# The Priestly Prerogative explained — The Son of the Wolf

> Chapter companion for The Son of the Wolf by Jack London.

## What happens

Edwin Bentham and his wife Grace travel north during the Klondike gold rush, but Edwin is weak and selfish while Grace is strong and self-sacrificing. After a grueling journey, they arrive at Malemute Kid's cabin, where Grace is invited to dinner by three young men. Edwin rudely demands her return, and she leaves with him. The chapter also follows Father Roubeau and Malemute Kid, who discuss a lie the priest told, and the priest's guilt over sending a woman back to her husband.

## Themes in this chapter

### Gender Roles and Relationships

The chapter contrasts Edwin's weak, domineering masculinity with Grace's self-sacrificing strength, highlighting the unequal burdens in their marriage.

### Loneliness and Longing

The young men and Grace all yearn for companionship and the comforts of civilization during the long winter.

### The Code of the North

Father Roubeau and Malemute Kid discuss the ethics of lying to protect a woman, reflecting the unwritten moral codes of the frontier.

## Character check-ins

### Edwin Bentham

A weak, selfish man who does not appreciate his wife and forces her to leave a dinner party.

### Grace Bentham

A strong, self-sacrificing woman who breaks trail for her husband and is forced to leave a rare social gathering.

### Malemute Kid

Hosts the dinner and travels with Father Roubeau; knows the priest's true character.

### Father Roubeau

A Jesuit priest who struggles with guilt over a lie he told to send a woman back to her husband.

### Parker

One of the three young men hosting the dinner; tries to be polite to Edwin Bentham.

### Langham

One of the three young men; frustrated by the disruption of the dinner.

## Key lines

> This is the story of a man who did not appreciate his wife; also, of a woman who did him too great an honour when she gave herself to him.

The tale is about a man who took his wife for granted and a woman who was too good for him.

_Opening lines establishing the central conflict of the chapter._

> And when the short day left them, and the man lay down in the snow and blubbered, it was the woman who lashed him to the sled, bit her lips with the pain of her aching limbs, and helped the dog haul him to Malemute Kid's cabin.

When night fell and Edwin collapsed crying, Grace tied him to the sled and, despite her own pain, helped the dog drag him to safety.

_Illustrates Grace's physical and emotional strength compared to Edwin's weakness._

> Before him alone did the priest cast off the sacerdotal garb and stand naked.

Only with Malemute Kid did Father Roubeau reveal his true self, free from his priestly role.

_Highlights the deep trust and friendship between the two men._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_son_of_the_wolf_se/chapters/the-priestly-prerogative
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_son_of_the_wolf_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_son_of_the_wolf_se/chapters