Yesterday, I mentioned that there was something about Albert Werper's character arc that I wanted to expound upon. And thanks to waking up early, and it finally being the weekend for me, I can give it a go. However, I'll have to provide more *spoiler* details about the story to do so, which means if you're inclined to read Tarzan #5, you might want to skip this post for now.
In the last chapter (#24), entitled "HOME", Tarzan/John Clayton and Jane reunite with their feared-dead Waziri friend, Mugambi, where they compare notes:
Pieced out from the fragments of their various experiences with the Belgian the truth concerning the malign activities of Albert Werper became apparent.
Werper murdered his C.O., participated in slave trading, lied, shed innocent blood, killed Achmet Zek, destroyed property, stole, and lusted after gold, jewels, and Lady Jane. Of the last five Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:13-17), he violated all of them except #7 (adultery), but he certainly had nefarious plans for Jane. Initially, he intended to sell her into slavery, but later wanted to violate her, but then fantasized that he could woo her into marrying him, since her husband was presumed dead. He also acted as her protector in pretense, since Jane innocently believed him to be M. Frecoult, whom they had politely entertained at their home before all went to h-e-double hockey sticks. That is, until he actually became her protector in fact:
Sleepless upon his blankets, Albert Werper let his evil mind dwell on the charms of the woman in the nearby tent.
By a strange process of reasoning, Werper, whose designs were identical to the Arab's, pictured himself as Jane Clayton's protector...
It was not long before the Belgian had succeeded in convincing himself that the captive...had by various feminine methods acknowledged her new-born affection.
And then a sudden resolution possessed him.
Fearing that Jane might be raped by Mohammed Beyd (Achmet Zek's second-in-command), he straps on his gun and goes to her tent. He attacks the Arab, rescuing Jane just in time, before shooting him dead. Afterwards, he even gets her out of the camp safely.
As he again faced Jane Clayton, Werper found himself animated by quite different intentions than those which had lured him from his blankets but a few minutes before.
However low a man may sink, honor and chivalry, has he ever possessed them, are never entirely eradicated from his character, and although Albert Werper had long since ceased to evidence the slightest claim to either the one or the other, the spontaneous acknowledgment of them which the girl's speech had presumed had reawakened them both within him.
For the first time he realized the almost hopeless and frightful position of the fair captive, and the depths of ignominy to which he had sunk, that had made it possible for him...to have entertained even for a moment the part that he had taken in the ruin of her home, happiness, and herself.
Too much of baseness already lay at the threshold of his conscience for him to ever hope to entirely redeem himself; but in the first, sudden burst of contrition the man conceived an honest intention to undo, in so far as lay within his power, the evil that his criminal avarice had brought upon this sweet and unoffending woman.
"Be brave, Lady Greystoke -- we may yet escape."
"Thank you", she replied in a low tone. "You have been very kind, and very brave."
Werper did not reply, and the darkness of the night hid the scarlet flush of shame which swept upward across his face.
Werper had to return to the camp to ensure they wouldn't be pursued by the rest of the Arabs. Unfortunately, Jane is kidnapped (again) by Abdul Mourak, the Abyssinian, and taken back to their camp, which is later overrun by vicious lions. While searching for Jane, Werper encounters Tarzan, who's about to kill him for stealing his pouch of jewels. Werper's pleas for mercy from "Lord Greystoke" finally help the ape-man regain all his memories. And then they get captured by Congo Free State soldiers before being rescued by Tarzan's disguised ape-friend, Chulk, who is shot dead by the troops. Then Werper realizes that the ape had Tarzan's missing gems.
Once again had avarice claimed him. Forgotten were the good intentions which the confidence of Jane Clayton in his honor had awakened. What she had done, the little pouch had undone.
When Tarzan hears the lions roar nearby, Werper (eager to escape with his treasure), suggests that Jane might be in danger from them. Tarzan tells Werper to stay there while he goes to help (quite heroically, I might add), but Werper leaves with the jewels.
...and turning abruptly eastward Albert Werper passed through the foliage of a hanging vine and out of sight of his fellow-man -- forever.
Honestly, I wasn't planning on including so many quotes from the novel, but you needed the context. And I'm now just getting to the part I had originally intended to focus on! At least it'll go much quicker for you, dear reader. Here's the rest of the first quote from chapter 24:
Only Lady Greystoke found aught to praise in the conduct of the man, and it was difficult even for her to reconcile his many heinous acts with this one evidence of chivalry and honor.
"Deep in the soul of every man," said Tarzan, "must lurk the germ of righteousness. It was your own virtue, Jane, rather even than your helplessness which awakened for an instant the latent decency of this deranged man. In that one act he retrieved himself, and when he is called to face his Maker may it outweigh in the balance, all the sins he has committed."
And Jane Clayton breathed a fervent, "Amen!"
Months later during a safari hunt, the Greystokes encounter Werper's bleached bones and the Jewels of Opar!
"Poor devil!" said the ape-man, as he swung back into his saddle. "Even in death he made restitution -- let his sins lie with his bones."
Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? And for a story, it was excellent, but it's a good reminder not to base your philosophy or truths on a novel or someone's opinion, because, according to the Bible, Tarzan (and the author by extension) is mistaken about several things.
Let's start with what Tarzan got right. We all will face God one day.
Hebrews 9.27
"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:"
Revelation 20:12
"And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books."
And while Werper was a "major" sinner, it only takes one sin against a holy and just God to miss the mark. And no one but Jesus was sinless.
James 2:10
"For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it."
Romans 3:10
"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God."
None of us is perfect, nor can we be, since Adam brought sin into the world; we're born that way with a sinful nature, which is why Christ was born of a virgin, circumventing that curse. Tarzan's assertion that there is a "germ of righteousness" in each soul, or the belief that people are "inherently good", is false.
Genesis 6:5
"The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time."
Romans 5:17
"For if, by the trespass of the one man [Adam], death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ."
Thinking you can balance the scales in your favor is foolish. The idea is that if you're more than 50% good, then the good outweighs the bad is silly when you think of it in terms of school grades. What would a 51% get you on a test (or even a 50.000001%)? A big fat "F", that's what! (I've heard you can get that much in Montgomery County by just signing your name on your paper.) And while we may be able to get a 100% or even extra credit in school, that's not possible when compared to God's standards. You'd have to be God yourself to meet that goal, but thankfully, Jesus is God.
If it sounds a bit unfair, well, the Good News is that we don't have to earn our Salvation.
As the old hymn says, "Jesus paid it all, All to him I owe, Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow."
Romans 4:25-5:2
"He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."
Ephesians 2:8-9
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast."
Isaiah 12:1-3
"In that day you will say: 'I will praise you, O Lord. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.' With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation."
Now it's quite understandable that Tarzan and Jane wish mercy for Werper because of the timely help he provided. And there is evidence that they can request this for the sins that he committed toward them specifically. You see this in the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr.
Acts 7:59-60
"While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' Then he fell on his knees and cried out, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them.' When he had said this, he fell asleep."
I'm not 100% sure, but I suspect such a request would lessen their torment in hell to some degree; they'd still suffer for their other sins, which will still be awful. When Erika Kirk forgave her husband's killer, she may have meant it that way also. If she requests that the man who murdered Charlie Kirk not be executed, then it would probably be in hopes that he can find salvation. But facing certain death may be the only way he actually considers true repentance. I'm just speculating; someone would have to ask her.
Werper's mistake was that he was (momentarily) remorseful, but not repentant.
If you made it this far, thanks for hanging in there! And if you're concerned about where you might end up, consider reading the Bible as a start, and this old post has other details.
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