More than an Arctic Sea adventure, Jack London's The Sea Wolf is an extended meditation on the possibility for cruelty among men and a critique of Social Darwinist and Nietzschean philosophies. Creating monstrous, larger than life characters is something at which Jack London excelled and the character dominating the landscape of The Sea Wolf, Wolf Larsen, is no exception.
Without putting out too many spoilers, the basic plot of The Sea Wolf is that a rich, pampered young man is shipwrecked and rescued by the captain of the schooner Ghost. Rather than return him to civilization, Wolf Larsen forcibly enlists Humphrey (now deemed Hump by the captain) Van Weyden in the ships crew and sails to the Arctic for the seal hunting season. Hump must learn to survive independently and become tough in the face of Wolf Larsen's often murderous brutality.
While Humphrey Van Weyden's development into a toughened, independent yet still compassionate character is well thought out and drives much of the plot, it is the monstrosity of Wolf Larsen that steals the show. Jack London created an amazing character who can quote philosophy and literature while subjecting his crew to torments and cruelty. He is meant to be the living embodiment of Nietzsche's super-man philosophy. Jack London's take on the philosophy is rather obviously negative and reflects the cruelty and certainly sociopathic behavior of Wolf Larsen.
In the end, Van Weyden's contrasting moral views (belief in the soul, belief in inherent good and that men should act justly under all circumstances) are strengthened through the encounter with Wolf Larsen, but there are certain points in the narrative where it feels like this outcome isn't guaranteed. This is probably what makes it work so well. Jack London explores the ideas fully through Wolf Larsen's dialogue and actions in such a way that they are ideologically consistent. It is only nature that ends the encounter.
The Good: Wold Larsen is a fully developed villain that embodies a philosophical tradition taken to its ideological end. He is scary in a way that makes the protagonist (and the reader) think.
The Bad: Without giving the ending away, it does seem a little deux ex machina. I'm not sure exactly what it would look like, but an ending driven by the characters would be more satisfying.
The Bottom Line: Read The Sea Wolf for its villain because he is as interesting as he is frightening.
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