# XI explained — Tarzan and the Ant Men

> Chapter companion for Tarzan and the Ant Men by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

## What happens

Tarzan is taken to the quarries of Veltopismakus, assigned the number Zuanthrol, and put to work under the harsh Vental Kalfastoban. He observes the vast underground slave system, meets the beautiful slave Talaskar who was born in the quarries and has never seen daylight, and learns to navigate the oppressive environment while planning escape.

## Themes in this chapter

### Slavery and Freedom

Tarzan is enslaved and forced to work in the quarries; the chapter explores the hopelessness of slaves born into captivity and the rare chance of escape or elevation.

### Survival and Adaptation

Tarzan uses his keen observation and instincts to understand the quarry layout and plan for escape, while Talaskar uses disguise to survive unwanted attention.

### Power and Hierarchy

The strict military and social hierarchy of Veltopismakus is evident in the treatment of slaves, the authority of the Vental, and the king's commands.

## Character check-ins

### Tarzan

Assigned the slave number Zuanthrol and sent to work in the quarries of Veltopismakus; observes the underground slave system and plans escape.

### Kalfastoban

The surly Vental in charge of Tarzan's work crew; threatens Tarzan with the lash.

### Talaskar

A beautiful slave girl born in the quarries who has never seen the surface; she offers to cook for Tarzan and hides her appearance to avoid unwanted attention.

### Zoanthrohago

Listed as the owner of Tarzan (Zuanthrol) in the quarry records.

### The Officer

The quarry officer who records Tarzan as Zuanthrol and assigns him to the timbering crew.

## Key lines

> Your name? demanded the officer, opening a large book that lay upon the table at which he was seated. He is as dumb as the Zertalacolols, explained the commander of the escort that had brought him to the quarry. Therefore he has no name. We will call him The Giant, then, said the officer, for as such has he been known since his capture, and he wrote in his book, Zuanthrol, with Zoanthrohago as the owner, and Trohanadalmakus as the city of his origin.

The quarry officer assigns Tarzan the slave name Zuanthrol, recording him as property of Zoanthrohago from Trohanadalmakus, because Tarzan has remained silent.

_Tarzan is officially registered as a slave in the Veltopismakus quarry system._

> I was born in this chamber, she told him, and never have I been out of it. You are a slave of the second generation and are still confined to the quarries—I do not understand it. In all Minunian cities, I have been told, slaves of the second generation are given the white tunic and comparative freedom above ground. It was not for me. My mother would not permit it.

Talaskar explains that she was born in the slave chamber and has never seen the surface; her mother hid her to prevent her from being forced into mating with a Veltopismakusian or another slave.

_Talaskar's story highlights the extreme oppression and hidden resistance among slaves._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tarzan_and_the_ant_men_se/chapters/xi
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tarzan_and_the_ant_men_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tarzan_and_the_ant_men_se/chapters