Jack London

On the Makaloa Mat Jack London

On the Makaloa Mat is a collection of seven short stories by Jack London, all of which are set in Hawaii. The book was published posthumously in 1919, and contains some of the last stories he wrote before his death. They are all tales of love, family, or friendship, told against the background of Hawaiian history, customs, and lore. Often they focus on the interaction between two dichotomous characters--one representing the old, authentic ways of Hawaiian life; the other representing the new, modern Hawaii under the "civilizing" influence of white colonization. London compares and contrasts these two sides of island life without playing favorites.