Michael, Brother of Jerry
1917
Michael, Brother of Jerry is a 1917 novel by Jack London that follows the adventures of Michael, an Irish terrier, who is separated from his companion, Jerry. The story explores themes of companionship, loyalty, and the harsh realities of human nature, particularly regarding the treatment of animals. Set against the backdrop of the Solomon Islands, Michael navigates a world where he is mistaken for a lost dog and faces the cruelty involved in training animals for entertainment. This work is a companion piece to London's earlier novel, Jerry of the Islands, and reflects the author's disdain for animal cruelty.
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“I have indeed lived life in a very rough school and have seen more than the average man's share of inhumanity and cruelty, from the forecastle and the prison, the slum and the desert, the execution-chamber and the lazar-house, to the battlefield and the military hospital. I have seen horrible deaths and mutilations. I have seen imbeciles hanged, because, being imbeciles, they did not possess the hire of lawyers. I have seen the hearts and stamina of strong men broken, and I have seen other men, by ill-treatment, driven to permanent and howling madness. I have witnessed the deaths of old and young, and even infants, from sheer starvation. I have seen men and women beaten by whips and clubs and fists, and I have seen the rhinoceros-hide whips laid around the naked torsos of black boys so heartily that each stroke stripped away the skin in full circle. And yet, let me add finally, never have I been so appalled and shocked by the world's cruelty as have I been appalled and shocked in the midst of happy, laughing, and applauding audiences when trained-animal turns were being performed on the stage.””
— Jack London
“What it was all about”
— Jack London
“Steward, Daughtry. Mr. Daughtry, friend, sir, or whatever I may name you, this is no fairy-story of the open boat, the cross-bearings unnamable, and the treasure a fathom under the sand. This is real. I have a heart. That, sir””
— Jack London
