Kadotuksen Kansa: Kuvaus Lontoon East Endistä
1903
Kadotuksen Kansa: Kuvaus Lontoon East Endistä
1903
Translated by Kaapo Murros
A social commentary written in the early 20th century. The work offers a harrowing insight into the life of the impoverished populace of East London, focusing on the struggles and harsh realities faced by the working class. Through the eyes of London, the author explores themes of poverty, survival, and social injustice, creating a vivid portrait of a world marked by despair and hopelessness. The opening of the work introduces readers to London's journey into the depths of East London, illustrating his intent to observe and understand the lives of its residents firsthand. He discusses the skepticism he faces from his acquaintances when he expresses his desire to immerse himself in the raw realities of the area. As he enters the dilapidated streets filled with destitute individuals rummaging for food, he is struck by the overwhelming presence of poverty and suffering. The narrative captures his transformation as he disguises himself in the rags of the poor, allowing him to truly connect with them, and sets the stage for a deeper exploration of the systemic issues that perpetuate their struggles.
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“Class supremacy can rest only on class degradation””
— Jack London
“Man always gets less than he demands from life; and so little do they demand, that the less than little they get cannot save them.””
— Jack London
“the human soul is a lonely thing””
— Jack London
“The myriads that raise the cry of hunger wail in the greatest empire in the world””
— Jack London
“A soldier, as Bernard Shaw has said, “ostensibly a heroic and patriotic defender of his country, is really an unfortunate man driven by destitution to offer himself as food for powder for the sake of regular rations, shelter, and clothing.””
— Jack London
“But at the best, it is a dull, animal happiness, the content of the full belly. The dominant note of their lives is materialistic. They are stupid and heavy, without imagination. The Abyss seems to exude a stupefying atmosphere of torpor, which wraps about them and deadens them. Religion passes them by. The Unseen holds for them neither terror nor delight. They are unaware of the Unseen; and the full belly and the evening pipe, with their regular “arf an’ arf,” is all they demand, or dream of demanding, from existence.””
— Jack London
“Then arises the third and inexorable question: If Civilisation has increased the producing power of the average man, why has it not bettered the lot of the average man? There can be one answer only”
— Jack London
“In a civilisation frankly materialistic and based upon property, not soul, it is inevitable that property shall be exalted over soul, that crimes against property shall be considered far more serious than crimes against the person.””
— Jack London
“Man cannot be worked worse than a horse is worked, and be housed and fed as a pig is housed and fed, and at the same time have clean and wholesome ideals and aspirations.””
— Jack London
