-reliant by exposure to cruelty and brutality. The story starts with him onboard a San Francisco ferry, called Martinez, which collides with another ship in the fog and sinks. He is set adrift in the sea, eventually being picked up ("rescued" is not the right word) by Wolf Larsen. Larsen is the captain of the seal-hunting schooner Ghost. Brutal and cynical, yet also highly intelligent and intellectual (though highly biased in his opinions as he was self-taught), he rules over his ship and terrorizes the crew with the aid of his exceptionally great physical strength. Van Weyden adequately describes him as an individualist, a hedonist, and a materialist. As Larsen does not believe in the immortality of the soul, he finds no meaning in his life save survival and pleasure and has come to despise all human life and deny its value. Being interested in someone capable of intellectual disputes, he somewhat takes care of "Hump" while forcing him to become a cabin boy, do menial work, and learn to fight to protect himself from a brutal crew.
A vast majority of the story concerns itself with Humphrey's growth as a character, from self-described wimp to self-sufficient individual. Such episodes include his learning of the ship's workings, his rivalry with Thomas Mudgridge (the ship's cook, which climaxes with a standoff that Humphrey wins), and his tense relationship with Wolf Larsen. He is promoted throughout the story, from cabin boy to mate.
A key event in the story is an attempted mutiny against Wolf Larsen by several members of the crew. The organizers of the mutiny are Leach and Johnson. Johnson had previously been beaten severely by Larsen, and Leach was a close friend of Johnson, motivating the two. The first attempt is by sending Larsen overboard, however he manages to climb back onto the ship. Searching for his assailant, he ventures into the sleeping quarters, located beneath the main deck, the only exit being a ladder. Several, at least seven men, take part in the mutiny and attack Larsen. Larsen however, demonstrating his inhuman endurance, strength, and conviction, manages to fight his way through the mob, climb the ladder with several men hanging off him, and escape relatively unharmed. He later gets his vengeance by torturing his crew, and constantly claiming that he was going to murder Leach and Thompson at his earliest convenience, being after the hunting season is done, as he can't afford to lose any crew. He later allows them to be lost to the sea when they attempt to flee on a hunting boat.
Following this, the Ghost picks up another set of castaways, including a woman poet named Maud Brewster. Both Wolf Larsen and Humphrey immediately feel attraction to her, due to her intelligence and "female delicacy". Humphrey sees her as his first true love. He strives to protect her from the crew, the horrors of the sea, and Wolf Larsen. As this happens, tension begins to rise between Wolf Larsen and his brother, Death Larsen, with the two aggressively competing for seals. Wolf goes as far as kidnapping several of Death's crew and forcing them into servitude to fill his own ranks. During one of Larsen's intense headaches, which render him near immobile, Humphrey steals a boat and flees with Maud.
The two eventually land on an uninhabited island, heavily populated with seals. They hunt, build shelter and a fire, and survive for several days, utilizing the strength they gained while on the Ghost. The Ghost eventually crashes on the island, with Wolf Larsen the only crew member. In vengeance, Death Larsen had tracked his brother, bought his crew, destroyed his sails, and set Wolf adrift at sea. It is purely by chance that Humphrey and Maud meet Wolf again.
Wolf's headaches only grow worse, and they are revealed to be strokes. The three coexist to some extent. Humphrey obtains all of the firearms left on the ship, but cannot bring himself to murder Larsen, who does not threaten him. After one stroke, Larsen is rendered blind. Humphrey and Maud decide they can repair the ship, but Larsen, who is intent to die on the island and take them with him, sabotages any repairs they make. He feigns paralysis, and attempts to murder Humphrey when he foolishly draws within arm's reach, but just then is hit with another stroke that leaves him blind and the left side of his body paralyzed. His condition only worsens, he loses usage of his remaining arm, leg and voice. Maud and Humphrey, unable to bring themselves to leave him to rot, care for him. Despite this kindness, he continues his resistance, setting fire to his mattress. Finally, during a violent storm, Wolf Larsen passes away.
Humphrey finishes repairing the Ghost, and he and Maud set sail. They give Larsen a burial at sea, an act mirroring an incident Humphrey witnessed when he was first rescued. The story ends with them being rescued by an American revenue cutter.
Humphrey van Weyden
Humphrey starts the book weak of body but strong of mind. He grows stronger as the story progresses, physically through the manual labor, and spiritually as he endures the various hardships. Upon meeting Maud, he realizes just how much he has changed, gaining muscle mass, a more rugged appearance, and a different outlook on life.
