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Analysis of the Characterization of the Old Man in “The Law of Life” from the Narrative Perspective
ZHANG Jing-xi
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DOI:10.17265/2159-5836/2024.04.002
School of Foreign Languages, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China
“The Law of Life” is one of Jack London’s representative works, depicting the story of an elderly Native American abandoned by his family, alone and waiting for life to fade away. This paper, based on narrative theory, aims to explore how the author employs narrative techniques to present the image of the old man in the short story. The narrative techniques of dual focalization and dual narrative timelines in the text demonstrate the abandonment of the old man’s homeland and his inescapable death under a naturalistic view of life and reflect a desolate life picture of resignation towards death under naturalistic determinism, depicting a grim elderly world under the naturalistic concept of “survival of the fittest.” Studying this short story helps us reflect on the living conditions of the elderly and provides insights into how to better care for the elderly population amid the global trend of aging.
“The Law of Life”, focalization, narrative time, elderly image
Journal of Literature and Art Studies, April 2024, Vol. 14, No. 4, 273-278
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