Just as Wolf Larsen at times wished to trade in his individualism, hedonism and materialism for Van Weyden's idealism and belief in an eternal soul, Van Weyden overtly admired and envied Wolf.
I only wish that all people such as Van Weyden might have their eyes opened by the Wolf. By way of Wolf and Van Weyden's mutual experiences together, each man was able to grow intellectually and philosophically. It is obvious that for all of Wolf's physical and mental power, he was internally weak. Van Weyden was internally strong and externally weak. Both men were isolated.
I enjoyed the story very much until Maud Brewster came aboard. I cannot relate to you how annoying I found her and especially Van Weyden's ridiculous coddling of her. I was sickened. It would have been much more interesting if rather than act as each others nanny, Maud and Van Weyden continued philosophical conversations, perhaps digressing on their own similar perceptions or theorizing upon Wolf Larsen and his capacity for cruelty and poetry.
The story began embracing raw masculinity, ice cold intellect, and the making of one's own legs. It ended in a pile of mush with the most interesting character stroked-out and the newly-made man so giddy that surely the first thing he did when reaching land was not to go about analyzing and restructuring himself as a man, but to give his life over to nursing Maud.
I'm sure the only books either of them wrote henceforth were on putrid subjects such as child care and marriage. Never again did either walk upon their own legs. They gave themselves over to procreation and progeny—sustenance unto Wolves.
“. . . there was about him a suggestion of lurking ferocity, as though the Wild still lingered in him and the wolf in him merely slept.” -Jack London
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