Summary:
An overview of Edgar Rice Burroughs' of Tarzan in his book Tarzan of the Apes. Tarzan's possession of both the strengths of the apes and the knowledge of man earned him the title "King of the Apes."
Tarzan, King of the Apes
John Clayton III was a man who was raised in the jungle by apes, and a man whose intelligence and strength helped turn him into the King of the Apes. At an early age Clayton lost his parents and was raised by apes. The apes took him in as one of their own and named him Tarzan, White Ape. Tarzan is the protagonist character of the story, he faces many internal and physical conflicts. Tarzan's actions in the story are not only noble but rather heroic as well. In the story Tarzan is struggling to find out who he is. Temptations of Jane and his life in the jungle conflict with each other and challenge him with an internal conflict as well as numerous physical conflicts along the way.
Tarzan had a rough life from the start; when he was a little boy he was left alone in the African jungle. The jungles of Africa in which Tarzan grew up were both magical and mysterious places filled with great dangers. It was these dangers, though, that helped to strengthen Tarzan and create such a powerful beast out of him. Tarzan rose above the rest because as a child it was necessary for him to develop an acute sense of touch, smell, taste, and sight in order to survive in the jungle. Tarzan also had the ability to reason, which helped to make him such a great hero.
Tarzan fell in love with the beautiful Jane Porter from Baltimore, Maryland. One day when is writing Jane a note, Tarzan hears screams from the jungle. Upon hearing the screams, the heroic Tarzan takes off into the jungle to investigate what is wrong. When he reaches the location of the scream, Tarzan finds Jane's maid Esmeralda passed out on the ground. After he secures Esmeralda's safety, he followed Terkoz's trail deep into the jungle to find Jane.
Terkoz had been the leader of the great ape tribe until he was thrown out for being a tyrannical and cruel ruler. Terkoz is an antagonistic character whom Tarzan had already fought and beaten once before, showing Terkoz and all of the other apes that he, Tarzan, was King of the Apes. "When Terkoz saw that it was Tarzan who pursued him, he jumped to the conclusion that this was Tarzan's woman...and so he rejoiced at this opportunity for double revenge upon his hated enemy" (Burroughs, 69). When Tarzan catches up to Terkoz, he meets Terkoz with a charge head on. The two engage in a contest of strength. Terkoz fights with his hatred against Tarzan; however, it is no match for the even stronger Tarzan who fought for the safety of his old tribe as well as his love, Jane. Tarzan ends up winning the fight and killing the mighty Terkoz.
In this story Tarzan is viewed as a great hero. He was constantly roaming through the jungle helping other people and animals by showing his compassion for the weak and fearsomeness for the wicked. Tarzan was this way because his suffering as a child had strengthened him against others who have yet to find strength. Tarzan, the white ape, had both the strengths of the apes and the knowledge of man, enabling this protagonist to become Tarzan, King of the Apes.
Works Cited
Burroughs, Edgar. "Tarzan of the Apes." The Bedford Introduction to Literature 7th edition. Ed. Michael Meyer. New York: Bedford, 2005. 69.
This is the complete article, containing 572 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page).
