The Iron Heel | Page 3

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This etext was prepared by Donald Lainson, [email protected].

THE IRON HEEL
by Jack London

"At first, this Earth, a stage so gloomed with woe You almost sicken at the shifting of the
scenes. And yet be patient. Our Playwright may show In some fifth act what this Wild
Drama means."
CONTENTS
FORWARD I. MY EAGLE II. CHALLENGES III. JOHNSON'S ARM IV. SLAVES OF
THE MACHINE V. THE PHILOMATHS VI. ADUMBRATIONS VII. THE BISHOP'S

VISION VIII. THE MACHINE BREAKERS IX. THE MATHEMATICS OF A DREAM
X. THE VORTEX XI. THE GREAT ADVENTURE XII. THE BISHOP XIII. THE
GENERAL STRIKE XIV. THE BEGINNING OF THE END XV. LAST DAYS XVI.
THE END XVII. THE SCARLET LIVERY XVIII. IN THE SHADOW OF SONOMA
XIX. TRANSFORMATION XX. THE LAST OLIGARCH XXI. THE ROARING
ABYSMAL BEAST XXII. THE CHICAGO COMMUNE XXIII. THE PEOPLE OF
THE ABYSS XXIV. NIGHTMARE XXV. THE TERRORISTS

THE IRON HEEL
FOREWORD
It cannot be said that the Everhard Manuscript is an important historical document. To
the historian it bristles with errors--not errors of fact, but errors of interpretation. Looking
back across the seven centuries that have lapsed since Avis Everhard completed her
manuscript, events, and the bearings of events, that were confused and veiled to her, are
clear to us. She lacked perspective. She was too close to the events she writes about. Nay,
she was merged in the events she has described.
Nevertheless, as a personal document, the Everhard Manuscript is of inestimable value.
But here again enter error of perspective, and vitiation due to the bias of love. Yet we
smile, indeed, and forgive Avis Everhard for the heroic lines upon which she modelled
her husband. We know to-day that he was not so colossal, and that he loomed among the
events of his times less largely than the Manuscript would lead us to believe.
We know that Ernest Everhard was an exceptionally strong man, but not so exceptional
as his wife thought him to be. He was, after all, but one of a large number of heroes who,
throughout the world, devoted their lives to the Revolution; though it must be conceded
that he did unusual work, especially in his elaboration and interpretation of working-class
philosophy. "Proletarian science" and "proletarian philosophy" were his phrases for it,
and therein he shows the provincialism of his mind--a defect, however, that was due to
the times and that none in that day could escape.
But to return to the Manuscript. Especially valuable is it in communicating to us the
FEEL of those terrible times. Nowhere do we find more vividly portrayed the psychology
of the persons that lived in that turbulent period embraced between the years 1912 and
1932--their mistakes and ignorance, their doubts and fears and misapprehensions, their
ethical delusions, their violent passions, their inconceivable sordidness and selfishness.
These are the things that are so hard for us of this enlightened age to understand. History
tells us that these things were, and biology and psychology tell us why they were; but
history and biology and psychology do not make these things alive. We accept them as
facts, but we are left without sympathetic comprehension of them.
This sympathy comes to us, however, as we peruse the Everhard Manuscript. We enter
into the minds of the actors in that long-ago world-drama, and for the time being their
mental processes are our mental processes. Not alone do we understand Avis Everhard's

love for her hero-husband, but we feel, as he felt, in those first days, the vague and
terrible loom of the Oligarchy. The Iron Heel (well named) we feel descending upon and
crushing mankind.
And in passing we note that that historic phrase, the Iron Heel, originated in Ernest
Everhard's mind. This, we