Humphrey has a unique relationship with Larsen. Though he is in effect the captain's prisoner, Larsen shows him favoritism and occasionally acts as a father figure, giving advice on how to survive aboard the ship. Though Larsen claims to take Humphrey aboard primarily because he needed an additional hand, he also seems to genuinely believe he is doing something good for Humphrey. He claims that Humphrey has never "stood on his own legs", meaning he has never had to work and always relied on his inheritance from his father to survive. Throughout the book, Larsen compliments Humphrey on his growth, eventually telling him he is proud of him, and calling him a real man, able to stand on his own.
Humphrey has an ideology that is in sharp contrast to Larsen's. He believes in the internal soul, inherent good, and that men should act justly under all circumstances. His views are constantly being challenged by Larsen, who encourages him to give into his desires and behave in an immoral fashion. By the end of the story, Larsen is annoyed that Humphrey still clings to his beliefs and refuses to murder him, despite all the suffering Larsen has put him through.
Wolf Larsen
Larsen is a complex character. Physically, he is described as approximately five feet ten with a massive build: broad shoulders and a deep chest. Humphrey describes Larsen as beautiful on more than one occasion, perfectly symmetrical, a perfect specimen of masculinity. Yet, despite this, his true strength is described as something more primal, more primitive and animalistic. He is extremely intelligent, having taught himself a variety of fields, including mathematics, literature, science, philosophy, and technology. Throughout the story, he displays almost inhuman amounts of strength, even for a man of his size and build.
Larsen was born in Norway, though he is of Danish descent. He spent his entire life at sea; cabin-boy at twelve, ship's boy at fourteen, seaman at sixteen, able seaman at seventeen. It is unclear when he obtained the Ghost and became captain. He claims to have several brothers, but only Death Larsen is mentioned.
Larsen displays characteristics of a sociopath. He has absolutely no fault with manipulating and bullying people to better serve his needs. He routinely takes men hostage, castaways like Humphrey or seal hunters from other ships, and uses them to fill his own ranks when needed. He murders and abuses people without hesitation, seeing no value in life. He enjoys the intellectual stimulation that Humphrey and Maud provide, but Humphrey describes their relationship as one between a king and his jester. He is only a toy to Larsen.
Despite his immense internal strength, Larsen at times show signs of weakness and depression. He is envious of his brother, because his brother is simple minded, and so is able to enjoy life unburdened. He also claims he is envious of Maud and Humphrey's faith, but later says it is only his mind, and he knows he is better off without it. He also speaks of frustration that he never amounted to anything great. He claims he had all the determination and will, but was never given the proper opportunity.
Interestingly, Wolf is not Larsen's real given name, his real given name is never spoken. Dialogue heavily implies that he is called "Wolf" because of his nature and viciousness, similar reasons that his brother is called "Death".
Background
The personal character of the novel's antagonist "Wolf Larsen" was attributed to a real sailor London had known, Captain Alex MacLean. London, who was called "Wolf" by his close friends, also used a picture of a wolf on his bookplate, and named his mansion "Wolf House." Given that Hump's experiences in the novel bear some resemblance to experiences London had, or heard told about, when he sailed on the Sophia Sutherland, the autodidact sailor Wolf Larsen has been compared to the autodidact sailor Jack London.
Originally from Cape Breton Nova Scotia, MacLean sailed to the Pacific side of North America when he was just twenty-one and worked there for thirty-five years as a sailor and sealer. His achievements and escapades while in the Victoria British Columbia fleet in the 1880s laid the foundation for his status as a folk hero.
The real life Captain Alec MacLean was born May 15, 1858 in East Bay, Nova Scotia. He did sail mostly in the Pacific North West with his brother Captain Dan MacLean. Capt. Alec was at one time the Sheriff of Nome, Alaska. The MacLean Captains maintained their ties to Cape Breton Island despite having spent much of their lives sailing the Pacific Coast and do have living descendants (The Highland Heart of Nova Scotia, Neil MacNeil).
London's intention in writing the The Sea-Wolf was "an attack on Nietzsche's super-man philosophy." The novel also contains references to Herbert Spencer, Omar Khayyám, Shakespeare, and John Milton.
The real-life USRC Bear and its color commander, Captain Michael A. Healy, each icons along the late 19th century Alaskan coast, were reportedly inspirations for London when writing The Sea-Wolf. (The Bear is the American revenue cutter which comes to the rescue at the end of his story). In 1930, the Bear, then a museum ship in Oakland, California, portrayed a ship for a film version of The Sea-Wolf.
