Dalam "The Law of Life" London, Koskoosh menerima ditinggalkan oleh sukunya untuk mati.

Dia
menyadari bahwa itu adalah "hukum kehidupan" bahwa "semua orang harus mati" (1054). Memang
benar bahwa setiap orang pada akhirnya mati, tetapi kebanyakan orang ingin menghindari kematian dan
bahkan setelah umur panjang tidak menerima kenyataan bahwa kematian datang. Kebanyakan orang
tidak memahami hakikat kehidupan seperti Koskoosh; mungkin karena dia menjalani kehidupan sukunya
lebih selaras dengan alam, dia memiliki pandangan yang lebih menerima tentang kematian. London
menulis bahwa Koskoosh “telah lahir dekat dengan bumi, dekat dengan bumi seandainya dia hidup, dan
hukumnya bukanlah hal baru baginya. Itu adalah hukum seluruh manusia. Alam tidak ramah terhadap
daging ”(1054). Koskoosh telah melihat kematian sepanjang hidupnya saat dia tinggal "dekat dengan
bumi," jadi dia mengerti bahwa setiap makhluk hidup pada akhirnya harus mati; itu adalah hukum alam.

Saat Koskoosh menunggu kematian untuk membawanya, dia merenungkan masa mudanya dan
mengingat rusa tua yang dia lihat dibunuh oleh serigala. Rusa besar itu menjadi sasaran serigala karena
dia adalah "orang tua yang [tidak bisa] mengikuti kawanan" (1055). Rusa besar itu, meskipun dia sudah
tua dan kesulitan mengimbangi kawanannya, tetap berdiri; dia tidak ingin mati. Dalam banyak hal, rusa
itu seperti Koskoosh; keduanya sudah tua dan ditinggalkan oleh kawanan / sukunya. Namun, Koskoosh
telah menerima takdirnya, sementara rusa besar berjuang untuk hidup seperti yang mungkin dilakukan
banyak orang bahkan setelah umur panjang. Semua makhluk hidup diprogram secara naluriah untuk
melekat pada kehidupan. Di akhir cerita, serigala mendatangi Koskoosh, mengambil mangsa yang
dipisahkan dari kawanannya. Koskoosh awalnya melambaikan obor untuk mengusir serigala, tetapi dia
tahu pada akhirnya api akan padam. Dia tahu kematian akan datang, dan dia bertanya pada dirinya
sendiri "mengapa dia harus berpegang teguh pada kehidupan?" (1057). Dan, dia menyerah dan
menyerah pada takdirnya, "hukum kehidupan". Dalam hal ini dia berbeda dari rusa besar; ketika
dihadapkan dengan serigala, rusa besar bersikukuh: "dia telah melakukan tugasnya sejak lama, tetapi
hidup sangat disayanginya" (1056). Seperti Koskoosh, rusa besar itu sudah tua dan telah menyelesaikan
tugas kehidupan: "mengabadikan" (1054). Namun, rusa masih menghargai kehidupan dan
memperjuangkannya secara naluriah sementara Koskoosh mengakui "hukum kehidupan" dan hasil.

Penerimaan Koskoosh atas undang-undang ini bahkan lebih menarik karena fakta bahwa rusa besar
masih hidup. Kebanyakan orang tidak akan menerima kematian seperti yang dilakukan Koskoosh, tetapi
anggapan bahwa dia telah hidup "dekat dengan bumi" dan melihat kematian sebagai hal yang wajar dan
dengan demikian dapat menerimanya juga tidak berlaku. Memang, rusa adalah contoh dari sifat yang
tidak ramah terhadap daging, tetapi rusa tidak menerima kematian. Koskoosh dapat menerima
kematian bahkan ketika dia melihat seekor binatang secara naluriah melekat pada kehidupan.
In London’s “The Law of Life,” Koskoosh accepts being left behind by his tribe to die. He realizes that it is
the “law of life” that “all men must die” (1054). It certainly is true that everyone eventually dies, but
most people want to avoid death and even after a long life do not accept the fact that death comes.
Most people are not as understanding of the nature of life as Koskoosh; perhaps since he lived his tribal
life more in tune with nature he had a more accepting view toward death. London writes that Koskoosh
“had been born close to the earth, close to the earth had he lived, and the law thereof was not new to
him. It was the law of all flesh. Nature was not kindly to the flesh” (1054). Koskoosh had seen death
throughout his life as he lived “close to the earth,” so he understood that every living thing must
eventually die; it was a law of nature.

