[[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Sea-wolf_cover_9422.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:280:The first edition cover.]]

''The Sea-Wolf'' is a 1904 novel by Creator/JackLondon. It can be described as a psychological adventure novel which gets most of its tension from the conflict between two characters with spectacularly different world views.

The protagonist is literary critic Humphrey van Weyden, a physically weak intellectual with a strong sense of justice and a very optimistic, albeit initially not very thought-out ideology about inherent good, altruism and the immortality of the soul. He was born into a rich family and relies mostly on his father’s inheritance, although his job provides him with an income of his own. At the beginning of the novel, he gets shipwrecked and set adrift after the ferry he was traveling on collides with another ship and sinks.

He is rescued by Wolf Larsen, captain of the seal-hunting schooner “Ghost”. Larsen is the absolute antithesis to van Weyden’s passive benignity. As captain, he rules over the crew of the “Ghost” with an iron fist, brutally beating everyone into submission who dares to defy him and humiliating people for his own amusement. Instead of returning van Weyden to the shore, Wolf Larsen forces him to become part of his crew.

While trying his best to adapt to the harsh new environment, van Weyden discovers that there is more to the captain than blunt, animalistic brutality. Wolf Larsen is an autodidact; he taught himself reading, writing, biology, astronomy, physics and a number of other things and developed his own nihilistic philosophy, heavily inspired by Nietzsche and social-Darwinism.
Van Weyden and Larsen often engage in long philosophical debates during which “Hump”, as the captain calls him, has to defend his own ideology against Larsen’s hedonistic world view.

While Wolf Larsen does humiliate and occasionally beat van Weyden, believing that the harsh treatment will help the spoiled young man to learn how to “stand on his own legs”, he also shows him favoritism because he is the only one on the ship who can provide Larsen with intellectual stimulation.

During his stay on the “Ghost”, Humphrey van Weyden grows stronger in body and spirit, but he stays wary of Larsen, whom he sees as a monster and whose immense cruelty he finds appalling.
When the “Ghost” picks up more castaways, among them a female poet named Maud Brewster, the conflict between van Weyden and Larsen grows more dangerous as both men feel attracted to her.

Jack London originally wrote the novel as an attack on Nietzsche’s Übermensch-concept. It has been adapted for movies many, many times (8 English-language films, 3 German ones, and an Italian and a Russian version, respectively) and is mostly remembered for the character of Wolf Larsen and his relationship with Humphrey van Weyden (described as similar to that of a king and his jester), while the love story that unfolds between Maud Brewster and Humphrey van Weyden and their subsequent escape to a deserted island has been deemed cheesy and absurd even by contemporaries.

Adapted as a 1941 film directed by Creator/MichaelCurtiz and starring Creator/EdwardGRobinson as Larsen.

Adapted as a rather DarkerAndEdgier (which is saying something) 1993 film with Creator/CharlesBronson as Larsen and Creator/ChristopherReeve as Van Weyden.

Adapted to film in a similar vein to the above in 1997 with Creator/StacyKeach as Larsen.

Adapted as a 2009 miniseries with Creator/SebastianKoch as Wolf Larsen, Creator/TimRoth as Death Larsen, and Creator/NeveCampbell as Maud.
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!!''The Sea-Wolf'' provides examples of:

