Summary


VALUES IN JACK LONDON’S NOVEL BY MARTIN EDEN

Societies transfer their cultures, beliefs and values to every single individual through education. They also aim to transfer this cultural background to posterity in order to contribute to future generations’ prosperity. Classic literature can be used for both teaching values and transferring them to future generations. In the process of learning values, parents and teachers can enable youth to learn, gain and strengthen values through the joy of literature by encouraging them to read certain books. The aim of this project is to determine the values in Jack London's novel Martin Eden and to reveal how these values are processed. In this project, qualitative data analysis method is used, and the data found is interpreted with content analysis. Literature is a versatile form of art that shapes a person’s life by entering their field of thoughts and feelings, teaches them aesthetic pleasure and shows them the details of life. In order to benefit from this versatility of literature, children and youth can be advised to read certain books. In value education, teaching values by instructing texts which contain values is substantial. Benefiting from both literary devices’ aesthetic pleasure and their national and international values is possible. In Martin Eden, which involves Jack London’s real-life experiences, core human values such as love, the will to learn, determination, diligence, success, kindness and fidelity is merged in the novel’s plot through protagonist Martin Eden’s mannerisms. Universal values can be conveyed to readers by classical literature which is the common heritage of the world. Martin Eden is a story of self-realization, so to speak. It is an example of “If you want it, you can do it”. The novel can motivate its reader and inspire them to be a hardworking and successful person.



Keywords

Jack London, Martin Eden, value, value education.



References