Tarzan the Untamed — Themes and Context

Ironies of Civilization and Savagery

The excerpts repeatedly invert the expected roles of civilized and savage. The German soldiers, representing a modern European power, are depicted as more brutal than the wild animals they fear. Schneider tortures guides not merely for practical reasons but because he enjoys making them suffer. Meanwhile, the jungle’s predators—Tantor the elephant, Buto the rhinoceros—are described with a kind of natural dignity, moving through their ancient trails. Burroughs uses the phrase 'savage denizens of the jungle' for animals, but the humans who wear uniforms commit the most calculated cruelties. This reversal is central to the novel’s moral landscape: Tarzan, though often called 'untamed,' operates by a clearer ethical code than the Europeans who claim superiority.

The Airplane as a Symbol of Power and Vulnerability

The captured English pilot Smith-Oldwick and the black sergeant Usanga’s obsession with the airplane highlight another layer of tension: technology as both a tool of dominance and a source of farce. Usanga, desperate to fly, demands lessons after a single terrifying loop. The Englishman reflects that Usanga would 'break his fool neck' if allowed to fly alone, yet the black man’s suspicion that the white man is deceiving him leads to a deadly scheme. The airplane, a marvel of modern warfare, becomes a comic and dangerous toy in the hands of someone who cannot comprehend its mechanics. This subplot underscores the novel’s broader theme of power—who controls advanced tools and how that control is abused or lost.

Voice and Narrative Distance

Burroughs’s narrative voice in these excerpts is notably sardonic and intrusive. He describes the German captain’s 'Prussian spleen' and the 'glorious effulgence' of German culture shining on Belgium with heavy sarcasm. The narrator also editorializes on the nature of African guides and the futility of torture. This direct commentary creates a moral framework that guides the reader’s sympathies, even as the plot unfolds with rapid action. The voice is consistent in its disdain for cruelty and its admiration for competence, whether in Tarzan’s jungle skills or the English pilot’s flying. This narrative stance, while not subtle, gives the novel a distinctive tone that blends adventure with pointed social criticism.

Readers approaching Tarzan the Untamed should pay attention to how Burroughs uses setting and objects—the jungle, the airplane, the German uniform—to comment on the nature of power. The novel does not simply pit Tarzan against villains; it questions what makes a villain in the first place. The excerpts suggest a story where the line between man and beast, civilized and savage, is drawn not by birth or nationality but by action and intent.