Tarzan the Noble Savage by William Theilacker

The character known as Tarzan was first introduced in the novel Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs and later portrayed in the Disney film Tarzan.  Tarzan is perhaps one of the greatest portrayals of a noble savage. With both his parents killed, Tarzan is taken in by an ape called Kala and raised away from civilized society by apes. A noble savage is a representation of the innate goodness of primitive humans before they were corrupted by civilization, and this is precisely what Tarzan is. Isolated from civilization Tarzan behaves ethically, doesn't judge, and displays unwavering loyalty with the apes. However once a group of explorers comes the ways that civilization has corrupted humanity can be seen. Jane, one of the explorers daughters, is saved by Tarzan and introduces him to her father, Porter, and his companion Clayton. While Porter and his daughter are good natured, Clayton takes advantage of Tarzan so that he can hunt the apes that inhabit the jungle. Clayton represents the corruption of civilization by using Tarzan's love for Jane to convince Tarzan to lead him to the apes. Tarzan, Porter, and Jane are all oblivious to Clayton's true agenda. Once Tarzan has led him to the apes nesting grounds Clayton shoots and kills the leader of the apes, Kerchak. The once peaceful and balanced jungle is thrown into chaos because of the introduction of chaos. Burroughs tells how Tarzan can be civilized but prefers to, "strip off the thin veneer of civilization" and return to nature. While there are many other representations of the noble savage, such as Frankenstein's monster from Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, Tarzan is definitely one of the most well known embodiments of the noble savage.