The main character in this book, Martin Eden, has a lot in common with Jack London's upbringing in the San Francisco Bay Area. A young working class seaman, he struggles to become a successful writer. Rejected repeatedly by publishers, he continues to submit his work. Along the way, he educates himself with the help of his love interest, Ruth, an upper class student whose parents disdain Eden. He finally achieves success but despairs that people value him only for his fame, and not for himself.