(My apologies for the lateness of this posting. I was determined to find photos of the Professor and his daughter. Though some may dispute the authenticity of these images, I can only say that, to me, they appear to be the real thing. —Phil)
Jane’s Life with Her Father
Jane was “about 19” at the time of the events in Tarzan of the Apes (Chapter 13) and we learn in Chapter 16 that Professor Porter’s “other Jane,” presumably his wife and Jane’s mother, had been taken away by God 20 years before, perhaps at the time of Jane’s birth.
What affect did a motherless childhood have on her who was to become Lady of the Jungle?
I believe the widowed Professor Porter helped shape Jane’s life in four ways:
First, there was the training in social graces that he, as a man of some standing in the community, would surely impart to her, either teaching her himself or seeing that she was properly school by others in such things. We certainly find ample evidence of her proper rearing in her adult adventures.
Second, the professor was also an ordained minister, and he instilled in Jane a love for and a trust in God who, on many occasions, was seen to be Jane’s “refuge and strength.”
Jane is seen praying, or otherwise acknowledging her God, probably more than any other character in a Burroughs book. Not only is she a woman of prayer, but her prayers get results, and sometimes spectacularly so! In The Return of Tarzan, a hunger-weakened Jane closes her eyes in prayer as a lion prepares to charge, and opens them a few moments later to find the lion dead with a spear in its side!
Jane must have been along at many times when Professor Porter performed his duties as a clergyman. In Tarzan’s Quest, standing beside the fresh grave of her friend, Kitty, Jane “recited as much of the burial service as she could recall.”
Though the exact words of a ritual have faded by this time of Jane’s life, her belief in God is as strong as ever. Asked on page 286 of Quest by Kavuru ruler Kavandavanda if she believes in God, she replies, “Yes, most assuredly.”
Jane never is reluctant to call on supernatural help. Her penchant to pray is not a sign of weakness, but of wisdom.
Third, the professor’s lifestyle as an archaeologist and adventurer probably gave Jane a chance for many occasions in which a love for the outdoor life could be instilled in her. The voyage which first brought her to the African shore may have been just one of many expeditions with her father to exotic lands.
There was likely a fourth area in which Professor Porter’s upbringing influenced Jane. And though it was a negative influence, it had positive results. In Tarzan of the Apes, Professor Porter is seen to be a bit absent-minded, or at the least to have a rather dominant one-track mind. He says, “God alone knows how hard I have tried to be ‘human’ for Jane’s sake.” So he tried hard, but, by his own admission, there must have been some things he was unable to teach Jane, some things which only a mother could have taught her, and there must have been times when his multi-career duties left Jane pretty much on her own. So, though skilled in social niceties, I wonder if the Professor’s occasional “neglect” could have made Jane into a bit of a tomboy. Such a penchant could have helped to develop muscles and skills and predilections that would come in handy in learning jungle survival.
Next: Part 5, Jane and her Indomitable Spirit
(All page numbers are from the early hardback editions, McClurg, Burt and G&D, which used the same printing plates throughout)
Copyright ©1989 John “Bridge” Martin