Jason's Gold

Structurally, Part 3 encompasses the climax, falling action, and resolution. The novel jumps ahead in time between Parts 2 and 3; the end of Part 2 occurs on the last day of 1897, and Part 3 opens in the last week of May 1898. Context clues imply events that occurred in the interim. For example, Jason and Charlie likely keep to the cabin through the harsh winter, mourn the loss of King, and survive by rationing their food; they have only “the last of the bear meat” to save from floodwaters (188). After an impatient but uneventful river trip, Jason and Charlie arrive in Dawson City; the climactic moment of the novel occurs when he enters the Hawthorn Brothers Sawmill. Jason’s reunion with his brothers serves as the fulfillment of his quest.

The narrative brings secondary characters’ stories to a close in the falling action. Jason bids farewell to Jack, Jamie, and Charlie. While Jason is sad to see them go, his reaction to their departures connotes realization and hope rather than grief or loneliness. When Jamie says that she will return by next summer, he responds, “I’ll be standing right here on the dock” (215). He accepts that those he knew on the long trail have moved on and that he must turn his attention to pursuing business success. Jason’s decision to stay in Dawson City shows his happiness with the outcome of his adventure; this is the resolution of the novel.

Jason’s character arc completes its development in Part 3. Lines of interior monologue point out directly what he learns: “It had taken him nearly a year and over five thousand miles to understand the relative value of gold. He wouldn’t trade his brothers—Charlie either—for the wealth of George Washington Carmack” (189-90). His coming of age can be seen indirectly as well; for Jason, the end of the journey comes far too late to cash in on any riches in Bonanza Creek, but he never mourns this. By the time he floats peacefully into Dawson City, he has accepted that gold nuggets are not the only thing of value worth pursuing. He is thrilled that Abe and Ethan include him as an equal partner, and the challenge of that business venture fulfills his desire to be his own boss. Growth and change are also apparent in that Jason makes no plans to pursue additional adventure but instead devotes his energies to success at the sawmill—an option he scoffed at his brothers for choosing in the past.

After suspense-filled scenes in Parts 1 and 2, and once the floodwaters give way in Chapter 24, the tone of Part 3 conveys a stable, calm, and peaceful mood. While Jason is still impatient to get to Dawson City, the river trip is uneventful; while the town is booming with new stampeders and businesses, it lacks the lawlessness and frenzy of Skagway and Dyea (and, in fact, promotes morals and values with its stringent no-work-on-Sundays ethic); while many who finally reach Dawson City depart for other points, no one does so in despair or defeat. Jack London serves as the best example of this last point, as he spells out how the North inspires him: “It’s a grand country, Jason, and it’ll stay in my blood. But I’m determined as ever to find a way to live on my own hook” (209). The tone of his leaving Dawson City is upbeat and hopeful; the resulting mood of the last chapters is confident, optimistic, and triumphant.