Jack London

3 Pages 822 Words

Jack Griffith Chaney was born on January 12th to his mother Flora Wellman and his father William H. Chaney who denies his paternity and abandons the family a few months later. Most of California’s records were destroyed in the earthquake of 1906 so there is no real evidence as to who was the biological father. (Wikipedia) A year later, Flora married a widower, John London and Jack adopts his surname “London”. At the age of two, the London family moved to Oakland after their son suffered a near fatal case of diphtheria and continued to live within the city though they moved to different locations. During this time he attends West End Elementary in 1882 and then enrolls in Cole Grammar School in 1887 and two years later (at the age of 15), he graduates as an 8th grader. (Wilson) Jack now devotes himself to full time work, at first odd jobs including paper routes, sweeping out saloons and setting up bowling pins. (Pal) He gets his first real seaman job in 1893 when signing about a schooner, Sophia Sutherland. The vessel sails for seven months along the coast of Hawaii, Japan and the Bearing Sea. After returning home in November, he wins a first prize award of $25 for “best descriptive article” in the Morning Call. The article was entitled “Story of a Typhoon off the Coast of Japan”, a work that was obviously written while at sea. (Wilson)
In 1985, London attends Oakland High School and works as a Janitor as he graduates in only eighteen months. (Wilson) Also while attending, he writes articles for the school newspaper, The High School Aegis. (Pal) A few months later, London continues his education by enrolling in the University of Berkley at California but can only stay for the fall semester due to financial pitfalls. Throughout the next two years, his letters to the editor are frequently published in the local San Francisco papers. London takes a trip to the Klondike for the Gold Rush, accompanied by his broth...