Naturalism is uncivilized nature within civilized society. Hope, naivety, freewill—all an illusion, fate is forever determined by outside influences and the make of every person. Written by Jack London, “A Piece of Steak” encapsulates these beliefs and presents them in a subtle, conclusive manner. Jack London pits Youth against age through comparative rhetoric and thematic imagery to convey Naturalism’s tenets. Tom King is loosing his life and glory is finding Sandel; London reflects their struggles through mindful use of asyndeton and polysyndeton. Tom King is the ‘old un,’ all his fights have left him and he is left in desperate need for work and food. In his younger years, King was the King and he “struck to hurt, struck to maim, struck
