Around the World in Eighty Days
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Jules Gabriel Verne:
He was a 19th century French novelist, poet, and playwright. Verne wrote widely popular series of adventure novels. Verne has been the second most- translated author in the world.
Characters:
Major Characters:
1) Phileas Fogg –
The hero and chief protagonist in the novel. He is challenged by a fellow gambler to go around the world in eighty days and he takes up the challenge. His rationality, calmness, generosity and self-control appeal to the readers.
2) Passepartout –
He is an employee of Phileas Fogg. He is an honest as well as a comic French man. He is loyal to his master and yet gets into situations that make his master’s plans difficult to travel around the world. Passepartout attracts the reader with his loyalty, warmth and his sense of humour.
3) Detective Fix –
He is the detective. He comes to the wrong conclusion that Fogg is the bank robber and is merely pretending to go around the world when his real purpose is to cheat the law. He tries to capture Fogg.
4) Aouda –
Aouda is a Parsee Indian princess who is orphaned at an early age. She has to marry an old King and when he dies, she has been asked to commit the sacrifice of her life as per the Hindu Tradition of that time. She is rescued by Fogg’s group. She goes back with them to England, as she is unable to find her relative in Hong Kong.
Minor Characters
The Reform Club Members:
The engineer Andrew Stuart, the banker's John Sullinan & Samuel Fallentin, the brewer Thomas Flanagan and Gauthier Ralph and one of the governors Bank of England are Phileas Fogg’s partners at the Reform club.
Summary
The story is about an Englishman who makes a bet with people claiming that he can go around and travel the world in eighty days. The leading character of the story is a lonesome man named Phileas Fogg. Phileas lives with his servant Jean Passepartout who also serves as his companion on his eighty-day tour around the world. Mr. Phileas Fogg is a rich man and pays his servant well, but his source of wealth remains a mystery to people. As Phileas Fogg and Jean Passepartout set out on their eighty days journey around the world, a bank gets robbed and the detective, Mr. Fix suspects Phileas Fogg and follows him. The story explains the reader about their journey around the world and all the chaos these characters create.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Taken from the adventure novel by Jules Verne, the final four chapters describe the end of the protagonist’s journey. These narrate how Phileas Fogg finally returns to London after attempting to circumnavigate the world in eighty days. Just when the protagonist has given up all hopes, he unexpectedly wins the wager that had made him undertake such a long journey.
Chapter 34
At the beginning of this chapter, the protagonist is in prison in Custom House due to a misunderstanding. Mistaken to be a bank robber on run, a detective named Fix arrests Fogg as soon as he reaches Liverpool. Fogg’s two companions are as much shocked with the sudden arrest as Fogg himself.
This prevents him from reaching the Reform Club in time to win the wager. As Fogg is making a brief entry in his journal and lamenting the loss brought by a trick of fate and time, his servant Passepartout enters the prison along with the detective. The detective apologizes for the folly he has committed by arresting the wrong man.
This makes Fogg leave the prison with Passepartout. There are still some hours for the eightieth day to end. So Fogg arranges a train to London by paying a generous amount to the engineer. Accompanied by his faithful servant Passepartout and his beloved woman Aouda, Fogg sets out towards his final destination hoping to show up at the club on the promised hour. He gets off on the station at London only to realise that he is late by five minutes and has thereby already lost the wager.
Chapter 35
This chapter opens with a dejected Mr Fogg at his place in Saville Row in London. He is in such distress for having lost the wager due to such an unforeseen misunderstanding that his servant fears that his master might be contemplating suicide. While Passepartout is keeping an eye on his master, Mr Fogg excuses himself and becomes more withdrawn. Only in the evening when Aouda proposes marriage to him, do his spirits lift. Elated, he instructs Passepartout to rush to arrange a parish for their marriage.
Chapter 36
This chapter shows the scene at the Reform Club where the atmosphere is full of speculations. The five friends with whom Mr Fogg had struck the wager exactly eighty days ago, wait for the final hour. The news of a man taking upon himself the task of such an impossible journey has spread in the city and attracted a huge crowd outside the club. As the deadline approaches, the five men declare that Mr Fogg has lost the wager. It is at the last minute that Phileas Fogg makes a dramatic entry into the club followed by an excited crowd.
Chapter 37
This chapter explains how Mr Fogg is able to meet the impossible deadline. Passepartout, who was sent to fetch a parish for the protagonist’s wedding, returns with a better news. He announces that it is still the eightieth day in London. Since the protagonist had moved eastwards during his journey, he had unconsciously earned an extra day. Thus, a difference in time zones had made them reach London one day before the final day. Realising he still has ten minutes left, Mr Fogg rushes to the Reform Club and manages to make a miraculous entry at the last minute.
Conclusion
As per the wager, Mr Fogg wins twenty thousand pounds. But having spent nineteen thousand pounds during his journey, he only gets one thousand pounds. This is not a very rewarding amount in monetary terms but it enables him to pay his servant and save some money for himself. The long and exhausting journey, however, proves most rewarding because it earns him a charming woman as his wife.
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Q1. Explain the character sketch of Phileas Fogg and Passepartout.
Passepartout’s personality is completely opposite to Fogg’s. While Fogg is serious and meticulous, Passepartout is comical and clumsy. Fogg is worldly, rational, and capable of making informed decisions after carefully studying any situation, while Passepartout is naive, gullible, and tends to get carried away on occasion. This is evident when he is easily manipulated by Fix into hiding Fix’s true motives which result in the arrest of Fogg at Liverpool.
