The Sea-Wolf: Metaphors 3 key examples

Humphrey’s departure from the comfort of the Martinez—where he was sure of his place in the world—represents his departure from civilization. On the Martinez, he is Humphrey Van Weyden, the wealthy, upper-class literary critic who has never done a day of manual labor in his life. However, floating in the ocean, he has left behind his comfortable place in society, and finds himself thrown back into “a gray primordial vastness,” which represents the dawn of human history. “Primordial” refers to something that existed at the beginning of time. By calling the ocean a “primordial vastness,” Humphrey is suggesting that he feels as though he has traveled back to the ocean at the beginning of the earth, pre-civilization—which is appropriate, considering The Sea-Wolf’s focus on humanity’s natural, “primitive” state. By referring to the ocean as “primordial” here, the novel foreshadows Humphrey’s journey toward reconnecting with his primitive roots while he is on board the Ghost, fighting for survival under the harsh rule of captain Wolf Larsen.

The primordial ocean is a mythological and religious motif that appears across cultures. It refers to a vast, chaotic ocean that existed at the beginning of time, from which all life emerged. Humphrey’s immersion in the “gray primordial vastness” after the sinking of the Martinez could be read both biologically—as the beginning of his rediscovery of his deeper, primitive nature—and religiously, as a rite of passage. A rite of passage is a ritual marking a person’s movement from one stage of life to another. Many rites of passage mark a person’s movement from childhood into adulthood. The religious implications of the term “gray primordial vastness” suggest that, when Humphrey nearly drowns in the ocean and is brought aboard the Ghost, he is undergoing his own rite of passage into manhood. Wolf Larsen says as much, telling Humphrey when he forces him to become a part of the Ghost’s crew that it’s “for [his] own’s soul’s sake. It will be the making of [him]. [He] might in time learn to stand on [his] own legs and perhaps toddle along a bit.” Indeed, by the time Humphrey has finished his rite of passage aboard the Ghost, he does think of himself as more of a man, and feels independent and capable in a way he never did before struggling for survival against Wolf Larsen.

Here Humphrey is comparing the seal-hunters to “hell-hounds,” mythological hounds that guard the entrance of hell. He contrasts their behavior with the “solemn” decorum that is normally shown at a funeral. Humphrey has a tremendous respect for human life, and is appalled by violence in all its forms; he is not used to witnessing death. For him, the irreverent laughter of the sailors at such an event stands out starkly and suggests a kind of hellish quality.

Further, in Chapter 26, when Wolf Larsen is celebrating besting his brother Death Larsen at seal-hunting, he hands out whiskey to his crew. Humphrey depicts the men with hellish imagery as they drink together:

It was a strange and frightful spectacle—that small, bunk-lined space, the floor and walls leaping and lurching, the dim light, the swaying shadows lengthening and fore-shortening monstrously, the thick air heavy with smoke and the smell of bodies and iodoform, and the inflamed faces of men—half-men, I should call them. 

Cite this Quote

The “leaping and lurching” of the room, the “dim light,” the “swaying shadows lengthening […] monstrously,” and the "air heavy with smoke” all suggest a scene ringed in hellfire, the men at its center engaged in some sort of demonic celebration. He calls one sailor a “barbaric devil” and another a “demon,” furthering the comparison. This scene comes shortly after Wolf murders two sailors, Leach and Johnson, for plotting a mutiny against him. The rest of the crew stands by while Wolf kills them out of fear for their own lives. This scene suggests that the sailors, by doing nothing to save their two crewmates, have now fallen to join their captain in Hell. On the night of the sailors’ demonic celebration, Wolf is in an unusually exalted mood and appears to be flushed with even more vitality than usual, bringing to mind Lucifer’s line from Paradise Lost, which Wolf then quotes: “Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven.” On this night, Wolf seems to be in his element, reigning aboard his hell-ship full of demonic sailors.

The comparison of the ship to a “miniature world” invites the reader to consider parallels between the crew’s dynamic and dynamics that play out in society as a whole. In other words, the Ghost could be read as a microcosm of society. Wolf Larsen, as the captain of the Ghost, is in charge of the rest of the crew. His lack of conscience or value for human life, combined with his brute physical strength, allows him to abuse his power over them, pushing them into unsafe situations and even killing several of his men. This could be read as a broad critique of real-world leaders who rise to power because of negative qualities like a lack of empathy or a desire to dominate others. Like a dictator, Wolf Larsen acts as though his word is law, and kills anyone on the crew with a dissenting opinion.

Additionally, Humphrey describes the “little floating world” of the ship as “a contrivance so fragile,” marveling that men are brave enough to venture out onto the vast, dangerous power of the sea on such a delicate contraption. If the ship is a metaphor for society, then it appears he is suggesting that society itself is fragile compared to the tremendous power of nature. Prior to boarding the Ghost, Humphrey was represented as being overly-civilized and disconnected from the power of nature. Here, his description of the ship as “fragile” reveals that he is starting to see that society isn’t the whole picture of humanity. It is but a thin veneer over the depths of nature; beneath politeness and intellectualism lies humanity’s primal, animal side.

Here Humphrey is comparing the seal-hunters to “hell-hounds,” mythological hounds that guard the entrance of hell. He contrasts their behavior with the “solemn” decorum that is normally shown at a funeral. Humphrey has a tremendous respect for human life, and is appalled by violence in all its forms; he is not used to witnessing death. For him, the irreverent laughter of the sailors at such an event stands out starkly and suggests a kind of hellish quality.

Further, in Chapter 26, when Wolf Larsen is celebrating besting his brother Death Larsen at seal-hunting, he hands out whiskey to his crew. Humphrey depicts the men with hellish imagery as they drink together:

It was a strange and frightful spectacle—that small, bunk-lined space, the floor and walls leaping and lurching, the dim light, the swaying shadows lengthening and fore-shortening monstrously, the thick air heavy with smoke and the smell of bodies and iodoform, and the inflamed faces of men—half-men, I should call them. 

Cite this Quote

The “leaping and lurching” of the room, the “dim light,” the “swaying shadows lengthening […] monstrously,” and the "air heavy with smoke” all suggest a scene ringed in hellfire, the men at its center engaged in some sort of demonic celebration. He calls one sailor a “barbaric devil” and another a “demon,” furthering the comparison. This scene comes shortly after Wolf murders two sailors, Leach and Johnson, for plotting a mutiny against him. The rest of the crew stands by while Wolf kills them out of fear for their own lives. This scene suggests that the sailors, by doing nothing to save their two crewmates, have now fallen to join their captain in Hell. On the night of the sailors’ demonic celebration, Wolf is in an unusually exalted mood and appears to be flushed with even more vitality than usual, bringing to mind Lucifer’s line from Paradise Lost, which Wolf then quotes: “Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven.” On this night, Wolf seems to be in his element, reigning aboard his hell-ship full of demonic sailors.