The Scarlet Plague by Jack London

“The Scarlet Plague” is a post-apocalyptic novel by Jack London, published in 1912. This early work of science fiction is set in a future world devastated by a pandemic that wiped out most of the human population. The story unfolds through the memories of an old man recounting the events of the plague to his grandsons, providing a stark contrast between the civilized world of his youth and the primitive society they now inhabit.

Plot Summary

In the year 2073, civilization has been reduced to a primitive state. The remnants of the once-great human society are scattered, living in small tribes and struggling for survival. Along the abandoned embankment of an ancient railroad, a frail old man named Granser walks slowly, accompanied by his young grandson, Edwin. They are dressed in animal skins, a stark contrast to the sophisticated garments of Granser’s youth. The forest has reclaimed the once-industrialized land, growing over the tracks and swallowing the remnants of human achievement.

Granser, a relic of a lost world, tells stories of the past to his grandsons, trying to keep the memory of civilization alive. As they traverse this wild landscape, Granser begins to recount the tale of the Scarlet Plague, a cataclysm that wiped out humanity in a matter of days. He was once James Howard Smith, a professor of English literature at the University of California, living in a world of eight billion people. But that world was obliterated in the summer of 2013 when the plague struck.

It began quietly, with whispers of a strange disease in New York. Reports came of people succumbing to a mysterious illness that turned their skin a bright scarlet. The victims died within hours, their bodies decomposing almost instantly. Panic spread like wildfire as the plague leaped from city to city—Chicago, London, San Francisco—all falling victim to the swift and lethal contagion. The world watched in horror as the bacteriologists, the brave scientists who battled the microscopic killers, were themselves slain by the very germ they sought to conquer.

Granser recalls the first death he witnessed. Miss Collbran, one of his students, turned scarlet right before his eyes during a lecture. Her death was swift, terrifyingly so. Within fifteen minutes, she was dead, and the university, a place of learning and progress, was deserted. Students and professors alike fled, their minds consumed by the fear of an invisible enemy. Granser wandered through the silent halls, mourning the end of an era, as the plague decimated the city outside.

In the chaos that followed, the rich and powerful tried to flee in their airships, hoping to find sanctuary in remote mountains and deserts. But there was no escape. The plague was everywhere, carried by the very air they breathed. Granser’s own brother fell victim, his face turning scarlet as he sat in the family home. He died in agony, the plague taking him with a cruel swiftness. Granser was left alone in a world rapidly crumbling into anarchy.

As society broke down, law and order vanished. The streets filled with corpses, and the survivors turned savage. Granser witnessed the atrocities committed by those who once lived in the shadows of civilization. Looting, murder, and unspeakable acts of violence became the norm. People, driven mad by the fear of death, turned on each other. Granser, wandering through the burning streets, saw families torn apart, friends killing friends, all in the name of survival.

The cities were abandoned, left to burn as the plague ravaged their inhabitants. Granser sought refuge in the Chemistry Building at the university, joining others in a desperate attempt to isolate themselves from the contagion. They fortified the building, rationed their supplies, and dug a well, hoping to outlast the plague. But even this sanctuary was not safe. One by one, those inside began to show signs of the disease. The plague had a terrifying incubation period, lying dormant for days before revealing itself with a scarlet flush. When it struck, it did so with merciless speed. Soon, the Chemistry Building was filled with the dead and dying, and Granser was forced to flee once more.

He wandered through the desolate landscape, a survivor in a world gone mad. The plague wiped out billions, leaving only scattered remnants of humanity. The once-thriving cities were now graveyards, the skyscrapers hollow shells filled with the bones of the dead. Nature reclaimed the earth, vines growing over the ruins of human achievement. Granser lived like an animal, scrounging for food and shelter, always on the move, avoiding the packs of wild dogs and the savage remnants of humanity that roamed the land.

In time, the plague ran its course, leaving behind a handful of survivors to rebuild in a world that had reverted to a state of primal existence. The few who remained were those who had been isolated enough to avoid infection or those who, by some miracle, were immune. Granser, now an old man, became one of the few links to the past. His grandsons, Edwin and Hare-Lip, listen to his tales of a world they can scarcely imagine—a world of flying machines, of millions of people, of cities that never slept. To them, his stories are like myths, almost beyond belief.

The children of the new world have little interest in the tales of the past. They see Granser’s stories as the ramblings of an old man, irrelevant to the harsh reality they face. Yet, Granser persists, sharing his memories in the hope that some knowledge of the world that was might survive. He describes the marvels of technology, the comforts of civilization, and the beauty of art and literature, all lost to the Scarlet Plague.

As the sun sets over the abandoned railway, Granser and Edwin sit by the fire. The old man’s eyes are filled with a distant sadness as he gazes at the flames, seeing in them the dying embers of a once-great civilization. He knows that the world he knew is gone forever, replaced by this new, savage existence. Yet, he clings to the hope that, perhaps, one day, humanity will rise again from the ashes of the Scarlet Plague, and the stories of the past will not be forgotten.

Main Characters

• James Howard Smith (Granser): An elderly man and one of the last survivors of the Scarlet Plague. Once a professor of English literature, he serves as a bridge between the old world and the new, telling the story of the pandemic to his grandsons. His memories provide insight into the collapse of civilization and the profound loss that followed.

• Edwin: One of Granser’s grandsons, curious about the world before the plague. He is more open to learning from his grandfather’s tales and represents a hope for preserving some knowledge of the past.

• Hare-Lip: Another of Granser’s grandsons, he is skeptical of Granser’s stories and represents the new generation’s disconnection from the past. His rough demeanor and disbelief in the old world illustrate the loss of knowledge and culture.

Theme

• Collapse of Civilization: The primary theme is the fragility of human civilization. The Scarlet Plague serves as a catalyst for societal breakdown, showing how quickly order can descend into chaos when a disaster strikes.

• Nature vs. Technology: The novel contrasts the technological advancements of the past with the primitive, nature-dominated world of the future. It explores how nature reclaims the earth when human influence wanes, emphasizing the insignificance of human achievements in the face of natural forces.

• Memory and Knowledge: Granser’s recollections serve as a repository of lost knowledge. The story emphasizes the importance of memory and the transmission of knowledge, even in a world where such information has lost its immediate relevance.

Writing Style and Tone

Jack London employs a narrative style that is both reflective and descriptive. The story is conveyed through Granser’s reminiscences, which give it a wistful, melancholic tone. London’s writing is rich in imagery, vividly depicting both the splendor of the pre-plague world and the stark, wild environment of the post-apocalyptic future. His prose is straightforward yet evocative, capturing the awe and horror of the collapse of civilization. The dialogue between Granser and his grandsons is purposefully simplified, illustrating the degeneration of language and culture over time. This stylistic choice reinforces the theme of societal decline and the loss of knowledge.