Tarzan of the Apes · Chapter
XI: King of the Apes explained
Tarzan returns to the tribe, boasting of his adventures and spoils, but Kerchak is jealous.
What happens
Tarzan returns to the tribe, boasting of his adventures and spoils, but Kerchak is jealous. He practices archery and discovers his father's diary and photograph in a metal box, though he cannot read the French script. He returns to the black village to steal arrows, witnesses the brutal torture of a captive, and throws a skull to frighten the villagers. Later, he encounters Sabor the lioness and shoots her with an arrow.
Themes in this chapter
Savagery and Brutality
The black villagers torture a captive to death, and Tarzan reflects on the cruelty of humans compared to jungle animals.
Identity and Belonging
Tarzan discovers his father's photograph and diary, deepening his quest to understand his origins and his place between the human and ape worlds.
Survival and Strength
Tarzan practices archery, hunts, and faces Sabor the lioness, demonstrating his growing skills and determination to survive.
Characters to notice
- Tarzan
Returns to the tribe, practices archery, discovers his father's diary and photograph, steals arrows from the black village, frightens the villagers with a skull, and shoots Sabor with an arrow.
- Kerchak
Jealous of Tarzan's success and seeks an excuse to harm him.
- Kala
Mentioned as part of the tribe; Tarzan returns to the tribe of Kerchak.
- Sabor
Encountered by Tarzan on the trail; Tarzan shoots her with an arrow.
- Mbonga
The village chief; the captive is tied before his hut.
- John Clayton
Tarzan finds his photograph and diary, though he cannot read the French script.
Key passages
“Tarzan of the Apes, young and savage beast of the jungle, wondered at the cruel brutality of his own kind.”
Tarzan, though raised as a wild creature, is shocked by the inhumanity of the human villagers.
Highlights Tarzan's moral confusion and the theme of savagery.
“Little did he know that this book held between its covers the key to his origin—the answer to the strange riddle of his strange life.”
Tarzan is unaware that the diary contains the secret of his true identity.
Foreshadows Tarzan's discovery of his heritage.
“It was a grinning human skull which looked up at them from the ground.”
The skull Tarzan threw landed among the villagers, terrifying them.
Illustrates Tarzan's cunning use of superstition to intimidate the villagers.