Tarzan of the Apes · Chapter
His Own Kind explained
Tarzan, recovering from his battle with Terkoz, returns to his cabin to find it ransacked by white sailors.
What happens
Tarzan, recovering from his battle with Terkoz, returns to his cabin to find it ransacked by white sailors. He witnesses them murder one of their own and decides they are no better than the apes or black men. He then goes to Mbonga's village, kills a black warrior, and takes his breechcloth. The villagers, terrified, believe he is a jungle god and leave offerings for him.
Themes in this chapter
Civilization vs. Wilderness
Tarzan's first encounter with white men reveals their savagery (murdering a comrade), challenging his assumption that they are civilized like the men in his picture books.
Identity and Belonging
Tarzan's desire for clothing and ornaments to distinguish himself from apes shows his struggle to define his humanity and place in the world.
Savagery and Brutality
The white sailors' cold-blooded murder of their giant crewmate and Tarzan's own killing of Mirando highlight the brutality shared across all 'civilized' and 'wild' groups.
Characters to notice
- Tarzan
Recovering from wounds, he observes white men for the first time and decides they are cruel. He kills a black warrior for clothing and becomes a feared figure to the villagers.
- Mbonga
The wise old chief who orders food and arrow offerings to appease the 'Munan-go-Keewati' (Tarzan) after the deaths of his warriors.
- Mirando
A black warrior who is killed by Tarzan; his body is later dropped into the village to terrorize the inhabitants.
- Terkoz
Mentioned as the ape Tarzan fought, whose wounds are still healing.
- Sabor
The lioness whose hide Tarzan tries to fashion into a mantle but fails due to lack of tanning knowledge.
Key passages
“The conduct of the white strangers it was that caused him the greatest perturbation. He puckered his brows into a frown of deep thought. It was well, thought he, that he had not given way to his first impulse to rush forward and greet these white men as brothers. They were evidently no different from the black men—no more civilized than the apes—no less cruel than Sabor.”
Tarzan is deeply troubled by the white men's behavior, realizing they are just as savage as the apes and black men he knows, and he is glad he did not trust them.
This moment marks Tarzan's disillusionment with the idea of white civilization as inherently superior.
“Now indeed was he dressed as a man should be. None there was who could now doubt his high origin.”
Tarzan feels that wearing the breechcloth finally proves his humanity and noble birth.
Clothing becomes a symbol of identity and status for Tarzan, linking his appearance to his sense of self.