The Yukon: Freedom vs. Isolation	Reason vs. Passion
The Swede: Paragon of Aristotelian Virtue	Capitalism: Proponents and Detractors
Reese as Thrasymachus	Shamanism vs. Empiricism

The Yukon: Freedom vs. Isolation

    The Yukon is a vast, untamed wilderness that exists in the Canadian northwest.  Encompassing an area greater than that of Texas, the Yukon is an unforgiving land dominated by rivers and tall mountains.  The “White Silence” of the North (to use Jack London’s term) stands outside of time nearly as much as it stands removed from civilization.  Only in a few select places have men established a tenuous hold on life.  In the series two such places are Forty Mile and Dawson City.  Even these places only exist because of the gold rush.  The series begins early in 1898, at the height of the Klondike gold rush.  By this time a great multitude of hardy prospectors, trappers and adventurers have traveled to the Yukon and have experienced its harsh beauty.  For some the Yukon is a land of unparalleled freedom and adventure.  Yet for those who cannot leave, it is a land of loneliness and isolation.
 
    For certain characters in the series, the Yukon is a place of adventure, exploration and freedom from the bonds of civilization.  John Thornton, the rugged mountain man and former prospector, sees the Yukon as his true home.  Earlier in his life he confessed to his first true love that the Yukon was the proper place for him.  John has a spirit that embraces freedom and adventure.  He has become tempered in his middle age, electing to run a general store rather than continuing to prospect outside of Forty Mile.  However, the land sometimes calls him out to pursue the adventures of his youth.  This leads him to help escort the Iron Maiden and also to seek the lost Miles on more than one occasion.  John Thornton admits to Adoley that he opened the trading post for her so she could be closer to the social scene.  John Thornton is a loner and the Yukon best suits his character.

    For Miles the Yukon is a place for exploration, yet his sentiments are not as one-sided as John’s are.  Although Miles has embraced the rugged life of the north for three years, the Yukon has become a place of increasing isolation.  He wants to see more of life and explore the rest of the world.  Forty Mile and the surrounding environs have become a trap for him.  As the series progresses Miles becomes more and more dissatisfied with his present situation.  He wants to break out and see what the world has to offer.  Emma feels the same way, yet her feelings of isolation are even more ardent.  Emma strives to break free from the place she has been forced to live in.  Her father’s business and wanderlust have relegated her to the cultural backwater of the world.  Emma needs to be around people and converse with them.  She longs to establish relationships that are deeper than the “merchant – customer” relationships she has in running the Forty Mile Hotel.  Luckily she has Mercedes and Miles, yet they are not enough.  She wants to run away to San Francisco, the paramount of civilization and high society.

    Unfortunately for the people of Forty Mile and Dawson City, the Yukon is also a place for moral reprobates to perpetrate crimes with near impunity.  Consider Reese and Guilliard.  These men take advantage of the nearly total absence of law enforcement to carry out a series of dog fights for the purpose of expanding their own wealth.  Similarly, Soapy Smith and his gang see the Yukon as a land where they can freely carry out their own schemes of getting rich quick by sabotaging the Iron Maiden.  The fringes of civilization allow such men to prey upon the weak without fear of punishment.

    Besides Emma, other characters view the Yukon as a domain of isolation and longing.  Adoley has passing moments of loneliness.  Her father’s invitation to San Francisco causes her to rethink her decision to remain with John in the harsh wilderness.  The city promises her a much larger and more diverse social scene as well as the opportunity for a career in photography with a well established newspaper syndicate.  Mercedes Levant originally came to the Yukon to gather information for a book on travel.  Instead of “just passing through,” she remains in Forty Mile and becomes the proprietor of the Opera House Saloon.  However, she too experiences feelings of loneliness.  She has the wanderlust, yet is more hesitant to abandon her acquaintances and loved ones than Emma’s father, Clarence.  The love and support of Swede finally prevent Mercedes from abandoning her life in Forty Mile.  His feelings of affection help present the Yukon as place of boundless exploration and love.