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The Apostate

Jack London · English text · 20,138 words

Johnny, a boy worn down by factory labor, reaches a point where he can no longer keep working. London traces the slow physical cost of exploitation through repetitive tasks and the family’s dependence on his wages.

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Background

The story is among London’s social realist writing about labor and poverty. Its focus on a child makes the ordinary routines of industrial work feel consequential and difficult to ignore.

Reading notes

  • Notice how repetition shapes the rhythm of the prose.
  • Track the difference between Johnny’s age and the burdens placed on him.
  • Consider how economic necessity limits the choices of the whole family.

Version note

Prepared from the English text supplied in the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press bilingual anthology. The site owner confirmed publication permission for this source edition on 21 October 2026. Publisher and edition details remain recorded in the rights audit.