The Sea-Wolf

Humphrey’s love for Maud inspires him to continue working hard, and he draws motivation from her courage and her “sure permanence in the changing order of the universe” (213) when sea and wind constantly assail their small escape boat. “Responsibility of this sort was a new thing to me. Wolf Larsen had been quite right. I had stood on my father’s legs” (221). Feeling responsible for Maud allows Humphrey to begrudgingly admit that Larsen’s goal of revealing Humphrey’s independence actually worked. Though Larsen’s methods were brutal, they were undeniably effective.

The motivation that Humphrey’s love for Maud provides, and his cognizance of Larsen’s influence, is tied in with a changed perception of his masculinity. While hunting seals, Humphrey’s developing sense of strength, perseverance, and masculinity is reflected in this statement: “I had much for which to thank Wolf Larsen” (228). Humphrey’s perception of masculinity is driven by the need to prove himself capable of protecting and providing for a woman: “I shall never forget in that moment how instantly conscious I became of my manhood [...] And best of all, I felt myself the protector of my loved one” (227).

Throughout these chapters, there emerges a discrepancy between reading and practical knowledge. Often, Humphrey asserts that if other men can complete a task (such as building a fire or hut), then there is no reason why he may not do so as well. This leads to extensive trial and error to complete a project, but ultimately, Humphrey does accomplish these tasks satisfactorily. His character has achieved a state of semi-balance, where the Humphrey from the beginning of the book (entirely book-learned) and the Humphrey on Ghost prior to Maud’s appearance (in danger of falling to the entirely physical-focused lives of the crew) have melded together both experiences in a display of sheer productivity.

In reference to building a fire with sticks, Humphrey talks about Winters’ narrative in which he concludes: “Gentlemen, the South Sea Islanders may do it, the Malay may do it, but take my word, it’s beyond the white man” (217). Considering this novel in its historical context at the beginning of the 20th century and the height of the age of imperialism, this offhand comment reveals much about Humphrey’s society. Not only is whiteness linked with civilization (for why would a civilized man in a city need to build a fire?), but the spheres of knowledge presented in the quote draw a hard line between Indigenous and Western people. By being unable to confer knowledge to one another through language, the sense of the South Sea Islanders and the Malay as an Other distances them from the realm of “the white man” (217), almost as if they are a completely different species.