Tarzan of the Apes
In Tarzan of the Apes, written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, male vs. female characters were portrayed much like the times when this novel was written, the early twentieth century. The first main characters introduced to the reader are Lord Greystoke and his wife Lady Alice, the natural parents to Tarzan. After being abandoned on a deserted island in the middle of the African jungle, the couple is forced to try and survive on their own with a limited number of supplies. Lord Greystoke, otherwise known as John Clayton, is able to build a formidable cabin all by himself, for he is a strong and intelligent man, while his wife is pregnant with their first child. When the couple is confronted with danger for the first time, Lady Greystoke never fully recovers and for the next and last year of her life she does not leave the cabin while she takes care of her first-born son. This would be typical of the early 1900’s when the men go out and do the hunting while the women stay home and care for the children. The other two female characters in the novel are Jane Porter and Esmeralda. They, like Lady Alice, would always stay behind in the security of the cabin while the men went out in search for treasure or lost friends. Jane in partic
ular, was always being treated delicately, and almost childlike, by the other men of her party, including her father. Whenever danger approached these two women it would always be a man who comes to save the day. Tarzan, being the hero of this story, is described as having god-like strength while also having the keen senses and wit in order to not just survive in the jungle, but to be the greatest warrior in it. His strength is given in detail when the author is describing a heavy box that Tarzan is lifting. Burroughs states, “Four sailors had sweated beneath the burden of its weight- Tarzan of the Apes picked it up as though it had been an empty packing case, and with the spade slung to his back by a piece of rope, carried it off into the densest part of the jungle.”(170) The rest of the men in this story were always portrayed as either heroes or villains. Almost always toting a weapon, the men were always out in search of food, treasure, and missing friends. This was all done while protecting the well being of the women and making sure they were safe. The one African American character in the novel is Esmeralda. She is portrayed as a helpless, as comedic manner. Every time anything remotely resembles danger, the character of Esmeralda starts sobbing uncontrollably or hysterically faints in an instant. Jane, the young lady Esmeralda used to take care of, is usually left trying
Some topics in this essay:
Professor Porter,
Lady Alice,
African American,
Tarzan Apes,
Burroughs Tarzan’s,
Clayton…but Ah,
Lady Greystoke,
Rice Burroughs,
John Clayton,
Lord Greystoke,
tarzan apes,
times novel written,
african jungle,
lord greystoke,
times novel,
novel written,
american character,
class characters,
lady alice,
throughout length novel,
length novel,
african american character,
african american,
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Approximate Word count = 938
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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