The Sea-Wolf (1904) by Jack London follows Humphrey van Weyden, a refined literary critic who survives a shipwreck in San Francisco Bay and is rescued by the Ghost, a seal-hunting schooner commanded by the ruthless Captain Wolf Larsen. Powerful, cynical, and fiercely materialistic, Larsen forces Humphrey into brutal labor, testing the gentleman's physical and moral endurance. Later, the ship rescues stranded writer Maud Brewster, and she and Humphrey fall in love. When the crew deserts and Larsen's health fails, the pair escapes to a deserted island, only to face Larsen's final, solitary fury before rebuilding their lives.
