Book Review: A Piece of Steak by Jack London

September 19, 2022 by Eliza Krackler

For Tom King, it’s survival of the fittest. Life was always like that for him, and in his early days of prize-fighting, he wouldn’t have had it any other way. He used to live in a world of triumph and happiness. He always came home with a story to tell, money from his victories, and a piece of steak for his spoiled bull terrier. But in his old age, King views the world through “lion-lidded eyes.” It’s animalistic by nature, and cruel.

The strong prevail over the weak, and King knows at some point the young will replace the old, and his efforts will cease to matter. But the presence of his hungry children means he can’t let go just yet. A Piece of Steak by Jack London is a story about poverty and the conflict between age and youth. It’s a meditation on the circle of life, on survival. And with an intangible but utterly real pressure weighing on his shoulders, Tom King walks to his next fight wondering if it will be his last.

This book is recommended for the realists, the introspective, and the lovers of quality writing, for people like Jack London himself. In several of his novels, London touches on the elemental struggles for survival, and this short story is no different. It was written at the height of the Naturalist movement, a movement that embodies London himself in its rejection of romantic ideals and emphasis on the trials of humanity. Often, the author focuses on what is going on in King’s head–his stress and resultant withdrawal into his own mind taking the spotlight during his famous boxing match. King and his opponent take on the standard archetype of a mature older character versus the inexperienced but powerful youngster. And yet, Jack London has placed his own twist on a classic story and spun a tale to remember.