Nature, Industrialization, And The State Of The World In Tarzan Grace Fitzgerald

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1 Nature, Industrialization, And The State Of The World In Tarzan Grace Fitzgerald The Disney Corporation has developed a reputation for relaying important messages to children using fantasy and developed plot lines, and the movie Tarzan is no exception. Tarzan, a movie about a man who lives among gorillas in the jungle after the death of his human parents, is used as a paradigm to teach children about the ideal relationship between humans and nature. The movie teaches children that, while they might not belong in the jungle among wild animals, they should attempt to understand nature and those around them who are different rather than feel threatened by it. Nature has an intrinsic value that cannot be taken away by human industrialization and growth. As well as this view on nature, the movie Tarzan also sends strong anti-war messages to children, which can be related to the state of war in the Middle East when the movie was released in the 1990s. The movie Tarzan, though released in the late 1990s, was set in the late 1880s in the African jungle. Before this time period, Africa had not been explored in depth by European societies. Shortly after the 1880s, African territory was colonized by a multitude of European nations. Since the setting in Tarzan is meant to present a paradise untouched by man, an area of Africa was chosen that was free of any humankind. At this point in history as well, gun technology was skyrocketing with the advent of the automatic handgun in 1892 and other significant technological advancements in warfare. The industrial revolution occurred shortly before this period also, beginning the destruction of nature through pollution and invasion of habitats. While this setting might be distant historically from our age today, there are some consistent themes that can be compared to the conflict occurring in the late 1990s. This setting and time period is a way

2 to express negative opinions about the current relationship between humans, war, and industrialization in the 1990s, while also being sensitive to the subject with the use of non-human animals and a culture that is historically distant from the present day. The use of non-human animals also sends a message about Disney s feelings on humanity s place and current desire to gain power over nature. In Tarzan the film, Clayton stomps around the forest with new war technology for the time, searching for things to shoot without attempting to understand them or fully analyze the potential threat. At the same time, he is cutting down tree after tree with his machete, using weapons to destroy nature around him and assert his dominance. Disney uses this as an allegory for humanity today, and he uses Clayton as an antagonist to express a pacifist view. Clayton s character is shown as greedy, masculine, and powerful. In one of Clayton s first appearances, Jane says that Clayton was hired to protect them in the jungle. He is significantly larger in stature than either Jane or her father. We later learn that Clayton s primary motivation for accompanying them on this trip was to capture nature and exchange it for money. While these qualities may define him as powerful, he is shown as ignorant in many scenes as well. He finds it extremely difficult to communicate with Tarzan or any other animal in the forest, while Jane and her father excel. Also, Clayton is apathetic about understanding the gorillas or other animals in the jungle, because he simple wants to capture them for money or use his weapons to gain dominance over nature. At the end of the movie, Clayton s ignorance and obsession with control over nature leads to his downfall. Clayton s personality type seems to be representative of American warfare for a few reasons. He is viewed as the villain, as the audience is conditioned to believe that

3 Tarzan and Jane are in the right. It becomes obvious that Clayton is motivated by greed, not knowledge, and hides behind his weapons. Clayton feels threatened by the nature around him, and he makes an effort to overpower it. In today s society, warfare consists mostly of fighting those we feel threatened by because they are not like us, instead of attempting to understand the differing point of view. As well as this, the human race continually asserts their power over nature through actions of pollution, waste, deforestation, and the elimination of endangered species. The human race believes that industrialization and economic growth takes precedence over the intrinsic value of nature in itself. Tarzan, growing up in the jungle, was not raised with these beliefs, and he becomes a symbol for the perfect relationship between humans and nature. Tarzan is viewed as the perfect intermediary between humans and nature, because he identifies with the gorilla community as well as the human community. Not only that, but Tarzan also learns to become one with nature through identifying those in nature who are his allies and who poses a legitimate threat to his friends and family, such as Sabor the leopard. Raised by the gorilla community, Tarzan s character shows that you can be a part of the human race and have a respect for nature without needing to overpower it through force. At the same time, this movie is not trying to send the message that the human race all need to get rid of their belongings and go live in the jungle with the apes. Instead, this movie is trying to show that it is not only possible, but also preferable for humans and nature to live in harmony, through understanding and respect. Jane, Tarzan, and Professor Archimedes are viewed as the protagonists, as they try and understand what is not like them. While throughout the movie Tarzan lives in the ape community, Tarzan struggles to identify himself with the apes. He is limited

4 physically in what he can do compared to the other apes, and he knows that he is not actually related to them by blood. The father gorilla, Kerchak, does not approve of him as his son, because he is not a gorilla. When he meets Jane, he identifies with her, despite the fact that he has never had contact with another human before. Instead of being afraid of what he does not know, he tries to communicate with Jane. He comes to her camp and tries to learn to communicate with her group and learn about the world outside of Africa. Even more impressive, Jane and her father attempt to learn as much as possible about Tarzan, despite the fact that he could be dangerous, considering his size, stature, and strange behavior. While Tarzan knows that he is not, in fact, a gorilla, Tarzan still maintains a deep respect for Kerchak and the community, which serves as an example for the human relationship with nature. It is possible for man and beast to live together in harmony, as long as there is some sense of respect and understanding, rather than gain and conquer. Clayton, of course, does not exhibit these qualities, but he is viewed as the antagonist. Kerchak, on the other hand, is not viewed in such a negative light, but he does not exhibit these positive qualities either. With the introduction of the humans into the jungle, Kerchak keeps his distance and tries to keep the community of gorillas away from man for as long as possible. He does not understand the humans, but he automatically views them as a threat. In the end, this leads to his downfall as a character, and Tarzan, who serves as the intermediary between man and beast, becomes the King of the Jungle. Despite the fact that Tarzan ends the movie as the leader of the gorilla community, it is important to emphasize Tarzan s relations, feelings, and identity in the gorilla community. While he is loved by many and feels at home in this community in

5 some senses, Tarzan never truly feels like he belongs. He is different from the gorillas, and he recognizes that most humans should live in a community with other humans. Overall, it is important to take away Tarzan s views on the relationship between nature and man. Despite the fact that Tarzan lives purely amongst nature and with the gorillas, he merely sends the message that we should try and understand and respect those who are different from us, rather than feel threatened by them. He emphasizes that we can share the same community with other beings in nature, despite the fact that we are different. At the same time, this movie sends messages about war, implying that industrialization and the development of war technologies have merely exacerbated the attitude that we should feel threatened by those different from us, rather than understand them. This is a very common criticism of war, especially during the conflicts in the Middle East during the 1990s. While these are important messages, this film is also marketed towards children, so it is important to emphasize these messages in a way that children understand, without being too violent or politically loaded. The use of non-human animals in this film and the distant setting, both historically and geographically, get the message across without relating directly to the state of the world in the 1990s. Also, the use of non-human animals and a natural setting send a message about the human s place in the world in relation to nature, without directly blaming corporations or society today for destroying parts of the environment. Overall, this children film uses the setting and the character Tarzan as a paradigm for the ideal relationship between humans and nature, while also sending anti-war and anti-technology messages to shape and develop the young minds of children.

6 Bibliography: Tarzan. Dir. Chris Buck, Kevin Lima. Perf. Brian Blessed, Glenn Close, Minnie Driver, Tony Goldwyn, Film.