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To Kill a Man

Jack London · English text · 7,882 words

Jack London builds a tense encounter around the possibility of lethal violence and the decisions that precede it. The story’s compact form keeps attention on motive, danger, and the uncertain line between self-defense and revenge.

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Background

London’s short fiction often places characters in situations where action must be judged under pressure. The title’s starkness directs attention to the consequences of a choice rather than to spectacle alone.

Reading notes

  • Follow the sequence of events before the decisive moment.
  • Separate what the characters fear from what they know.
  • Consider how the story asks readers to judge responsibility.

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.