# III: Life and Death explained — Tarzan of the Apes

> Chapter companion for Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

## What happens

John Clayton builds a cabin for his family, adapting to jungle life while facing loneliness and danger. Lady Alice, traumatized by an ape attack, gives birth to a son but never fully recovers her mental faculties. She dies a year later, leaving Clayton alone with their infant son, whose cries for nourishment underscore the tragedy.

## Themes in this chapter

### Survival and Strength

Clayton's relentless labor to build a safe home and provide for his family highlights the theme of survival against the wilderness.

### Civilization vs. Wilderness

The cabin represents a fragile outpost of civilization, constantly threatened by the surrounding jungle and its beasts.

## Character check-ins

### John Clayton

Builds the cabin, cares for his wife and son, and records his despair in his diary after Lady Alice's death.

### Lady Alice

Never recovers from the shock of the ape attack; lives in a delusion that she is in England, dies peacefully a year after giving birth.

### Tarzan

Born as the infant son of John and Alice Clayton, left orphaned after his mother's death.

## Key lines

> My little son is crying for nourishment—O Alice, Alice, what shall I do?

Clayton's diary entry expresses his helplessness as his infant son cries for milk after Lady Alice's death.

_This line captures the depth of Clayton's despair and the tragic turn of events._

> He dropped his head wearily upon his outstretched arms where they rested upon the table he had built for her who lay still and cold in the bed beside him.

Overcome with grief, Clayton collapses onto the table he made for his wife, who lies dead beside him.

_The imagery underscores the futility of his efforts and the crushing weight of his loss._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tarzan_of_the_apes_se/chapters/iii-life-and-death
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tarzan_of_the_apes_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tarzan_of_the_apes_se/chapters