Tarzan and the Ant Men · Chapter
XVI explained
Tarzan and Komodoflorensal escape their imprisonment by disguising themselves as Veltopismakusian warriors, using the bodies of slain guards to fake their deaths.
What happens
Tarzan and Komodoflorensal escape their imprisonment by disguising themselves as Veltopismakusian warriors, using the bodies of slain guards to fake their deaths. They navigate the corridors of the dome, encounter a room of drunken nobles, and fight two warriors. After securing weapons and gold, they find a poor eating shop where they learn about the oppressive tax system of Elkomoelhago. They continue their descent through the dome toward the first level, eventually encountering a large crowd blocking their path.
Themes in this chapter
Survival and Adaptation
Tarzan and Komodoflorensal adapt to their new environment by disguising themselves and using local customs to evade capture.
Deception and Manipulation
The protagonists use the bodies of guards and the drunken nobles' state to fake their deaths and manipulate their pursuers.
Power and Hierarchy
The chapter highlights the power dynamics of Veltopismakus, including the tax system that enriches the elite while impoverishing the working class.
Characters to notice
- Tarzan
Disguises himself as a Veltopismakusian warrior, kills a guard with an iron bar, and navigates the dome with Komodoflorensal.
- Komodoflorensal
Assists Tarzan in the escape, secures a rapier and gold, and demonstrates his swordsmanship by killing a warrior.
- Zuanthrol
Referenced by Komodoflorensal as an alias for Tarzan during their escape.
- Elkomoelhago
Mentioned as the king whose oppressive tax laws have impoverished many warriors.
Key passages
“We are going to trade apparel with these two unfortunate gentlemen”
Tarzan and Komodoflorensal decide to swap clothes with the dead guards to disguise themselves.
This action is key to their escape plan.
“If they do not examine them too closely, the ruse may serve to convince them that we died attempting to escape.”
Tarzan hopes that the bodies and hooks will fool their pursuers into thinking they died in the shaft.
The deception is central to their strategy.
“To be poor assures one an easier life than being rich, for the poor have no tax to pay, while those who work hard and accumulate property have only their labor for their effort, since the government takes all from them in taxes.”
The shopkeeper explains that the tax system punishes hard work and wealth accumulation, making poverty preferable.
This reveals the oppressive economic structure of Veltopismakus.