The Game by Jack London. Macmillan (1905), 182 pp.
Joe Fleming and Genevieve Pritchard, flush with first love and scheduled to be married soon, are out looking at rugs. He’s young and handsome; she’s young and beautiful. But they are more than an attractive couple. Their purity and steadfastness make them exemplary members of Oakland’s working class. In Genevieve’s mind there’s just one problem: Joe’s love of prize fighting. Since the sport bolsters his ego and provides extra income, he doesn’t understand her misgivings. But to keep her happy Joe agrees to give up boxing after his next match. After flashing back to the early days of their courtship, the story moves ahead to the crucial fight.
Explorations of gender differences don’t get much more elemental than this. Men, London says, are wired for violence. The most virtuous of them are as drawn to the fight as the most brutal. More than half the book focuses on the match: the smokey arena, the enthusiastic crowd, the nearly naked contestants, and the fight itself. London’s descriptions are vivid and detailed. And they’re given from Genevieve’s viewpoint. Disguised as a man, she discovers an all-male bastion that shocks and amazes. Women reading the book today might have the same reactions. A quick and easy read, this novella furnishes an exemplary introduction to London’s work. Downloads of the book are free.
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