> J. Michelle Coughlan argues that Tarzan displays behavior which seems outside of the bounds of traditional manhood in her article "Absolutely Punk: Queer Economies of Desire in Tarzan of the Apes." Coughlan analyzes Burroughs' fans complaints regarding the 'punk ending" in order to prove that contemporary readers understood Tarzan's renunciation of Jane as unmanly.[24] He rescues Paul D’Arnot from Africans, similarly to how he rescues Jane from rape: many of the same phrases and words describe both adventures [25] D'Arnot later supports the reluctant Tarzan financially, similarly to the monetary motivation for marriage which Jane feels.[26] Coughlan suggests that the novel bends traditional Western gender roles; therefore, Tarzan unconsciously could feel homosexual desire for D’Arnot despite his apparent attraction for Jane, and D’Arnot could be treating Tarzan as a "kept m[a]n," or paid sexual partner.[27]
