Tarzan the Untamed · Chapter
VIII: Tarzan and the Great Apes explained
Tarzan spends three days resting and recuperating before setting out to explore the valley and search for the great apes.
What happens
Tarzan spends three days resting and recuperating before setting out to explore the valley and search for the great apes. He encounters a band of German native deserters led by Usanga, who are holding Bertha Kircher captive. After initially hesitating to intervene because she is a German, Tarzan decides to terrorize the group by killing one of their number and displaying his head, causing fear and confusion among the deserters.
Themes in this chapter
Savagery vs. Civilization
Tarzan's participation in the Dum-Dum dance with the great apes and his use of primitive terror tactics against the deserters highlight the contrast between civilized and savage behaviors.
Survival and Adaptation
Tarzan adapts to the jungle environment, using his skills to rest, hunt, and navigate the valley, while the deserters seek to survive by fleeing into the interior.
Colonialism and Racism
The band of black deserters, formerly under German command, and Tarzan's contemptuous attitude toward them reflect the racial hierarchies and colonial exploitation of the era.
Characters to notice
- Tarzan
Tarzan spends three days resting and recuperating, then sets out to explore the valley and search for the great apes. He encounters Usanga's band of deserters holding Bertha Kircher captive and decides to terrorize them by killing one of their number.
- Fräulein Bertha Kircher
Bertha Kircher is captured by Usanga's band of deserters, marched between two black women, and treated roughly. Tarzan initially hesitates to rescue her because she is a German.
- Usanga
Usanga is the burly sergeant leading the band of deserters. He refuses to turn back despite the terror caused by Tarzan's actions, arguing that returning to their German masters would mean torture and death.
- Go-lat
Go-lat is the king ape who challenges Tarzan during the Dum-Dum dance. Tarzan defeats him with a throw, and Go-lat eventually accepts Tarzan as a brother to dance with.
- Sheeta
Sheeta, the panther, stalks Bertha Kircher in the tree but vanishes when she screams and leaps into the clearing, knowing not to meddle with the great apes at their Dum-Dum.
Key passages
“I am Tarzan of the Apes! Shall Tarzan dance in peace or shall Tarzan kill?”
Tarzan asserts his dominance and offers the apes a choice between peaceful dancing or violent conflict.
Tarzan uses this challenge to establish his authority among the great apes during the Dum-Dum.
“This is Tarzan's she. Do not harm her.”
Tarzan claims Bertha Kircher as his own to protect her from the apes, despite his personal disdain for her as a German.
Tarzan's protective instinct overrides his hatred, showing his internal conflict between duty and emotion.
“She is a woman and I am not a German, so it could not be otherwise!”
Tarzan justifies his decision to protect Bertha by stating that his honor as a man compels him to defend a woman, unlike a German would.
This internal monologue reveals Tarzan's moral code and his contempt for German behavior.