Conflicting Themes in Jack London’s “The Law of Life”

At first glance, Jack London's "The Law of Life" is an entertaining, albeit somewhat
depressing account of an Eskimo tribe leaving behind to die an old man who was
formerly the
chief, Koskoosh. The story consists primarily of a dramatic account of a wolf pack
hunting
down an old moose, witnessed by the old man when he was just a boy, as well as the
bloodcurdling
death of the old man, who was beset by these same ravenous terrors of the tundra. The
tale is fast paced and exciting, but upon more careful examination, two broader, deeper
themes
come to life beneath the adventure and suspense. London postulates that the forces of
nature
impose one, and only one purpose on each man and woman, and that purpose is to take
part in
perpetuating the human race by reproducing. On the other hand, London claims that these
same
forces of nature drive each and every person to the same inevitable end: death. London
subtly,
yet masterfully weaves these contradictory themes into a tale of a man and his ongoing
encounter with nature. This struggle with the forces and laws of nature is a direct
extension ofIn addition, London observes that men, once they have reproduced, are
eventually
forgotten by the very children they have begotten. Nature requires not that man be
remembered, but merely requires that he reproduce. Koskoosh reasons further, “The tribe
of
Koskoosh was very old. The old men he had known when a boy, had known old men
before
them. Therefore it was true that the tribe lived, that it stood for the obedience of all its
members, way down into the forgotten past, whose very resting places were
unremembered”
(1044). The only lasting proof, the sole memorial of these ancients is the current
existence of
the tribe. Furthermore, these men "did not count; they were episodes. They had passed
away
like clouds from a summer sky. He also was an episode, and would pass away. Nature did
not
care. To life she set one task....To perpetuate..." (1044). This is an even clearer
enunciation of
man's insignificance, which is effectively equivocated to the fleeing nature of an August
cloud.
Men, once they have had children and grandchildren, are ultimately forgotten and
consequently
erased from the memory and consciousness of their descendants.
Finally, London argues powerfully that the worth of women is determined almost