Article #92-2 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar, by Edgar Rice Burroughs

To Tarzan of the Apes the expedition was in the nature of a holiday
outing. His civilization was at best but an outward veneer which he
gladly peeled off with his uncomfortable European clothes whenever any
reasonable pretext presented itself. It was a woman’s love which kept
Tarzan even to the semblance of civilization—a condition for which
familiarity had bred contempt. He hated the shams and the hypocrisies
of it and with the clear vision of an unspoiled mind he had penetrated
to the rotten core of the heart of the thing—the cowardly greed for
peace and ease and the safe-guarding of property rights. That the fine
things of life—art, music and literature—had thriven upon such
enervating ideals he strenuously denied, insisting, rather, that they
had endured in spite of civilization.

“Show me the fat, opulent coward,” he was wont to say, “who ever
originated a beautiful ideal. In the clash of arms, in the battle for
survival, amid hunger and death and danger, in the face of God as
manifested in the display of Nature’s most terrific forces, is born all
that is finest and best in the human heart and mind.”

And so Tarzan always came back to Nature in the spirit of a lover
keeping a long deferred tryst after a period behind prison walls. His
Waziri, at marrow, were more civilized than he. They cooked their meat
before they ate it and they shunned many articles of food as unclean
that Tarzan had eaten with gusto all his life and so insidious is the
virus of hypocrisy that even the stalwart ape-man hesitated to give
rein to his natural longings before them. He ate burnt flesh when he
would have preferred it raw and unspoiled, and he brought down game
with arrow or spear when he would far rather have leaped upon it from
ambush and sunk his strong teeth in its jugular; but at last the call
of the milk of the savage mother that had suckled him in infancy rose
to an insistent demand—he craved the hot blood of a fresh kill and his
muscles yearned to pit themselves against the savage jungle in the
battle for existence that had been his sole birthright for the first
twenty years of his life.

Explanation

**Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar by Edgar Rice Burroughs**

This passage from Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar (1916), the fifth book in Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan series, offers a deep psychological and philosophical portrait of the titular character. The excerpt explores Tarzan’s internal conflict between his civilized identity and his primal, untamed nature, while critiquing the hypocrisies of modern society. Below is a breakdown of the text’s key elements—context, themes, literary devices, and significance—with a primary focus on close textual analysis.

1. Context of the Excerpt

Source & Setting: Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar follows Tarzan as he embarks on an expedition to the lost city of Opar, a remnant of Atlantis filled with treasure and danger. The novel blends adventure, pulp fiction, and social commentary, typical of Burroughs’ style.
Tarzan’s Dual Identity: Raised by apes in the African jungle, Tarzan later adopts the trappings of European aristocracy (as Lord Greystoke) but remains fundamentally a "wild man." This excerpt captures his disdain for civilization and his longing to return to his primal roots.
Historical & Cultural Background: Written during the early 20th century, the passage reflects:
- Primitivism: A romanticized belief in the nobility of "savage" life, contrasting with the decadence of modern society (a theme in works like The Call of the Wild by Jack London).
- Colonial Critique: While Burroughs’ works often reinforce colonial stereotypes, Tarzan’s rejection of European norms subtly critiques the artificiality of "civilized" values.
- Social Darwinism: The idea that struggle and survival breed greatness, echoing Nietzschean and Spencerian philosophies popular at the time.

2. Themes in the Excerpt

A. Civilization vs. Primitivism

The passage centers on Tarzan’s contempt for civilization, which he views as a veneer—a thin, artificial layer masking humanity’s true nature. Key phrases:

"His civilization was at best but an outward veneer which he gladly peeled off with his uncomfortable European clothes": Civilization is compared to restrictive clothing, something he sheds at the first opportunity.
"A condition for which familiarity had bred contempt": His exposure to civilization has made him despise it.
"The shams and the hypocrisies of it": He sees civilization as dishonest, built on pretense rather than authenticity.

Tarzan’s preference for the wild is framed as a return to purity:

"He always came back to Nature in the spirit of a lover keeping a long deferred tryst after a period behind prison walls": Civilization is a prison; nature is freedom and passion.
"The milk of the savage mother that had suckled him in infancy": His ape upbringing is his true heritage, not his aristocratic title.

