an analysis of the law of life
...ature where he had to struggle against the others to survive. Harsh nature forced a man to choose between the stronger who wins or the weaker who loses, between the one who eat or the who is eaten. There is no conscience, no friendly relation, no hesitation in killing someone or something. The only thing that matters is one’s existence and instinctive physical satisfactions. “All men must die” is merely the way Koskoosh, the representative of the powerless and impotent, soothe himself on the reach of death. We can see here similarities between Koskoosh and Zing-ha the old moose. The moose was too old and so is Koskoosh. The moose was most likely once the leader of its herd and Koskoosh was once the chief of his tribe. The moose could not catch up with its herd and Koskoosh is a burden to the tribe and is left behind. The moose was torn into pieces by the wolves and now Koskoosh is now waiting for it. Is it the message of the writer? Does he want to persuade that a person must die when he is no longer of any use to his community regardless of his many contributions in the past? Does the strength of the strong and natural selection conquer in this story? In my opinion the answer is no. On the contrary, London has an infinite love for human. That is why he chose to stand up for life and protect it. He allowed the seriously wounded moose to “twice shake his assailants clear and gain footing once more”. Moreover, while at the last moment of Koskoosh’s life , we see he wished that “the heart of his son might soften, and he would come back with the dogs to take his old father on with the tribe” and he “shot his hand into the fire and d...