Passepartout is eager, energetic and excited by everything. This is vastly different from Fogg, who always remains calm even under trying circumstances. When Fogg is arrested at Liverpool, he realizes that he may no longer be able to win the bet and is devastated. In spite of having his victory snatched away from him at the last hour, Fogg does not display any anger or sorrow. He is calm and composed. Passepartout, on the other hand, wears his heart on his sleeve at all times. He is so burdened by his guilt of keeping a secret from Fogg that he “wept till he was blind, and felt like blowing his brains out”. When it becomes clear that Fogg has lost the bet, Fogg bears this too, calmly and with restraint. Though he is depressed at having lost everything, he behaves rationally and maturely and begins to think about his next course of action. Passepartout, in contrast, is “tortured by remorse” and even besides his own guilt, is anxious and worried about his master. He urges Fogg to react to the situation with anger, but instead, Fogg chooses to remain calm.
Determined to make his master understand, Passepartout even asks Aouda to talk to him. As Fogg goes about making arrangements calmly, Passepartout is constantly keeping a watch on him because he fears that “something terrible might happen at any moment”. He eventually gets so restless that “finding himself too wretched to remain alone” he knocks at Aouda’s door for company. Thus, Passepartout’s emotional, impulsive, and energetic personality is in definite contrast to Fogg’s calm and contemplative nature.
Q2. Describe the character sketch of Aouda.
Aouda is a charming, young woman, rescued from dangerous circumstances by Fogg, who then brought her all the way from India to London, to guarantee her safety. She is adventurous and tough in her decision to journey around the world with Fogg. Aouda seems to be the perfect companion for a man such as Fogg. She is beautiful, sophisticated and kind. Throughout their journey, she is grateful to Fogg for saving her. This gratitude soon turns into love. Fogg’s cold, serious, and secretive nature is no match for Aouda’s love. Slowly, she begins to penetrate his tough exterior and in the end, he is softened by her love. She is, therefore, perceptive, for she recognizes that even though on the surface Fogg seems mechanical and emotionless, he has a kind and gentle heart. She is loyal, for she weeps bitterly when Fogg is arrested and never doubts his integrity. She is caring, for when she sees that he is disappointed and hurt, she asks Passepartout to never leave his side. Moreover, she is just as self-respecting as Fogg himself, for when she finds out that he has lost his fortune, her love for him does not change. She is also equally brave and bold, for she is the one to propose marriage to him. Through Aouda, Fogg learns the most important lesson of all, that of the importance of human connection. Even though the trip around the world earns Fogg nothing, he considers himself to be the “happiest of men” because Aouda’s love has been his greatest reward. Thus, even though he wins the bet, his ultimate victory lies in attaining Aouda’s love.
Q 3.Describe the importance of the Setting of London to the theme of the novel.
The extract is set primarily in 1870s London. This setting is best suited for the novel because the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain led to the development of many modern means of transport. These made world travel a realistic goal and inspired Verne’s story. The novel’s theme of adventure and excitement are both directly related to the use of these marvellous inventions as the main character relies on them to undertake his adventures around the world. Another important aspect of the London setting is the Reform Club of England. The Reform Club symbolizes the refined London society that Fogg and Passepartout must leave behind when they embark on their trip around the world. Thus, it acts as the threshold between ordinary life and the world of adventure. Lastly, the Victorian Era setting of London, England highlights the themes of morality and honour. During this era, the notion of a ‘gentleman’ was considered to be a matter of pride and honour. A ‘gentleman’ was considered to be typically associated with wealth and privilege, but also possessed the values of morality, generosity and proper etiquette. Because of this, it was very important for Fogg to uphold his reputation and was in fact, his primary motivation in making the bet. Even in difficult situations, Fogg does not give up on his morals and behaves honourably, as was expected of an English gentleman.
Q4. Write on the ‘Time’ theme of the extract.
The most important theme of the novel is the concept of ‘Time’. Through the given extract, the writer tries to convey to the readers that time cannot be controlled or manipulated. When Fogg is arrested at Liverpool, this causes a delay in Fogg’s plans. Throughout his journey, Fogg is depicted as a particular, precise man, who is obsessed with planning for every moment. However, even he could not have predicted his arrest and therefore, could not have prepared for such an event in advance. This shows that no matter how many plans you make, whether time will work for you or against you is uncertain. Consequently, Fogg loses his bet because he is late by five minutes, an example of his defeat at the hands of time. Time also plays a crucial role in the climax of the novel, wherein Fogg wins his bet because he had ‘gained time’ by travelling eastwards on his journey around the world. However, he does not realize this on his own and almost loses the bet. Through sheer coincidence and luck, Fogg becomes aware of the additional ‘day’ that he had gained and wins the bet with just seconds to spare. Thus, the extract ultimately wishes to convey the lesson that no one can control time; it is an uncontrollable, random force and humans are at its mercy.
Q5.Write the central idea of the given extract of the novel, ‘Around the World in Eighty Days’.
The given extract focuses on the importance of human connection. Before undertaking a trip around the world, Fogg lived a lonely life. He was detached from society and did not care about what people thought of him. However, by the end of the trip, Fogg realizes the significance of human connection. In Passepartout, he finds a loyal and trustworthy friend and in Aouda, a wonderful and charming partner. Thus, through his many adventures, he gains an understanding and appreciation of interpersonal relationships, which he never had before and considers this to be his greatest reward from the trip. The ending of the novel is unexpected and leads to a sudden twist of events, which result in Fogg winning the bet. However, Fogg realizes that the long and dangerous journey that he has undertaken has been worthwhile, not because he won the bet, but because it led him to Aouda. Thus, through the ending, the author tries to convey to the reader that life holds more meaning than mere worldly desires and that sometimes, the prize is the relationships we form with people.