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Chapter 4
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
The next day, Van Weyden must move to a new cabin because the new mate Johansen talks in his sleep and Wolf Larsen can’t deal with it. Van Weyden finds that his old clothes are now dry, and he changes back into them—but he finds that money is missing from his purse. When he confronts Mugridge about the missing money, Mugridge threatens to hit him, so Van Weyden runs away.
The fact that Van Weyden moves to a new cabin just because Wolf Larsen can’t stand Johansen talking in his sleep shows once again how life on the Ghost is determined by Larsen’s whims. The theft of Van Weyden’s money by Larsen shows that some sailors have no problem stabbing each other in the back.
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Themes
Later that day, Van Weyden is discarding ashes from a stove. He accidentally throws the ashes over the windward side, getting ashes on himself, Wolf Larsen, and a hunter. Van Weyden fears the worst, but Wolf Larsen brushes off Van Weyden’s mistake.
Although the novel has portrayed Wolf Larsen as powerful and cruel up to this point, this passage shows that violent and unpredictable mood swings are another central aspect of Wolf’s character.
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Themes
Later, Van Weyden is surprised to discover, while making Wolf Larsen’s bed, that the captain’s bookshelf contains books by authors like William Shakespeare, Alfred Tennyson, Edgar Allen Poe, and Charles Darwin. He supposes that Wolf Larsen is not as ignorant as he initially appeared. This discovery motivates Van Weyden to go to Wolf Larsen and tell him that someone has stolen his money.
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Themes
Literary Devices
Wolf Larsen listens to Van Weyden’s tale about Mugridge robbing him, but he refuses to intervene, saying the money is a fair price for Van Weyden’s life. Wolf Larsen says Van Weyden needs to learn how to hang on to money for himself. Robbery brings up the topic of morality, and the two men talk about whether they believe in souls. Wolf Larsen does not believe in eternal life, but Van Weyden does.
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Wolf Larsen believes life is chaotic and that hunger and selfishness motivate much of human behavior. He concludes the conversation by asking how much money Mugridge stole. Soon after, Van Weyden hears him cursing men elsewhere on the ship.
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Themes
Literary Devices
