Jungle Tales of Tarzan · Chapter
IX: The Nightmare explained
Tarzan, starving after a poor hunt, watches the blacks of Mbonga's village feast on elephant meat.
What happens
Tarzan, starving after a poor hunt, watches the blacks of Mbonga's village feast on elephant meat. He waits until they are stupefied, then kills an old warrior and steals meat. After eating, he falls ill and experiences a feverish nightmare in which a lion climbs a tree and a gorilla attacks him in the cabin, blurring the line between dream and reality.
Themes in this chapter
Survival and Instinct
Tarzan's hunger drives him to kill and steal food, highlighting the primal instinct for survival in the jungle.
Otherness and Prejudice
Tarzan views the Gomangani with disgust and contempt, considering them inferior and disgusting compared to jungle beasts.
Curiosity and Knowledge
Tarzan attempts to read a book in the cabin, puzzling over the illustrations and letters, showing his ongoing quest for understanding.
Characters to notice
- Tarzan
Starving and envious, Tarzan watches the blacks feast, kills an old warrior for meat, and later suffers a nightmare after eating spoiled elephant meat.
- Mbonga
The chief of the village where the blacks are feasting on elephant meat.
- Numa
Appears in Tarzan's nightmare, climbing a tree toward him, an unnatural behavior that signals the dream state.
- Bolgani
Appears in Tarzan's nightmare as a charging gorilla in the cabin, representing the most vivid and threatening part of the dream.
- Gomangani
The black villagers are described as disgusting gluttons, and Tarzan kills one of them for food.
Key passages
“Hunting had proved poor that day, for there are lean days as well as fat ones for even the greatest of the jungle hunters.”
Even the best hunters sometimes fail to find food.
Establishes Tarzan's hunger and the unpredictability of jungle life.
“Only man and Dango ate until they swelled up like a dead rat.”
Humans and hyenas are the only creatures that eat to the point of bursting.
Tarzan's contempt for human gluttony is expressed through comparison to the hyena.
“Tarzan was quite sure that even Dango would draw the line at such filthy tasting drink as that, and his contempt for man increased with the conviction.”
Tarzan believed even a hyena would refuse the beer, deepening his disgust for humans.
Highlights Tarzan's disdain for human customs and tastes.
“This was quite the most realistic of his sleep adventures, thought Tarzan, as he passively awaited the next amusing incident.”
Tarzan thought this was the most vivid dream yet and waited calmly for what would happen next.
Shows Tarzan's growing awareness of the boundary between dream and reality.