Tarzan the Terrible · Chapter
XIV: The Temple of the Gryf explained
Tarzan, having donned the mask and tail of a slain priest, infiltrates the Temple of the Gryf at night to rescue Jane.
What happens
Tarzan, having donned the mask and tail of a slain priest, infiltrates the Temple of the Gryf at night to rescue Jane. He climbs the building's exterior and enters through a window, only to be separated from Jane by a cunning partition triggered by Lu-don. Meanwhile, Jane faces Lu-don's advances in her prison quarters; hope dies within her as the high priest attempts to claim her. Tarzan's dramatic entry momentarily disrupts Lu-don's plan, but the priest uses a trapdoor to send Tarzan into a subterranean pit where a gryf attacks. Tarzan escapes the gryf by diving into a pool, but finds himself trapped in a circular enclosure with no apparent exit.
Themes in this chapter
Power and Corruption
Lu-don abuses his priestly authority to pursue Jane, demonstrating how unchecked power leads to moral decay and exploitation.
Survival and Adaptation
Tarzan uses his jungle instincts and physical prowess to navigate the temple, escape the gryf, and adapt to the dark, confined spaces of the pit.
Gender and Agency
Jane resists Lu-don's advances with defiance and courage, asserting her agency despite being physically trapped and without hope of rescue.
Characters to notice
- Tarzan
Disguised as a priest, infiltrates the Temple of the Gryf, climbs the building, and enters Jane's prison; is trapped in a pit with a gryf and escapes into a pool.
- Jane Clayton
Imprisoned in the Temple of the Gryf, she faces Lu-don's unwanted advances; her hope is dead, but she resists haughtily.
- Lu-don
The high priest, desires Jane and attempts to claim her; uses a partition and trapdoor to separate Tarzan from Jane and send him into a pit.
- Gryf
A monstrous beast in the pit beneath the temple; charges at Tarzan, who escapes by diving into a pool.
Key passages
“Dead in her breast lay hope. Battling for life during harrowing months of imprisonment and danger and hardship it had fitfully flickered and flamed only to sink after each renewal to smaller proportions than before and now it had died out entirely leaving only cold, charred embers that Jane Clayton knew would never again be rekindled.”
Jane's hope, which had flickered and faded through months of captivity and danger, was now completely extinguished, leaving only despair.
Captures Jane's emotional state and the loss of hope.
“She did not shrink nor cower, but stood there very erect, her chin up, her level gaze freighted with the loathing and contempt she felt for him.”
Jane stood tall and defiant, her eyes full of disdain for Lu-don.
Highlights Jane's courage and resistance.
“To elude the creature, then, upon the possibility of discovering some loophole of escape from his predicament seemed to the ape-man the wisest course to pursue.”
Tarzan decided that avoiding the gryf and looking for a way out was the best strategy.
Shows Tarzan's tactical thinking and survival instinct.