Hard Times within the Novel «The Iron Heel»

In conclusion, it is obvious that bad times do not necessarily inhibit creativity; instead bad times seem to inspire good writers. London’s Iron Heel was written at a difficult time when the socio-economic conditions for the people were bad. Society was engaged in a class struggle. This setting inspired the novel and led to predictions that eventually were manifested in the real world. By modern standards, London’s cultural and political insights are not extravagant or farfetched as many in his time imagined. In fact, the novel The Iron Heel portrays an ominous scheme by the ruling class or Oligarchy to quell the demand of the labor movements a well as deny them their freedoms of assembly and speech, censor the media, install a permanent army and also engage in war with other nations in search of economic and political hegemony (Knight 356). There are also depictions of terrorists and guerrilla warfare, all common occurrences in the 21st century. Despite his predictions of doom and his obvious belief in Social Darwinism, London wrote stories more from his heart than his mind. He talks of the self-sacrificing love, steadfastness and the desire to build an equal and just nation in the face of untold human suffering. He created heroes from these suffering people by giving them courage to labor on and overcome their challenges. The Iron Heel presented the ageless struggle between the classes with clarity and insight. This is a struggle that is still taking place in the modern world, 101 years after The Iron Heel was published.