The Sea-Wolf · Chapters

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Chapter companions for The Sea-Wolf by Jack London.

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Chapter 1
I
Humphrey Van Weyden recounts the ferry Martinez sinking in a fog collision in San Francisco Bay, his panic and struggle in the cold water, and his eventual rescue by a passing schooner, the Ghost, where he glimpses Wolf Larsen.
Chapter 2
II
Humphrey Van Weyden, rescued from the sea, finds himself aboard the sealing schooner Ghost. He observes the dying first mate and the terrifying, blasphemous captain, Wolf Larsen. After being dressed in foul-smelling clothes by the obsequious cook Thomas Mugridge, he steps onto the deck to survey his new surroundings and the brutal world he has entered.
Chapter 3
III
Humphrey Van Weyden is forced into servitude under Wolf Larsen after failing to escape via the pilot boat Lady Mine. He witnesses the brutal burial of a dead sailor and the violent discipline of the crew, including the cabin boy Leach. Wolf Larsen's immense physical and mental strength is revealed, and Humphrey resigns himself to his fate.
Chapter 4
IV
Humphrey Van Weyden struggles to adapt to his new role as cabin boy on the Ghost, facing humiliation and pain. The cook, Thomas Mugridge, becomes domineering and abusive. Humphrey is nearly swept overboard by a wave, injuring his knee, and reflects on his past life as a scholar, his current helplessness, and the brutal, childish nature of the hunters around him.
Chapter 5
V
Humphrey Van Weyden is moved into the cabin after Johansen is sent to the steerage. He endures physical abuse from Thomas Mugridge and Wolf Larsen, discovers Larsen's surprising intellectual side through his library, and engages in a philosophical debate about life and immortality.

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