杰克伦敦出身于贫苦的下层，靠奋发自学成才（见其自传体小说马丁伊登）同时又受马克思主义的影响成为一名革命者，他既有小说家的才华又有革命者的热情，并留下了整整五十部作品。他到死都忠于其作品所阐述的阶级斗争路线，并为之宣传、奋斗。长久以来，因为意识形态的问题，在英美经常重版的是他笔下的野性的呼唤、白牙等北方故事和南海故事，长篇传世的主要只有海狼和马丁伊登。且主要是小开本的纸面本，对象以青少年为主。直到上世纪五六十年代中美国评论界才开始正视其文学地位。
他的书中的主人工有他自己的影子。也许在对社会众生百相的刻画方面他和司汤达雨果这种作家有差距，但是那种苦难磨砺出的坚强和自信，是其他肉体柔弱的作家很难具备的。他个人的传奇经历让他的作品中的哲理更有可信度，因为几乎他的生活经历能从各个角度印证他写下的故事。那种“超人”的体验描写得尤其迷人，生活中萃取的生存知识的细节几乎神奇，让读者产生读科幻一样的快感。但他努力塑造的独立斗争的永不妥协的英雄精神，永远激励着困境中的人们。
杰克伦敦是现实主义的大家，在其作品中个人英雄主义可谓表现的淋漓尽致，而单从他作品的销量就可以看出他当时所受的欢迎，但他作为一个革命文学作家的成就并不能被忽视。另外此人也精准的预言到了恐怖主义的出现，抛开他支持黄祸论的片面思想，杰克伦敦是一名充满才华的作者，也是坚强的马克思主义革命者，二者相辅相成。
杰克·伦敦是美国著名的现实主义作家。他的作品不仅在美国本土广泛流传，而且受到世界各国人民的欢迎。
杰克·伦敦于1876年1月12日出生在美国加利福尼亚州一个破产的农民家庭。他没有机会系统地学习，只能靠勤奋和毅力自学成材。标志着杰克·伦敦现实主义倾向的作品是他的报告文学《深中的人们》。这部作品是他以报社记者的身份访问英国首都伦敦后写成的。1905年，杰克·伦敦以社会党党员的身份参加了工人运动。这期间，他的创作达到了高峰，出现了大量以反抗资本主义、帝国主义社会为主题的作品和政论文。
杰克·伦敦24岁开写作，去世时年仅40岁，16年中他共写成长篇小说19部，短篇小说150多篇，还写了3个剧本以及相当多的随笔和论文。这些作品在美国以及世界其他国家都产生了深刻的影响。杰克·伦敦的创作生涯是短暂的，但他靠顽强学习，刻苦写作，赢得了时间和生命。
主打推荐
《杰克·伦敦的青少年时代》，祝东平/编著，太原：山西人民出版社，1999年出版。
《杰克·伦敦传：马背上的水手》，(美)欧文·斯通(Irving Stone)/著；褚律元/译，北京：北京十月文艺出版社，1999年出版。
《杰克·伦敦作品选（中英对照）》，(美)杰克·伦敦(Jack London)/著；雷鸣/译注，天津：天津人民出版社，2001年出版。
《杰克·伦敦作品精粹》，(美)杰克·伦敦(Jack London)/著；雨宁/选编，石家庄：河北教育出版社，1993年出版。
深入读本
《杰克·伦敦中短篇小说精选》，(美)杰克·伦敦(Jack London)/著；陆伟民/译，南昌：百花洲文艺出版社；沈阳：沈阳出版社，1996年出版。
《杰克·伦敦文集》，(美)杰克·伦敦(Jack London)/著；胡家峦/主编王纬等/译，石家庄：河北教育出版社，2000年出版。
《杰克·伦敦研究》，李淑言、吴冰/编选，桂：漓江出版社，1988年出版。
《杰克·伦敦和他的小说》，漆以凯/著，北京：北京出版社，1981年出版。
《美国文学》，左金梅/主编，青岛：青岛海洋大学出版社，2000年出版。
延伸读本
《新编美国文学史》，刘海平、王守仁/主编；张冲/著，上海：上海外语教育出版社，2000年出版。
《20世纪美国文学史》，杨任敬/著，青岛：青岛出版社，1999年出版。
《中国文化对美国文学的影响》，刘岩/著，石家庄：河北人民出版社，1999年出版。
《美国小说家述评》，王誉公等/著，济南：山东大学出版社，1995年出版。
《美国文学思想背景》，(美)霍顿(Horton,R.)、(美)爱德华兹(Edwards,H.W.)/著；房 炜、孟昭庆/译，北京：人民文学出版社，1991年出版。
