Inequity At Home In The Apostate By Jack London

Inequity at home, as well as in the workplace can strongly negate one’s desire to work diligently, or to work at all. This can be observed through “The Apostate,” by Jack London. In this story, readers witness a shift from one extremity to another when it comes to the main character, Johnny, and work. Even though he was a prodigious worker, he did not receive pleasure from what he did. Johnny’s unhappiness, as well as lack of desire to work, stems from his overall experience as a young worker. Several factors contribute to the mental and physical unhappiness of Johnny. One is his upbringing. From a young age on, Johnny worked to support his family. With his father gone, the “man of the house” responsibilities fell upon him. London writes, …show more content…
Will receives much better treatment than what Johnny did as a child. Will is able to attend school, and is not made to work, even though he is older than Johnny when he began working and is perfectly capable. A conversation between Johnny, Will, and their mother explains: “Will raged…‘I’m as big as you now, an’ I’m goin’ to git bigger…’ ‘You ought to be to work, seein’ how big you are,’ Johnny snarled. ‘But he’s too young,’ she [Johnny’s mother] protested… ‘I was younger’n him when I started to work’” (London 232). This is the first moment in the story where Johnny’s true emotions are conveyed. He walked away from this scene feeling this mistreatment and negligence that had been there his whole life. Will, Jenny, Johnny’s sister, as well as his mother really take Johnny’s role in the household for …show more content…
London highlights a scene at work with Johnny, another worker, and their boss. He writes, “‘Look at Johnny there-why ain’t you like him?’ the overseer wrathfully demanded. Johnny’s bobbins were running full blast, but he did not thrill at the indirect praise…From the perfect worker he had evolved into the perfect machine” (London 229). In this section, as well as at many other points in the story, Johnny’s name is synonymous to the “perfect machine.” This title aids in removing his personal thoughts, and converts them into mechanized memorization. London explains: “There was no joyousness in life for him. The procession of the days he never saw. The nights he slept away in twitching unconsciousness. The rest of the time he worked, and his consciousness was machine consciousness. Outside this his mind was blank. He had no ideals…He had no mental life whatever” (London 234-35). This causes labor to deviate from a manual mode to automation. As an effect, lack of motivation due to lack of appreciation also takes away Johnny’s personalization in his