Language In Boule's Planet The Apes

The concept of language, communicating with written or spoken words, is a primary characteristic of humanity. It is one of several characteristics that separates humans from every other animal on Earth, who lack the ability to communicate verbally and instead rely on gestures. In Pierre Boule’s Planet of the Apes, the apes are the species with the ability to communicate verbally with each other using language, while the human species on the planet relies on gestures to communicate similarly to animals. The concept of language is an important theme that can be found in the novel. The use of language is present in the simian society on the planet Soror while the human beings on the planet lack language, Ulysse's attempts to communicate with the …show more content…
Trapped in a cage with no possible way to escape, Antelle would have to succumb to the primitive humans and adapt to their way of thinking to survive. There was nobody to bestow the gift of simian language to Professor Antelle as there was for Ulysse. Instead, he became a product of his environment in the cage and gave in to the primitive human way of life, effectively losing his ability to understand and speak in the process. Professor Antelle’s loss of language also parallels the rise of the ape civilization. Humans were initially intelligent beings, similarly to Antelle but over time became feebleminded, unable to grasp the concept of language that their species initially …show more content…
The ape society overtook humans at the top of the food chain and developed their own simian language in the process. The humans on Soror over time lost their ability to communicate and in the process became primitive animals who lack even basic self awareness. The key to Ulysse’s survival on the planet is dependent on his ability to communicate with the apes and learn their language. By learning how speak the language of the apes Ulysse is looked at by the apes as almost an equal. The professor is placed in an environment with only other primitive humans, and has no chance to learn the simian language gives into the pressures of his environment. He becomes one of the primitive humans losing his language and sanity in the process. Boulle uses language as a tool to further the plot and magnify the intellect of the ape