Question

"Martin Eden" by Jack London (Questions):

Why does Martin Eden feel uncomfortable at the beginning of the novel?

What is his view of Ruth and the middle class, and why is this significant do you think?

What is his perception of his own class?

What seems to denote or mark him as working class as opposed to middle class?

How does Martin Eden's view of the middle-class change? What impacts does this have on him?

What is the view of the publishing world and what impact does this have on him?

What happens to him by the end of the novel? Why does this happen? What if anything could have saved him?

What does this novel tell us about the nature of social class and class mobility (moving from one class to another)?

Answer 1

Martin Eden is a novel by Jack London that reveals the story of a Martin from a uncouth sailor to a celebrated writer, for his love Ruth.

1. Martin Eden feels uncomfortable in the beginning because he haven't had enough formal education and was very ignorant about his behavior and manners. Also, he was not financially successful as a writer in the beginning. Being from an uneducated background, a sailor and also from a working class makes him feel uncomfortable.
2. Ruth's view on middle class is such that they had far below social and financial status as compared with the bourgeois status. Ruth, a bourgeois college graduate, rejected Martin Eden's love in the beginning only because of this reason.
3. Martin sees his own class as uneducated, financially not sound and so is poverty. He is also of the view that it is uncultured. He painfully realize about his mannerisms like clumsy walk, his rough, slangy speech and his ignorance of manners. A totally different social status that the bourgeois class, especially women enjoys makes him realize his own status.
4. Martin's lack of formal education, his mannerisms marked him as working class. According to Ruth, cultured meant acquiring Bachelors of Arts degree in Saxon Studies, while for Martin, cultured meant exploring the world.