Martin Eden

Martin Eden is a book by American author Jack London. Originally published in 1909, it tells the story of Eden, an uneducated working-class young man who struggles to rise up in society. With a passionate pursuit of self-education, he hopes to gain a place within the literary elite and with it, the chance to be with the woman he loves, the middle class Ruth Morse. However, Morse gets increasingly frustrated waiting for her lover to achieve the things he feels he needs to. With the theme of social class, London tells a story of someone who becomes distanced from his own background, but who also feels isolated in the circle of the bourgeoisie elite that he manages to rise to. There have been several film adaptations of Martin Eden.