Tarzan the Untamed · Chapter
I: Murder and Pillage explained
Tarzan returns to his farm to find it destroyed and his wife Jane murdered by German askaris under Hauptmann Fritz Schneider.
What happens
Tarzan returns to his farm to find it destroyed and his wife Jane murdered by German askaris under Hauptmann Fritz Schneider. He buries her and his loyal Waziri warriors, then swears a relentless oath of vengeance against the Germans. Stripping away his civilized veneer, he reverts to his savage jungle instincts and sets out on the trail of the killers, determined to exact a brutal revenge.
Themes in this chapter
Revenge and Justice
Tarzan dedicates his life to avenging Jane's murder, swearing a relentless oath against all Germans.
Savagery vs. Civilization
Tarzan sheds his civilized veneer and reverts to his savage jungle self, embracing his primal instincts.
War and Its Atrocities
The German attack on Tarzan's farm and the murder of Jane exemplify the brutal horrors of war.
Survival and Adaptation
Tarzan's journey home and subsequent pursuit demonstrate his mastery of jungle survival and adaptation.
Characters to notice
- Tarzan
Returns home to find his wife murdered; swears vengeance and reverts to his savage jungle self.
- Jane Clayton
Found slain in her boudoir; her body is buried by Tarzan in the rose garden.
- Hauptmann Fritz Schneider
German officer who led the attack on Tarzan's farm; Tarzan follows his trail.
- Manu
The monkey observes Tarzan's passage through the jungle, recalling his former reign.
- Numa
The lion senses Tarzan's presence as he travels through the jungle.
- Sheeta
Tarzan senses Sheeta's presence while moving through the forest.
- Waziri
Tarzan's loyal black warriors who died defending Jane; buried beside her.
Key passages
“In civilization Tarzan had found greed and selfishness and cruelty far beyond that which he had known in his familiar, savage jungle”
Tarzan discovered that civilized society harbored more greed and cruelty than the jungle ever did.
Highlights Tarzan's disillusionment with civilization and his preference for the jungle.
“Stripped not only of all the outward symbols of civilization, Tarzan had also reverted morally and mentally to the status of the savage beast he had been reared.”
Tarzan abandoned not just his clothes but also his civilized mindset, returning to his primal beast-like state.
Emphasizes the complete reversion to his savage nature.
“He cursed their progenitors, their progeny, and all their kind the while he took silent oath to war upon them relentlessly until death overtook him.”
Tarzan cursed the Germans and their entire lineage, vowing to fight them without mercy until his death.
Shows the depth of his hatred and commitment to vengeance.