| "A Piece of Steak" | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jack London |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Short story |
| Published in | Saturday Evening Post |
| Publication type | Periodical |
| Publisher | Curtis Publishing Company |
| Media type | Magazine |
| Publication date | November 1909 |
"A Piece of Steak" was a short story written by Jack London which first appeared in the Saturday Evening Post in November of 1909. It took him about half a month to write it and earned him five hundred dollars.
The story deals with a boxer who knows he is too old to continue in his line of work. He fights one last night against a younger man with more stamina, and loses for what he knows to be the lack of nutrients from a piece of steak in his belly, which he could not buy because he was too poor.
The story shows the sickening nature of poverty. It also deals with the issue of ageing and the inevitability of decline toward an eventual death. Additionally, it illustrates the old archetypical story of the mature, experienced fighter struggling against an ambitious, powerful contender.
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