Edgar Rice Burroughs Research Paper

Edgar Rice Burroughs ruptures the norm created by society with his universal themes of goodness. Burroughs focuses on the innate qualities found in human beings. Edgar Rice Burroughs expresses a multitude of concepts, classical and contemporary, through the usage of his characters, beliefs, and prior knowledge. Burroughs is an expert at combining ideas to conclude to a masterpiece. He gathers information from many sources, especially that which would appeal to the commoners of society. His masterpieces are heavily credited to the inspiration he received when reading the works of past writers such as Edwin Lester Arnold, Jules Verne, and Rudyard Kipling. “Burroughs was not a significant creator in his writing, but rather was a synthesist of

He uses a simplistic plot centered around a classic hero to portray olden themes. “Tarzan is the last of the Golden Age heroes, a literary character who reflects the archetypal images and feelings of the unconscious mind noted by Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell” (Farmer). Tarzan shares the qualities found in classical heroes. Powerful, intelligent, and handsome, Tarzan appears to be completely able to succeed in a civilized world, yet he rejects it after experiencing organized society. Burroughs has created a character embodied with elements of our primitive ancestors. Tarzan’s actions and character contradict society’s meaning of happiness established by majority rule. He considers primitive life to be superior to that of a civilized society. He is able to offer an objective point of view for society because of his complete separation from it (Farmer). Being present in the jungle instead of a city gives Tarzan freedom of the mundane, drab, wearing, and often tragic restrictions of civilized, social life. Tarzan disagrees with the concept of money and how influential it can be on a human being. He also despises the abusive power of the police force and how they instill fear into the citizens they are claiming to protect (“Return of Tarzan” 59). Burroughs designed a protagonist that would create a new perspective of society for his readers to see, and learn of the impurities found in a seemingly ideal, organized