Duality of Human Nature

Wolf Larsen is, by anyone's standards, a monster of the first order as described by Jack London. What makes him interesting is his dualistic nature that can shed a tear over a piece of poetry and also kill a man in cold blood. His character, because of its polarities and the way they operate, sometimes seems implausible. Jack London himself reveals that he wrote the character of Wolf Larsen as a kind of literary experiment, inspired by the relatively new field of psychology. Wolf Larsen is complex yet not subtle, a kind of Jeckyl-and-Hyde who is both fascinating and fearsome. But his nature is essentially nothing other than the character of all people who carry potential for good or evil. In Wolf Larsen, these difference are presented in extreme, shocking contrast. The author uses his character to show how our greatest strengths coexist...