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Chapter 11
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Sea-Wolf, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Self-Reliance and Maturation
Materialism vs. Idealism
Survival of the Fittest
Love, Duty, and Choice
Summary
Analysis
Within the past 24 hours, Van Weyden has seen brutality on board the ship that has spread like a disease. The violence comes to a head when the sailor Johnson (not the new mate Johansen) gets into a physical fight with Wolf Larsen. Wolf Larsen easily defeats Johnson, and the violence becomes too much for Van Weyden to watch. Nevertheless, Wolf Larsen forces Van Weyden to watch while he and the mate Johansen continue to beat Johnson.
Johnson is so bloody that he’s almost unrecognizable. The cabin boy Leach does what he can to treat Johnson’s wounds. Leach gets angry at Wolf Larsen, becoming surprisingly forceful. Wolf Larsen doesn’t respond, then Mugridge jumps in and starts taunting Leach. Leach responds by beating Mugridge harshly.
This passage demonstrates how cycles of violence begin. Mugridge was not involved in the conflict initially, but he gets drawn into it, nevertheless. On the Ghost, violence spreads as easily as an infectious disease.
Active
Themes
Other sailors also pick fights with each other throughout the day. Van Weyden begins to fear that the brutality will have a negative effect on him, particularly since he found himself actually enjoying the beating of Mugridge.
Active
Themes
