J. LONDON

Upon reading Jack London’s account of surf-riding, I find it surprising in the introduction to his literature, that “In Hawai‘i, London’s fame gave a boost to Ford as he helped found the first organization to preserve surfriding, the Outrigger Canoe Club (1908)” I wonder why there wasn’t such an establishment that was created by the Hawaiian peoples? For individuals tied so closely to their culture and heritage they don’t seem to stand up for their beliefs and values. Maybe because its in their culture to be open and accommodating they are taken advantage of and exploited. Theres an obvious spot light on the idea of Waikiki as a paradise and surfriding as a past time of the gods. This romantized view of hawaii, isn’t so bad. Hawaii is indeed a paradise I suppose the trouble is that when these stories reached the masses, it opened up a painfully real account of exotism and escape, leaving out any mention of Hawaiian custom, the people, their value system, or any kind of close up on the native habits besides surfing. This kind of negligence adds to the dispossession of the lands and properties from the native Hawaiians.

London’s record of his first attempts at surfing at wildly controlling, “Get in and wrestle with the sea; wing your heels with the skill and power that reside in you; bit the sea’s breakers, master them, and ride upon their backs as a king should.” This man vs nature interpretation I see through the text puts man in a dominant position over nature, which is an idea that can be extrapolated through London’s view of surf-riding. Contrary to this twisted and confused philosophy originally surf riding was seen by the Hawaiians as a means of spiritually connecting to the land and the water and not as a sport to be “tackled”. Sadly the tourist boom in Hawaii says otherwise and these accounts promote London’s view of surfing as a sport of kings, instead of as an application of respect and appreciation towards the land and ocean.