B. The Hypocrisy of Civilized Morality

Tarzan critiques civilization’s cowardice and materialism:

"The cowardly greed for peace and ease and the safe-guarding of property rights": He sees modern society as driven by fear (avoiding conflict) and greed (protecting wealth).
"Show me the fat, opulent coward who ever originated a beautiful ideal": True greatness, he argues, comes from struggle, not comfort.

His belief in struggle as the source of greatness aligns with Social Darwinist and Nietzschean ideas:

"In the clash of arms, in the battle for survival, amid hunger and death and danger... is born all that is finest and best in the human heart and mind": Hardship, not luxury, produces excellence.

Even among his Waziri warriors (African allies), Tarzan suppresses his instincts to conform to their "civilized" norms:

"They cooked their meat before they ate it and... Tarzan had eaten [raw meat] with gusto all his life": He prefers raw meat but hides this to avoid judgment.
"He ate burnt flesh when he would have preferred it raw... and brought down game with arrow or spear when he would far rather have leaped upon it": His actions are performative, masking his true nature.

This highlights the internal conflict between his wild self and the expectations of others, even those less "civilized" than Europeans.

D. The Call of the Wild

The passage culminates in Tarzan’s irresistible urge to revert to savagery:

"The call of the milk of the savage mother... rose to an insistent demand": His primal upbringing demands his return.
"He craved the hot blood of a fresh kill and his muscles yearned to pit themselves against the savage jungle": His body and soul long for the struggle that defined his early life.

This echoes Jack London’s The Call of the Wild (1903), where Buck the dog sheds domestication to embrace his wild ancestry.

3. Literary Devices & Stylistic Choices

Burroughs employs several techniques to emphasize Tarzan’s duality and philosophical stance:

Device	Example	Effect
Metaphor	"Civilization was... an outward veneer"	Civilization is superficial, easily discarded.
Simile	"Like a lover keeping a long deferred tryst"	Nature is a passionate, almost romantic reunion.
Personification	"The call of the milk... rose to an insistent demand"	His primal instincts are alive, demanding obedience.
Juxtaposition	"Fat, opulent coward" vs. "clash of arms, hunger and death"	Contrasts weakness (civilization) with strength (savagery).
Hyperbole	"The rotten core of the heart of the thing"	Civilization is morally corrupt at its foundation.
Irony	"His Waziri... were more civilized than he"	The "savages" are more refined than the European-raised Tarzan.
Sensory Imagery	"Hot blood of a fresh kill"	Evokes primal hunger and violence.
Rhetorical Question	"Show me the fat, opulent coward who ever originated a beautiful ideal"	Challenges the reader to prove civilization’s greatness.

4. Significance of the Passage

A. Character Development

This excerpt defines Tarzan’s core identity: He is not a civilized man playing at savagery, but a savage forced into civilization.
His internal struggle makes him a tragic figure—he can never fully belong in either world.

Critique of Modernity: Burroughs (through Tarzan) rejects industrialization, materialism, and moral hypocrisy, reflecting early 20th-century disillusionment with progress.
Romanticization of the Primitive: The passage embodies the Noble Savage trope, arguing that uncivilized life is purer and more honest.
Darwinian Undercurrents: The belief that struggle breeds excellence aligns with Social Darwinism, though Burroughs’ view is more individualistic than racial (unlike some contemporaries).

C. Influence on Adventure & Pulp Fiction

Tarzan’s duality (civilized vs. wild) became a template for later heroes (e.g., Conan the Barbarian, Indiana Jones).
The rejection of societal norms in favor of personal freedom resonates in antihero narratives (e.g., Fight Club, Into the Wild).

D. Problematic Elements

Racial & Colonial Undertones: While Tarzan critiques European hypocrisy, the Waziri are still portrayed as "more civilized" in a condescending way (cooking meat = progress).
Romanticized Violence: The glorification of bloodlust and survivalism can be seen as macho fantasy, ignoring the realities of primitive life.

5. Conclusion: What the Passage Reveals

This excerpt is more than just adventure pulp—it’s a philosophical manifesto on human nature. Tarzan’s disdain for civilization and longing for the wild reflect:

A rejection of artificiality in favor of authenticity.
A belief that greatness comes from struggle, not comfort.
The tension between instinct and society, a conflict that defines him.

