The Son of Tarzan · Chapter
XVIII explained
Mr.
What happens
Mr. Hanson, a trader who claims to have lost his way, arrives at Bwana's farm and is introduced to Meriem and My Dear. He avoids the women but spends time with the men and the white foreman, secretly planning to abduct Meriem. One night, Meriem and the Hon. Morison Baynes go for a moonlit ride, encountering an old lion. Baynes flees in terror, but Meriem escapes into a tree. Hanson shoots the lion, and later, Korak, riding Tantor, observes the scene without recognizing Meriem.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Sacrifice
Meriem considers Baynes' marriage proposal, torn between her fading memory of Korak and the promise of a new life.
Freedom vs. Confinement
Meriem's night ride symbolizes her desire for freedom, while Hanson's lurking presence represents the threat of confinement.
Characters to notice
- Meriem
Meriem feels a strange familiarity with Mr. Hanson but dismisses it. She later goes for a night ride with Baynes and narrowly escapes a lion attack.
- Morison Baynes
Baynes urges Meriem to marry him and agrees to take her to London. During the lion attack, he flees on his pony, leaving Meriem behind.
- Mr. Hanson
Hanson is a trader who secretly plans to abduct Meriem. He shoots the lion that attacks her and later lies in wait in the garden.
- Korak
Korak, riding Tantor, observes the lion attack on Meriem and Baynes. He throws his spear at the lion but does not recognize Meriem.
- Bwana
Bwana welcomes Hanson to the farm and introduces him to the ladies.
- Numa
Numa, an old lion, attacks Meriem and Baynes during their night ride. He is shot and killed by Hanson.
Key passages
“It is odd,” she said, “but I could almost swear that I had known Mr. Hanson in the past. It is odd, but quite impossible,” and she gave the matter no further thought.”
Meriem finds Mr. Hanson strangely familiar but dismisses the feeling as impossible.
Foreshadows Hanson's true identity and his connection to Meriem's past.
“Korak fast was becoming but a memory. That he was dead she had come to believe, since otherwise he would have sought her out.”
Meriem is starting to forget Korak, believing he must be dead because he hasn't come for her.
Highlights Meriem's emotional shift and the growing distance between her and Korak.
“The Hon. Morison Baynes went white and cold. The lion was charging toward them full in the brilliant light of the magnificent moon. The muscles of the Hon. Morison no longer obeyed his will—they flexed to the urge of a greater power—the power of Nature’s first law.”
Baynes is paralyzed with fear during the lion attack and instinctively flees, abandoning Meriem.
Contrasts Baynes' cowardice with Meriem's bravery and resourcefulness.