As Koskoosh waits for death to take him, he reflects on his youth and remembers an old moose he had
seen killed by wolves. The moose was targeted by the wolves because he was “an old one who [could
not] keep up with the herd” (1055). The moose, even though he was old and had difficulty keeping up
with his herd, made a stand; he did not want to die. In many ways, the moose is like Koskoosh; both are
old and left behind by their herd/tribe. However, Koskoosh has accepted his fate, while the moose
fought for life as many are likely to do even after a long life. All living creatures are programmed
instinctively to cling to life. At the end of the story, wolves come up to Koskoosh, picking up on prey
separated from the herd. Koskoosh initially waves a torch to keep the wolves away, but he knows
eventually the fire will burn out. He knows death is coming, and he asks himself “why should he cling to
life?” (1057). And, he gives up and succumbs to his fate, the “law of life.” In this he differs from the
moose; when faced with the wolves the moose made a stand: “he had done his task long since, but
none the less was life dear to him” (1056). Like Koskoosh, the moose was old and had accomplished the
task of life: “to perpetuate” (1054). Yet, the moose still valued life and fought for it instinctively while
Koskoosh recognizes the “law of life” and yields.

Koskoosh’s acceptance of this law is even more intetesting due to the fact that the moose still clung to
life. Most people would not accept death as Koskoosh did, but the assumption that he had lived “close
to earth” and seen death as a natural thing and was thus able to accept it does not hold up as well.
Granted, the moose is an example of the nature being unkind to the flesh, but the moose did not accept
death. Koskoosh was able to accept death even when he had seen an animal instinctively cling to life.
Death will comes to all of us, but different cultures approach the inevitable end in various ways just like
the death described in this London’s story. So does Life, it’s like a book. Some chapters are sad, some
happy and some exciting. Everyone has their own chapters , own episodes of life. In this meaningful
short story, the chapter or episode is the circle of life itself. We could see from the Koskoosh’s past,
there is a time when he was so strong, hunting moose and even fought with the leader of wolves and
winning that very intens battle. After that scene, he become chief of his tribe, the strong and the best of
his kind. But now, he is growing older and losing his ability to keep up with the tribe as the days go by. At
this kind of cruel scene where the tribe left him behind, felt tired and is slowly dying in the middle of
snow, lonely, dark, helpless, and even close to death because he was surrounded by the pack of wolves.
After that, someone else with replace his place, in this story is his son and will complete the cycle of life
once again. That is the circle of life is. It is tells us about how life is like the ocean, it goes up and down,
no one can stop its flow.

Moreover, if we quoting the dialogue from the story when Koskoosh says to his son, “It is well. I am a
last year’s leaf, clinging lightly to the stem. The first breath that blows, and I fall. My voice is become like
and old woman’s. My eyes no longer show me the way of my feet, and my feet are heavy, and I am
tired. It is well” (pg. 2, para. 7). In this dialog, Koskoosh tries to tell us that he is like dying leaf when the
seasons are changing from spring to fall. In this story, it is becoming winter, death will comes for him, he
is alone and left behind by his tribe like the last snow on a tree. Winter will leave and spring will come.
Nobody can stop this cycle of seasons too.It will happen, it must happen. That’s the interpretation of the
end of seasons, so does an episode. Every new chapter or episode will require a new version of
someone to complete this story, world story.

Finally, one last dialogue need to be explained “She had no concern for that single thing called the
individual. Her interest lay in the race of man as a whole. This was the deepest thought that old
Koskoosh’s uneducated mind could master.” (pg. 3, para. 19). In this dialogue, nature is capitalized by
Koskoosh which means it’s a being personified as a person and it’s a she. This dialogue means nature did
not care who you are or where you come from, Koskoosh died either, with or without nature itself.
“Therefore, it was true that the tribe lived,

that it represented the obeying of all its members, whose final resting places were unremembered. They
were not important; they were chapters in life’s story. They had passed away like clouds from a summer
sky.” (pg.3, para. 30). Here the essence explanation about

the law of life. We can see old Koskoosh as the main character in his dying moments was hearing a
woman and child, that’s mean a woman is able to give life to another being when she gives birth and a
child is the representation of a new life who was born by that woman, that’s circle of life. Old Koskoosh
that died in this story is the one of many “chapters or episode in life’s story”, her body may dead, but
her story lives forever and there will be someone who will continue this life’s story.