* ActionSurvivor: Humphrey van Weyden becomes this over the course of the story.
* AdaptedOut: Maud Brewster in the 1941 film, with her role loosely filled by CanonForeigner Ruth Webster.
* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler:After Wolf Larsen dies, Humphrey and Maud express sympathy for the man, remarking that now, at least, his spirit is free.]]
* AudienceSurrogate: Humphrey van Weyden.
* BurialAtSea: It's the first thing van Weyden witnesses after the "Ghost" picks him up. At the end of the novel, [[spoiler: Larsen]] is also buried at sea.
* ByronicHero: [[ManipulativeBastard Cunning]], adaptable, [[FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon handsome]], passionate, wholly [[ItsAllAboutMe concerned with personal interests]], hated by the world at large, [[TeethClenchedTeamwork and his own crew]], possessing a [[{{Ubermensch}}personal philosophy]] at odds with the world, and often [[StrawNihilist broods over said philosophy]] and the [[ICouldaBeenAContender events that made him who he is]], Wolf Larsen comes across as a Danish edition of Creator/LordByron. Except he's the BigBad, and the nature of the tale makes him something of a [[DeconstructedTrope deconstruction of this trope]], highlighting that unless you share his philosophy, or more accurately, unless you prove entertaining to him, he inevitably comes across as a callous [[TheSociopath sociopath]] even on his best of days.
* CainAndAbel: Wolf and his brother Death are not fond of eachother. The exact resolution of their conflict (if any) varies depending on the adaptation, but Wolf won’t live through it either way.
** The 2009 miniseries has Death describing Wolf as "the sensitive one," indicating what a [[SarcasmMode touchy-feely]] kind of guy he is.
* CampCook: Thomas "Cooky" Mugridge. "Ethnic" (Cockney), known for his bad food (mostly due to his filthy habits) and often the butt of cruel humor.
* ChekhovsGun: The Charles Bronson movie has a rather literal one when Hump finds a heavy cannon tucked away in the ''Ghost'''s hold. Wolf intends to use it when (not if, ''when'') he encounters his brother's ship. It doesn't end well.
* CourtJester: Larsen mockingly compares Van Weyden to one, and though the ''Ghost'' plainly isn't a royal court, it fits. Despite being a clear subordinate, Van Weyden is one of the only people who can speak to Larsen as an equal, within reason, in large part because his intellect and naivety make him both interesting and amusing for Larsen. Though this doesn't spare him from Larsen's violent temper.
* CrapsackWorld: The ''Ghost'' is like a Crapsack Microcosmos.
* DeathByAdaptation: van Weyden is shot and killed by Larsen at the end of the 1941 film.
* DefiantToTheEnd: Even after losing his sight, his ability to talk, having half of his body paralyzed and being left in terrible pain waiting for death, Larsen refuses to abandon his ideas of a finite life in favor of ones of a comforting afterlife and still has enough courage to call them "BULLSHIT".
* DesertedIsland: This is where Maud and Humphrey escape to. They build stone huts, hunt seals and call it "Endeavour Island".
* DisproportionateRetribution: A specialty of Wolf Larsen. One sailor gets beaten within an inch of his life for daring to complain about the quality of the oilskins and the ship's cook is keelhauled for cooking unsavory food and not changing his shirt.
* DrivenToSuicide: Humphrey van Weyden initially contemplates just flinging himself over board. Wolf Larsen also casually suggests suicide as an option to the sailor he treats with particular cruelty.
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: In the 1941 film, Dr. Louis Prescott spends his final moments mocking Larsen and revealing the truth about their voyage before flinging himself to his death.
* ExactWords: Larsen promises van Weyden "not to lay a finger" on Leach and Johnson, the two sailors he threatened to kill before. In turn, van Weyden has to promise not to try to kill Larsen. Van Weyden [[GenreBlind accepts]]. So after Leach and Johnson tried to flee with one of the hunting boats and it sunk in a storm, Wolf Larsen finds them drifting in the water and simply lets them drown.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: George Leach. He knows Larsen is going to kill him and Johnson, but he stays calm and collected, continuing his attacks on Wolf Larsen and showing no sign of fear.
* FauxAffablyEvil: [[BigBad Wolf Larsen]] is perfectly capable of affecting a polite, or at least likeable, demeanour if he feels like it, but his [[KickTheDog general treatment]] [[LackOfEmpathy of both his crew]] and [[NiceGuy Van Weyden]] make it clear how little he actually cares for either of them, something he even gleefully admits in his {{Motive Rant}}s.
* {{Fingore}}: One of the hunters gets his finger crushed between the "Ghost" and one of the hunting boats.
* GeniusBruiser: [[BigBad Wolf Larsen.]] A violent, confrontational sea captain, strong enough to climb a ladder while being dragged down by his own crew and crush a raw potato to mush with his bare hands. Also a philosophical and cunning autodidact in his spare time.
* GoingDownWithTheShip: Wolf Larsen in the 1993 adaptation pulls perhaps the most villainous example of this trope ever.
* TheHedonist: Wolf Larsen, believing that life is inherently meaningless, says that the only thing to seek is pleasure. However, his pleasure is not the HookersAndBlow sort, but one of striving and triumph.
* JerkassHasAPoint: Larsen is an utterly vicious BadBoss of a captain, and his moments of kindness are eclipsed by his more frequent episodes of cruelty, but his philosophical conversations with Van Weyden forces Weyden to acknowledge how little his naive, idealistic thinking makes sense in the real world. Larsen also makes the point that Van Weyden's time on the ''Ghost'' is probably one of the few times he has worked his hands in his life, [[TookALevelInBadass and his experiences do much to make him man up,]] regardless of how much he hates Larsen for it.
* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:Larsen frequently suffers from intense headaches, a symptom of the brain tumor that eventually kills him.]]
* LateToTheTragedy: In the 1993 adaptation, Hump and Maud attempt to escape in a seal boat. Hearing gunfire in the fog, they row back to find the ''Ghost'' sinking, and the crew gone, Wolf having lost the [[CainAndAbel duel with his brother]].
* LostAtSea: Van Weyden, before he is rescued by Larsen.
* MurderByInaction: Larsen promises van Weyden "not to lay a finger" on Leach and Johnson, the two sailors he threatened to kill before. In turn, van Weyden has to promise not to try to kill Larsen. Van Weyden [[GenreBlind accepts]]. So after Leach and Johnson tried to flee with one of the hunting boats and it sunk in a storm, Wolf Larsen finds them drifting in the water and simply lets them drown.
* NaiveNewcomer: Humphrey van Weyden, though he adapts quickly. Later in the novel, Maud Brewster counts as well.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Wolf Larsen, his brother Death Larsen and the schooner "Ghost".
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Wolf Larsen delivers these with gusto.
* ProfaneLastWords: [[spoiler:Larsen's Bosh!]]
* ProperLady: Maud Brewster. Humphrey just can't stop reminding the reader of her beauty, gentleness and feminine delicacy.
* RatedMForManly: A high seas adventure taking place on a schooner where dog-eat-dog is the rule of the day, populated by crusty, toughened sailors who shrug off amputated fingers like water off a duck's back, with the BigBad a hulking, handsome GeniusBruiser with a striking name. The protagonist, a ShelteredAristocrat, is forced to toughen up in the environment, and ends up in a CockFight with said GeniusBruiser over a rescued ProperLady. And it's written by Creator/JackLondon. Enough said.
* RewardedAsATraitorDeserves: At least in the 1941 film, [[spoiler:the cook]] tells Larsen what he learns from being around his crewmates, fairly regularly. Late in the film, Larsen says, "I hate an informer," and has him dragged behind the ship on a rope. [[spoiler:Unusually for this trope, the cook survives, but he loses a leg to sharks.]]
* SavedToEnslave: Captain Wolf's treatment of those he 'rescues' at sea. Possibly justified, since resources are scarce and you can't carry dead weight -- but he ''could'' just drop them off at the nearest port...
* SeadogPegLeg: Implied in the first chapter. The "red-faced man" is clearly an experienced seaman and though he's wearing long trousers, walks in an odd way that Van Weyden surmises is caused by having two artificial legs.
* ShelteredAristocrat: Van Weyden is not of aristocratic descent, but for all his wealth and inexperience, he might as well be.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Wolf Larsen.
--> '''Wolf Larsen:''' The big eat the small. The strong eat the weak. The lucky eat the most and move the longest, that is all.
* TheSociopath: Website/TheOtherWiki notes that Larsen displays several traits of a sociopath. [[PlayingWithATrope However,]] he arguably [[SubvertedTrope subverts]] the trope due to not only being [[AtLeastIAdmitIt pretty open]] about being an utter prick, but displays [[HotBlooded a great deal of passion]], especially around [[WickedCultured Maud and Van Weyden]], and shows a [[ICouldaBeenAContender degree of regret]] for how his life has turned out which is [[AngstWhatAngst pretty foreign to textbook sociopaths]].
* StrawNihilist: Wolf Larsen views life as a constant battle for dominance in a world with no meaning or morals. Van Weyden tries to counter this. Emphasis on ''tries.''
** In the 1993 adaptation, Larsen goes so far as to quote ''Literature/ParadiseLost'' for his last words: "Better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven."
* SurroundedByIdiots: While hardly stupid, a large reason why Larsen comes to favour Van Weyden is that he's the only one of the crew on the ship with an intellectual background, and as such, one of the few sources of intellectual stimulation he has. Ditto for Maud Brewster, though there's a dose of {{Lust}} in the mix as well in regards to her.
* TakingYouWithMe: Having lost his cannon duel with Death's ship and been abandoned by what's left of his crew in the 1993 adaptation, Larsen tries to force Hump to go down with him, though Hump manages to escape. In a paradoxical PetTheDog, he simultaneously tries to convince Maud to leave them and save herself.
* ThreateningShark: When Thomas Mugridge is keelhauled, a shark bites off his foot.
* {{Ubermensch}}: Wolf is intended to be a deconstruction of the trope, showing how unpleasant it would be to interact with a man with a radically different moral code and no qualms about imposing it on others. It also shows just how hard it would be to be the {{Ubermensch}}, for van Weyden himself notices that whenever Wolf becomes melancholy, he can find no consolation or succour, for the very qualities that make him who he is deny him that comfort. [[spoiler: It's also shown that when you use this idea to excuse being [[BadBoss an unrepentant jackass]] towards your own underlings, it doesn't matter how badass or [[WhatIsEvil amoral]] you are: said [[TheDogBitesBack underlings will inevitably turn against him]] and throw him off his own ship.]]
* WideEyedIdealist: Van Weyden. For better or for worse, his experiences on his ''Ghost'' force him to tone it down a bit, though he never completely abandons his idealism.
* WoodenShipsAndIronMen: Very late example: it's set at the very end of the Age of Sail, but the atmosphere definitely counts.
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