Tarzan of the Apes

ImPORTANT QUOTEs AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE

 

• “Here was the man who had Tarzan’s title, and Tarzan’s estates, and was going to marry the woman whom Tarzan loved – the woman who loved Tarzan. A single word from Tarzan would make a great difference in this man’s life.” (pg.281)

• This signifies the fact that even though Tarzan has been raised in the jungle he is not a beast and he has the leniency of a wise human. Tarzan can reveal his true identity and be one of the richest men on the planet but instead he decides to keep it a secret because he wants Jane to have a good life with Clayton. At this point Clayton is like an enemy for Tarzan even though he is his cousin, and Tarzan has the ability to destroy him and take everything away from him but instead he shows mercy not because he is afraid of the outcome but because he doesn’t care about wealth and the only thing that matters is that Jane be happy. By showing mercy on his enemy, the author is trying to create a godly figure who has forgiveness even for the people who betrayed him the most. Clayton constantly tries to make Jane change her mind about her love for Tarzan by trying to create a bad picture of him in her head but Tarzan does nothing but replaying with kindness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• “My mother was an Ape, and of course she couldn’t tell me much about it. I never knew who my father was.” (pg.281)

• This quote was the last sentence in the novel and it was significant because it shows how Tarzan still considers Kala to be his mother even though he knows his true identity. By saying this he is trying to reject his true identity and his human origin and keep his integrity as an ape. He believes that even though he is the son of two humans he has been born and raised in the jungle therefore that’s where he belongs and civilization is not the right place for him. He feels like an outsider between the people of his own type and the animals of the jungle seem closer to him than the members of the society. The society on the other hand has a hard time accepting him as well. He prefers the more free lifestyle of the apes than the lifestyle of the humans, and he shows that by saying the apes are his origin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• “You were never meant for the formal restrictions and conventionalities of society – civilization would become irksome to you, and in a little while you would long for the freedom of your old life.” (pg.271)

• Jane says this Tarzan to explain the relation between Tarzan and civilization. She believes that as someone who has been raised in the wild jungle, the civilization would be like a prison for Tarzan. The point the author is trying to make by including this quote is that society and civilization prevent a man from living his life to the fullest. If one tries to live differently than the majority of the society, then he will be judged and he is going to be treated differently as well. Tarzan cannot live among regular people because he is like a godly figure and he belongs to somewhere other than where everyone else lives. In the jungle he would be worshiped by the apes and respected by the other animals because they think of him as the king of the jungle but in the society he will be treated as if he is just another human being who is just like anyone else. Once he becomes part of the society Tarzan would lose his freedom as an ape. This brings up the theme of expectation of society versus the freedom of doing what you want which Burroughs wants to elucidate to the audience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• “If I kill him what advantage will it be to me? Will it not rob the tribe of a great fighter? And if Terkoz be dead, he will know nothing of my supremacy, while alive he will ever be an example to the other apes.” (pg.107)

• This quote signifies the point in the book when Tarzan recognizes the difference between him and the other apes. After his fight with Terkoz he is expected to kill him just like any other ape would but instead he shows mercy to make a point to all the apes. The point he tried to make by doing so was that he was different and superior to all of them and they should treat him like a godly character. The author is trying to show the difference between humans and animals by describing this action of Tarzan. Humans are more intelligent than animals and they have the power of the “Man’s reason”. Unlike animals, humans can think about their actions and their outcomes. By sparing Terkoz Tarzan is shows his superiority to the other apes because only a godly figure has such a forgiveness from the apes’ perspective. Burroughs is saying that, even though animals get to live a more free life than humans, humans have a better sense of reasoning, which separates them from the animals.