The Irony of Practicality
"Tut, tut, child, tut, tut!" replied Professor Porter. "You are a good child, but inexperienced in practical matters,"
This statement of Professor Porter is very ironic, for he accuses his daughter of being unpractical while he is the most unpractical individual among his companions. His unawareness of the fact gives his statement a sarcastic touch of irony.
The Irony of Superiority
Tarzan was raised by the apes in the deepest depth of the African jungle. In theory, he is supposed to be inferior to his civilized peers in terms of education and wit. In truth, however, he is ironically superior to his own educated and civilized cousin. Without his aid, the latter would have perished in the jungle along with the whole party. In short, they were rescued and saved by someone who was inferior to them.
The Irony of Conventional Love
When Tarzan had come to the rescue of Jane Porter, the latter felt that she could live with him in a state of ultimate happiness for good. However, when their trouble had finally come to an end upon leaving the jungle, Jane changed her mind. Her ardent love transformed itself to a sweeping dread of what other people might think about her. Instead of focusing on her own happiness, Jane had ironically chosen to live according to her society’s conventions sacrificing thus her own happiness and that of Tarzan as well.
The Irony of Tarzan’s Identity
When Professor Porter and his party appeared at Tarzan’s cabin, they received a note in which the latter had introduced himself as Tarzan of the Apes. Although they came later to meet him in person, they had ironically continued to confuse his identity, and thought that Tarzan was someone else. This irony about Tarzan’s identity stretches further to the point where his own English origins are proven, for he is always thought to be other than himself.
The Irony of the Treasure
Jane Porter was put in a difficult situation by her own father’s impracticality. She was almost forced to marry a man she did not love because her father owed him money. This money was used to finance a risky mission to find a hidden treasure. The treasure which was supposed to bring wealth and joy to the family had become ironically the source of its sorrows. After finding it, there was a mutiny and the whole party was cast ashore and almost killed. And after returning to America, Jane was faced with the grave alternative of marrying a man she did not love.
The Irony of Knowledge
In an ironical scene following Professor Porter’s arrival to the jungle, he is seen with his companion Mr. Philander behaving stupidly in a crucial and deadly situation when attacked by a lion. In spite of their education and large knowledge, they were so vulnerable that they would have certainly died if it was not for the interference of Tarzan. The irony of the situation lays in the fact that these two men, who are by profession professors and men of science, were at the mercy of an ignorant boy who had never went to school and never talked to a single civilized being, and who was yet more witty and far smarter than they were.
