Character of charley- The Heathen by Jack London

Johan Griffith Landon was an American.He was born in january 12,1876 and died in november 22,1916 was novelist, journalist and social activist. He also wrote about the south pacific in stories. His first published work was"Typhoon off the coast of japan" an account of his sailing experience. After wrote sea related stories such "The pearls of parlay" & "The Heathen"

  His short stories: -

• "The Red one"
• "The South of the slot"
• "Moon-face"
• "The Heathen": - It was first published in "Everybody magazine"in August 1910. Is about different cultures  and encounters a hurricane. 

      The  narrator of the story named charley is a cabin passenger on a scooner. Who belongs to white people community in this story.

So let's discuss the character of the narrator or charley.

• Charley as narrator of this story: -

The character of the charley represent as a narrator of the story.  We can clearly sence that the narrative pattern is the mixture of Past and present. The writer who portraits charley. 

Through this character the reader  see the different cultures and racial backgrounds  only survivor of the ship that encounters a hurricane in the Pacific and  they remain together in the story. The narrator directly dedicated this to his Matecum friend Otoo a negro man.when the story begins:  the narrator confesses his gratitude towards otoo.

• Life of charley: -

Charley is  pearl buyer and cabin passenger on a schooner. He even belongs to the White people community and trader of Pearl shell, copra. First time he meets to Otoo in hurricane and share his hatch cover with Otoo. Charley and other sailors encounter with the hurricane that time he said that

       

       " I do not believe it myself, I went      through. it and that is enough. It was monstrous  and it increased and continued to    increase."

Otoo save his life first time from the hurricane and second time from shark. Last charley only one alive. 

• Confrontation with Otoo: -

In hurricane charley survives by clinging to a hatch cover  from the boat, sharing it with 'kanaka' named otoo. Eventually charley loses his consciousness and come to on the beach of an atoll. He said

     " Otoo saved my life, for i come to lying on the beach twenty feet from water, he was lying beside me, i went off again. "

•  Custom of exchanging name: -

They celebrated the custom of exchanging name to one another.

     " In South seas such a ceremony binds two  Closer together than blood rehabilitationsh"

In this ceremony charley and otoo exchange his name and charley becomes otoo, otoo becomes charley. 

• Relationship of master and slave: - 

At last of the story otoo sacrifice his life for charley. This is how the story presents the voyages of these two characters as they have been living together for last 17 years. Their relationship is based their emotions rather than the mentality of master and slave.

 Otoo from Africa, the African people are suppressed by the white and the blacks are dragged to their class. The story demonstrate the idea of master and slave relationship. White believe that black are born to be merely slave but charley never behave like that with otoo but as a brotherhood. 

• Survival of the charley: -

At the time of sailing schooner and narrator encounters with the monstrous shark, who attacked on the narrator that time he said

        "I was peering into the water when I saw. a big shark passed directly beneath me I saw the whole thing"

He had a good luck he got both hands on this nose the rush was a miss on both sides and too saved his life and otoo said that

                  " I know sharks. The 

                    Sharks is my brother "

After narrator looked, there was no any  sign of otoo and finally otoo has got died.    

          In short,the narrator who told the whole story and  the narrator Charley got a true friend in the custom of the exchange the name ceremony. Therefore the Charley  a man of honest,  which is the superior to all.  Which does not contained any custom, religion, culture of even of color because it is beyond the name as Charley become otoo and otoo become Charley at the end  he said about otoo. 

                   " Who saved me and 

                     Made me a man and 

                     Who saved me in the end "

Thank you.......