Kala

The action of Tarzan of the Apes begins in the year 1888; the novel was first published in 1912. The following is a slightly edited version of the plot summary from Wikipedia.

John and Alice Clayton, the Earl and Countess of Greystoke, are marooned in the western coastal jungles of equatorial Africa. Some time later, their son John Clayton II is born. When he is one year old his mother dies, and soon thereafter his father is killed by Kerchak, the savage king of the apes. The infant is then adopted by the she–ape Kala. He is named Tarzan ('White Skin' in the ape language) and raised in ignorance of his human heritage.

As a boy he feels alienated from his peers, due to their physical differences. But then he discovers his true parents' cabin, where he first learns of others like himself in their books. Using basic primers with pictures, over many years he teaches himself to read English, but having never heard it spoken, he cannot speak it.

On returning from one visit to the cabin, Tarzan is attacked by a huge gorilla – which he manages to kill with his father's knife, although he is terribly wounded in the struggle. As he grows up, he becomes a skilled hunter, exciting the jealousy of Kerchak, the ape leader, who finally attacks him. Tarzan kills Kerchak and takes his place as "king" of the apes.

Later, a tribe of black Africans settle in the area, and one of its hunters kills Tarzan's adopted mother, Kala. Avenging himself on the killer, Tarzan begins an antagonistic relationship with the tribe, raiding its village for weapons and practicing cruel pranks on them. They, in turn, regard him as an evil spirit and attempt to placate him.

A few years later, when Tarzan is 21 years of age, a new party is marooned on the coast – including 19–year–old Jane Porter, the first white woman Tarzan has ever seen. Also among the party is Tarzan's cousin, William Cecil Clayton, who has unwittingly usurped the ape man's ancestral estate. Tarzan spies on the newcomers, aids them in secret, and saves Jane from the perils of the jungle.

Another member of the party was Paul D'Arnot, a French naval officer. While rescuing D'Arnot from the natives, a rescue ship recovers the castaways. D'Arnot teaches Tarzan to speak French and offers to take Tarzan to the land of white men where he might connect with Jane again. On their journey, D'Arnot teaches him how to behave among white men. In the ensuing months, Tarzan also learns to speak English.

Tarzan eventually travels to find Jane in Wisconsin, USA where he rescues her from a fire. He learns the bitter news that she has become engaged to William Clayton. Meanwhile, clues from his parents' cabin have enabled D'Arnot to prove Tarzan's true identity as John Clayton II, the Earl of Greystoke. But instead of reclaiming his inheritance, Tarzan chooses to conceal and renounce his heritage for the sake of Jane's happiness.