work and the asention of class as seen in Martin Eden by jack London
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10/01/03
Us lit 1865-1945
Work and the Ascension of Class
Hard work always pays off, just like the fabled, Engine that could, barreling up the mountain chanting, "I think I can I think I can." We as American have been drilled from an early age that we can do or be anything are little fluttering hearts desire. Teachers are quick to tell the slowest Suzie or the dimmest Donald that they can be anything as long as they want it bad enough and are willing to work hard at it, but are we setting are children up for failure? They are taught from birth that we live in some fairytale land where dreams do come true. Jack London's, Martin Eden is a perfect example of the American mantra, hard work always pays off. If this idea were constantly true, our society would never have starving steel mill workers, out of work brick layers and roaming sailors. Their unfathomably hard work would have brought them all joy and wealth. Unfortunately the fact of the matter is, all that hard work is guaranteed to give you is a strong back, until that to gives out, and all your are left with is an empty pocket and a torn down and broken body, and if one dose find the rare opportunity to grasp the momentary chance to rise above the pains of his or her class the scars will always remain.
London's incredibly hard working character, Martin Eden, has it ingrained into the very fiber of his self that hard work and sacrifice will lead him to unimaginable wealth in the form of his ideal women Ruth. Martin believes that he can overcome the "incubus of his working class station" with study, but cannot afford to give up his working class station completely, unless he desires to starve himself into aristocracy...