History Literature / TheSeaWolf

* 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.

* MurderbyAction: 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.

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

Adapted again as a 2009 miniseries with Creator/SebastianKoch as Wolf Larsen, Creator/TimRoth as Death Larsen, and Creator/NeveCampbell as Maud.

* TheSociopath: Wiki/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]].

* AwesomeMcCoolname: Wolf Larsen and his brother Death Larsen.

* ByronicHero: [[ManipulativeBastard Cunning, adaptable,]] [[FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon handsome,]] [[HotBlooded passionate,]] [[ItsAllAboutMe wholly concerned with personal interests,]] [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer hated by the world at large,]] [[TeethClenchedTeamwork and his]] [[BadBoss own crew,]] [[{{Ubermensch}} possessing a personal philosophy]] [[BlueAndOrangeMorality at odds with the world,]] [[TheCynic and often broods over]] [[StrawNihilist said philosophy]] and the [[ICouldaBeenAContender events that made him who he is,]] [[BigBad 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 [[BadBoss callous]] [[TheSociopath sociopath]] even on his best of days.

* FauxAffablyEvil: [[BigBad Wolf]] [[{{Ubermensch}} 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 [[MotiveRant Motive Rants.]]

* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler: Larsen frequently suffers from intense headaches, a symptom of the brain tumor that eventually kills him.]]

* ProfaneLastWords: [[spoiler: Larsen's Bosh!]]

* 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 an AwesomeMcCoolname. 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.]]

* TheSociopath: Wiki/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,]] [[WickedCultured especially around Maud and Van Weyden,]] and shows a [[ICouldaBeenAContender degree of regret]] for how his life has turned out which is [[AngstWhatAngst pretty foreign]] [[NeverMyFault to]] [[BitchInSheepsClothing textbook]] [[EmptyShell sociopaths.]]

* {{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 [[AboveGoodAndEvil or]] [[WhatIsEvil amoral]] you are: said [[TheDogBitesBack underlings will inevitably turn against him]] and throw him off his own ship.]]

* MirthToPower: 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.

** In the 1993 adaptation, Larsen goes so far as to quote ''Literature/ParadiseLost'' for his FamousLastWords: "Better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven."

* {{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 [[AboveGoodAndEvil or]] [[WhatIsEvil amoral]] you are: said [[TheDogBitesBack underlings will inevitably]] [[RealityEnsues turn against him]] and throw him off his own ship.]]

* TheJester: 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.

** The 2009 miniseries has Death describing Wolf as "the sensitive one," indicating what [[SarcasmMode touchy-feely]] kind of guy he is.

* 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) he encounters his brother's ship. It doesn't end well.

* CainVsAbel: 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.

* 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 [[CainVsAbel duel with his brother]].