Tarzan of the Apes

Historical Context

 

    Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote Tarzan of the Apes during the time period, from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, known as the Age of the Bachelor. The time period was during the Gilded Age, where industry and big businesses were the main social and economic driving forces within the United States. Men throughout the nation “became distinctively and recognizably urban” (Henretta 552). With industrial jobs and affiliations with labor unions, young men began to place their priorities on self-sufficiency and independence, raising the number of unmarried men to over 10%. It was “a time when being an unattached male lost its social stigma” (562). The Age of the Bachelor, embracing the cult of masculinity, celebrated the ideals of a strong, independent man, unrestricted by the bond of marriage. Burroughs’s novel is prevalent in the idea of masculinity and independence, particularly the “the celebration of a primitive man (Tarzan)” (563), regarded by many historians as an influential literary work that spurred the popularity of the Age of the Bachelor. The Historian Howard P. Chudacoff published a novel regarding this era, titled The Age of the Bachelor: Creating an American Subculture. Referring back to Tarzan of the Apes, the novel itself reflected many male ideals, especially pertaining to Tarzan’s “god-like” (Burroughs 96) physique and keen survival instincts in the jungle. Tarzan was completely self-sufficient, being able to hunt, defend himself, and establish himself as a leader among the apes who were physically much stronger than normal humans.

 

    In one particular scene, Tarzan and Clayton, Tarzan’s royal British cousin, were compared in their eating habits. Tarzan preferred raw meat he hunted himself, and wiped his fingers on his body after the meal. Clayton, representing the habits of a “civilized” being, would only eat cooked meat, and cleaned his hands using water in a finger bowl after the meal. The significance of this particular scene is that Tarzan epitomizes masculinity, exhibiting habits that would be deemed as savage or uncivilized in society. Meanwhile, Clayton’s behavior had been completely shaped by his society, following all the rules and proper etiquette. Due to this, Clayton’s inner masculinity can be seen as limited by society contrary to the independent and carefree nature of Tarzan. Societal influences like these can be seen as a shift to femininity, the exact opposite of the entire notion of the Age of the Bachelor. Perhaps the most important message that Burroughs was trying to get across in Tarzan of the Apes was that the norms of society are not completely necessary for survival or success, and that the pressures to fit in or behave ideally do not correlate with masculinity, or even independence in general. Overall, Tarzan became a popular cultural icon among young men seeking a new sense of independence and adventurism from the late 19th through early 20th century, and influenced many more to “[surmount] the feminizing influences of modern life” (Henretta 563).