Tarzan of the Apes

Thematic Analysis

 

Civilization:

By definition civilization means the process by which a society or place reaches an advanced stage of social development and organization. In this novel the author, Burroughs, tries to give the reader a different view of the society by having an outsider make observations about the different aspects of it. The fact that Tarzan has been raised by the apes allows him to view the humans from an animal’s perspective and some of their actions seem unusual to him.  In the novel it is seen how members of the society are willing to risk everything or destroy the most important relationships in order to gain wealth. This aspect of the society can be seen in the novel when Professor Porter agrees to let Canler marry his daughter only because he needs the money. Jane believes that Canler is “buying” her. One of the most important themes of the novel is how people are in love with money and how sometimes they put wealth before their families and friends even though they are the most significant part of a person’s life. In the novel the reader witnesses many different deaths, however the person who kills has different reasons for doing what he does. This can be seen in when Tarzan sees how one of the ship crew members shoots the other one from the back he wonders what would be the reason behind doing such a thing. When he compares it to the members of his tribe he sees that apes do not kill one another and they have a strong bond between each other even though there might be some conflicts sometimes. But the point that the author wants to get across is that humanity gets crueler every day. The actual reason for this murder was because the killer wanted to be in charge of the crew. This brings up another theme about civilization and society which is, people are in love with power and they constantly want to have control over everyone. Humans consider themselves the top species of the plant but as mentioned in the book they kill one another just to gain power and it seems like it is not important for them. Even though animals might be less intelligent than humans, the ones that are from the same species share a code of honor between themselves which makes them want to help themselves and help their species as a whole. Burroughs is trying to say that the humans were not the results of an evolution but instead the intelligence that they got has turned them into monsters with no feelings. Some characteristics of animals are better than the humans and that’s the point the author is trying to make by describing the apes and humans. That’s why Tarzan is such a symbol of perfection in the book because he has the intelligence of a human but has been raised in a tribe where things such as power and wealth have no real meanings. As Tarzan learns how to read, write, speak, eat, and dress like other people it might seem like he is becoming more civilized but in fact he is losing his identity. As Jane said at the end of the novel “civilization would become irksome to you and in a little while you would long for the freedom of your old life” (Burroughs 271). What this means is that once one becomes civilized he gets so involved with the temptations of life that he forgets about the simple life that brings the most joy. The author is constantly trying to say that if people lived a little simpler like animals and did not rush towards civilization maybe there would be less feuds and less conflicts in the world. These examples show perfectly how humanity is not civilizing instead it’s going towards a less developed society where members of it become less attached to each other and more attracted to power, wealth, and destruction. In conclusion what the author is trying to get across is that the intelligence of humans makes them superior to other animals and that’s why they are more civilized however their intelligence can be used in a positive why like Tarzan does or it could be used in a negative way as the Canler, and the ship crew members do, and Burroughs wants the audience to use their intelligence in a more positive way like Tarzan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love:

The author mentions the theme of love many times throughout the novel. The love of Tarzan for Jane is the one that the reader notices the most. In the novel Tarzan does whatever he can to get closer with Jane such as saving her, bringing her food, making love to her, but at the end Jane chooses Clayton over him. This brings up the theme that love doesn’t always bring two people together and sometimes it separates them too, that’s why at the end of the novel even though Tarzan can reveal his true identity and change Jane’s decision, he doesn’t say anything and instead lets Jane go with her new love. The message that the author is trying to send to the reader is that sometimes one has to make sacrifices for the person they love even if she does not do the same. Even though Jane might be in love with Tarzan deep down in her heart something prevents her from going with him and that’s the society’s expectation. It’s not acceptable by society that such a beautiful lady with a high “social position and culture” (278) get married to a “Beast” who has been raised in the jungle by the apes among the wild animals. Clayton seems like the ideal person for Jane from Society’s perspective because he is “very handsome and every inch a gentleman” (279). This theme is really similar to those stories were a poor guy falls in love with a princess. In this case Tarzan is the foil of the poor guy who does all he can to get closer to his love but at the end a rich prince comes and takes the princess. This brings up the theme of expectation vs want, society expects people to marry other people from the same background and social position but once two people fall in love no matter what their history has been or how different they are socially, they want to be together without being judged. Sometimes the love is strong enough to keep these people together but most of the times society separates them because they cannot stand being judged for the rest of their life. In this case however Tarzan showed his love for Jane by letting her decide since he did not “know the ethics of society by which [she has been] governed” (280). The love of Kala for Tarzan is another noticeable relation between two characters in this novel. Even though they are two different species Kala still loves Tarzan and protects him because she does not see him as a human but as her son. The love of a mother for her son can be clearly seen in the novel as Kala protects Tarzan from the other apes that do not like him, feeds him as a young kid, and takes care of him as he gets attacked by a gorilla. This brings up the theme that a mother does all she can to protect the one that she cares the most about. She is willing to sacrifice herself in order to create a better life for her child. On the other hand the child sees her mother as the best person in the world. The love of Tarzan for Kala can be seen when he gets so mad from the death of Kala that he goes and hunts down her murderer. Overall in any type of love both sides have to make sacrifices for each other and care for each other like Tarzan does for Jane and Kala.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ideal Man:

Burroughs’s novel mentions the theme of an ideal man by describing the characteristics of Tarzan. Tarzan is visualized as a godly figure throughout the novel both physically and mentally. He is unlike the animals that has been raised by because he has the power of a “Man’s Reason” and his intelligence. However being raised by the apes has helped him in gaining a remarkable strength not only physically but also through his senses. By creating this character in his novel, the author is trying give the reader an idea of what an ideal man should be like. The author describes the physics of an ideal man by comparing Tarzan to the “Ancient Roman gladiator”. Tarzan’s power of reason can be recognized in the novel when he spares Terkoz and doesn’t kill him unlike any other ape would. By describing this action the author wants to show the difference between a man and an animal. The point that the author is trying to make by describing the actions of Tarzan is that an ideal man is the one with not only the physical strength but also mental strength which can be achieved by being intelligent and having a remarkable sense of humor. Burroughs brings up the theme of the age of the Bachelor in his novel. In this era men decided not to get married and instead be their own boss and have pride in their independence. The author elucidates the definition of masculinity by describing the life style that Tarzan has and how he is a strong independent man who everyone in the jungle is afraid of such as Sabor the lion who is supposed to be the king of the forest. This clearly shows the theme of masculinity and the age of the bachelor through Tarzan’s remarkable life. Burroughs wants to promote this life style probably due to his own personal life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MASCULINITY