On the one hand, it seems like a Tarzan riff played with a capo: young boy abandoned, befriends young lion, they live together away from all human beings. So The Lad grows up without language...and yes, he does roar like a lion.
But as in so many Edgar Rice Burroughs books, once he does make contact with humans, The Lad picks up language lickety split. As a matter of fact, he picks up two languages lickety split, but that's beside the point.
Shortly after becoming sonant *, The Lad is deceived by someone who sees him as an enemy, and narrator ERB tells us
"In his unsophistication he had not yet come to realize that most men consider the gift of speech solely as a means of defeating the purposes of truth." (Chapter 16)
It's a thought which pops up more than one in the course of Edgar Rice Burroughs' oeuvre...and I have to admit that it resonates with me. Especially if I've recently been in the presence of a news presentation of any sort. Or if I've been listening to Pink Floyd.
It is often hard to believe that anyone in this world speaks the truth. (It's even harder if you've been through two divorces.)
So that.
As for the rest of it, this short novel is actually pretty okay. There's not really much doubt about how things will come out in the end if you've paid any attention to the beginning of the book, but it's still a good little adventure with a satisfying ending. And the occasional bon mot. That's good enough for me.
* Word adapted for use here, as I could think of no good word for this concept.
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