Burroughs’ prose romanticizes the primitive while critiquing modernity, making Tarzan a symbol of untamed freedom—flawed, but endlessly fascinating. The passage’s power lies in its visceral imagery and unapologetic defiance of conventional morality, ensuring Tarzan’s enduring appeal as a literary and cultural icon.

Final Thought: Why This Matters Today

Tarzan’s struggle mirrors modern debates about authenticity vs. conformity, technology vs. nature, and individualism vs. societal expectations. In an era of digital detachment and urban alienation, his call to the wild remains compelling—and controversial.

Questions

Question 1

The passage’s depiction of Tarzan’s relationship with civilization is most analogous to which of the following philosophical or literary paradigms?

A. The Stoic acceptance of societal roles as a necessary framework for virtue, where external constraints refine the individual’s moral character.
B. The Existentialist embrace of absurdity, where the individual’s search for meaning is rendered futile by the indifference of the universe.
C. The Rousseauian Noble Savage, where civilization corrupts innate human purity and the return to nature represents a reclaiming of authentic virtue.
D. The Nietzschean Übermensch, where the individual transcends conventional morality through sheer will to power and self-overcoming.
E. The Freudian superego, where internalized societal norms suppress primal instincts, leading to neurosis and psychological conflict.

Question 2

The phrase “the virus of hypocrisy” (line 12) functions primarily as:

A. a biological metaphor to suggest that civilization’s moral decay is contagious and inescapable, even for those who resist it.
B. a critique of colonialism, implying that European values infect and degrade indigenous cultures.
C. a psychological indictment of Tarzan’s own internalized shame, revealing his complicity in the very system he despises.
D. an ironic undermining of Tarzan’s self-perception, exposing his inability to fully reject the civilized norms he claims to abhor.
E. a Darwinian allusion, framing hypocrisy as an evolutionary adaptation that ensures survival in social hierarchies.

Question 3

Which of the following best captures the tone of the passage’s closing lines (“he craved the hot blood... battle for existence”)?

A. Melancholic resignation, as Tarzan acknowledges the inevitability of his primal urges despite his civilized facade.
B. Triumphant defiance, celebrating the liberation of instinct from the shackles of societal expectation.
C. Feral urgency, conveying a visceral, almost physiological compulsion that brooks no rational mediation.
D. Nostalgic idealism, romanticizing a lost past while recognizing its impossibility in the present.
E. Cynical detachment, mocking both the savage and the civilized as equally flawed states of being.

Question 4

The passage’s argumentative structure is most vulnerable to which of the following critiques?

A. It conflates cultural relativism with moral absolutism, assuming that Tarzan’s primal instincts are universally superior to civilized values.
B. It relies on circular reasoning, defining “greatness” as that which arises from struggle, then asserting that struggle alone produces greatness.
C. It ignores the material benefits of civilization (e.g., medicine, education) while romanticizing the hardships of primitive life.
D. It presupposes a false binary between “civilization” and “savagery,” eliding the possibility of synthesis or intermediate states of being.
E. It anthropomorphizes nature as a conscious agent (“the call of the milk”), undermining its claim to objective truth.

Question 5

If Tarzan’s perspective were applied to a modern context, which of the following scenarios would least align with his philosophical stance as articulated in the passage?

A. A tech entrepreneur abandoning Silicon Valley to live off-grid in the Alaskan wilderness, rejecting capitalism as a corrupting force.
B. A soldier arguing that war, despite its horrors, reveals the true measure of human courage and camaraderie.
C. An artist claiming that suffering and deprivation are essential to creative genius, and that comfort stifles innovation.
D. A political activist advocating for the dismantling of systemic inequalities through institutional reform and peaceful protest.
E. A survivalist training children to hunt and forage, arguing that self-reliance is the only path to moral and physical strength.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: C

Why C is most correct: The passage explicitly frames civilization as a corrupting force and nature as the source of authenticity, aligning with Rousseau’s Noble Savage. Tarzan’s longing to “peel off” civilization and return to the jungle mirrors Rousseau’s call for a return to primal virtue.