This is Volume II of Jack London's Collective Short Stories, including Finis and Lost Face. Finis introduces the frostbitten, scurvy-plagued hero encountered in so many of London's tales. Caught on a remote trail, half frozen and starving, Morganson and his fatally injured companion calculate the chances for survival. Urged by his dying trailmate to take a fearful but merciful step—"one squeeze of the trigger"—Morganson makes the hard choice that will permit him to go on alone. Finis illustrates a recurring tragic theme in Jack London's work, man's misguided confidence in his ability to master and dominate the irrational forces of nature. Lost Face is one of the most popular short stories of Jack London. It tells how a fur-thief named Subienkow, after being captured by the Indians, outwits them and escapes all the tortures before death by successfully tempting the Indian head-chief to cut off his head with an axe. The whole story manifests a kind of to-die-in-dignity spirit.

《终结》的主人公摩根森为了在北极圈恶劣的环境下生存下去，决定伏击过路的雪橇，自私和欲望最终将他带向了人生的终结。作者用细腻的心理描写展现了主人公在不同时期心理的变化和挣扎，用朴素的语言探讨了暴露在大自然下的人性的弱点，启发读者对人性的思考和反省。《丢脸先生》是美国著名作家杰克·伦敦的优秀短篇小说之一。故事的主人公是一个被印第安人俘虏的皮货商，他诱骗印第安人首领用斧头把他的头砍下，以免受临死前的种种折磨。文章表现了一种"寻求有尊严的死亡"的精神。