The Return of Tarzan brings the reader along on the journey of Tarzan’s continuing adventures as he braves the urban jungle as well as the actual jungle. Burroughs delivers another adventuresome story filled with noble heroes, despicable villains, grandiose settings, and almost non-stop action. This novel allows Tarzan to grow as a protagonist, as he is more thoroughly exposed to the world of civilized men, allowing the author to expand on the nobility of his character. The change of setting to a more metropolitan atmosphere also allows for the introduction of a wider variety of characters than is seen in the first Tarzan novel. The supporting cast of this book is more detailed and multi-dimensional than the first novel in the series, and even the return characters have been given an added depth. This book is entertaining from start to finish, and it is easy to see why Tarzan is such an enduring series of books.
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 9 religious exclamations. Note: The word “negro” is used in a historical context (not tallied).
Violence/Gore: A few verbal threats; characters consider killing one another a few times; a character threatens another with a gun; mention of prior deaths, some of which were murders, in the a previous novel in the series; report of a suicide; report of a massacre of many men, women and children; mention of cannibalism; a character slaps another; a few fights without serious injury; a man twists a woman’s wrist to harm her; a character attempts to choke a another to death a few times; minor property damage; a few fights with hand-to-hand combat, melee weapons, and pistols in which bones are broken or other serious injuries sustained; characters hunt and shoot animals; a character is shot and wounded; a few fights between a man and an animal in which the animal is killed or the man badly wounded; a character is thrown overboard off a ship; a few battles in which many are killed with no details given; characters are killed with arrows, spears, or guns several times; a character throws a human corpse at another; a character eats raw meat, ripping it with his teeth; a ship is destroyed; a few characters commit suicide by drowning; characters randomly decide which of their group has to die when one has to; a creepy scene in which it feels like characters are being stalked; characters suffer from starvation and thirst (described in minimal detail); dried blood and human skulls indicate past violence; characters are prepared for human sacrifice a few times; mention of drinking human blood; a woman is kicked and beaten by a mob of men; a character beats others with a club a few times, and some of the wounds are fatal; a character dies of disease; men grab a woman and carry her away; report of a civilization destroyed by natural disaster.
Sex/Nudity: A woman admires how good-looking a man is; a man catches a woman staring at him, and she is embarrassed; characters try to fabricate evidence of an extramarital affair a few times; a character remembers spending a day with the woman he loves (romantic, but not sexual); a dancing girl flirts with a character; characters flirt verbally; a character holds and caresses another’s hand; native characters are naked or topless a few times (no sexual connotation); mention of animals mating; a man discusses wanting to share a woman with another man; a woman plots to force a man to marry her; characters kiss or hold hands a few times; men look lustfully at women a few times; mention of humans mating with apes in the distant past.
Mature Subject Matter:
Cannibalism (mention); implication that Africans are inherently inferior to white people; religious discrimination; slavery; espionage; blackmail; suicide; gambling; African natives practice witchcraft, tribal rituals, and superstitious practices; age-related dementia; kidnapping; human sacrifice; mention of humans mating with apes in the distant past.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
Adults smoke cigarettes; adults drink absinthe; adults drink alcohol.
