Around the World in Eighty Days book report - detailed analysis, book summary, literary elements, character analysis, Jules Verne biography and everything necessary for active class participation.
Analysis
Around the World in Eighty Days is an adventure novel published in 1873 and it was the peak of Verne's adventure fiction. The main backbone of the novel is a bet between the English gentleman Phileas Fogg and his colleagues from the Reform Club. They bet 20.000 pounds that Fogg, as the title suggests, goes around the world in 80 days. Fogg was driven by the challenge and the desire to acquire something great.
Verne, through Fogg's adventures, describes the whole world, different cultures, surroundings, sights, cities and societies. The plot is filled with unexpected turns, and intense events and the reader follows Fogg, hoping he makes his deadline. The main characters are Fogg, his servant Jean Passepartout, detective Fix and princess Aouda and there are main side characters that make the plot even more interesting.
The novel has 36 chapters. In the 34th chapter, Verne brings a certain mystery into the novel when Fogg unexpectedly appears in the Reform Club. It is interesting that the novel is chronologically organized so it looks like a travel book from the 19th century with a focus on the cities, nature, cultures, different customs and people the main characters meet on their journey. Fogg doesn't do much sightseeing because he is extremely set on making his deadline and Passepartout informs him all about the world.
The novel is humorous so that even the serious events along the way, do not seem as serious. The novel is inspired by the development in the technology of the 19th century: the first transcontinental railway and the Suez Canal.
Other book reports
Literary Elements
Genre: adventurous novel
Setting: London, Suez, Bombay, Calcutta, Hong Kong, Yokohama, San Francisco, Dublin, New York; between October 2nd, 1872 to December 22nd, 1872
Point of view: third-person
Narrator: Jules Verne, the author
Tone: suspenseful, nervous, urgent
Mood: fast-paced, excitement
Theme: Fogg's journey around the world in 80 days
Summary
Phileas Fogg lived in Savile Row street number 7. He is a mysterious man, kind and above all a perfect gentleman. Everyone compared him to Byron. He was never seen on the Marketplace or a bank and he didn't belong to any kind of executive committee. He was a member of the Reform Club. Fogg was rich but no one knows how he acquired his wealth.
He didn't spend a lot of money but he also wasn't cheap. Fogg traveled a lot and his hobbies were reading the newspaper and playing whist. No one knew anything about his family since Fogg only lived with his servant. Fogg always ate at a precise time each day and sat at the same table. On October 2nd, 1872 he fired his servant Foster because his shaving water was heated to 84 instead of 86 Fahrenheits. He was waiting for his new servant to arrive.
The new servant was Jean Parrepartout. He changed many jobs and Fogg gave him his new job on October 2nd. Jean studied Fogg closely and came to the conclusion that Fogg was about 40. Fogg was calm, coldhearted and academic. He was never in a hurry but he got everywhere just in time. Jean was a real Parisian, despite living in England for 5 years. He was helpful, had blue eyes, wide shoulders and brown hair. The two of them were completely different. Jean observed the house. Above the fireplace, he found an itinerary for every day of the week with rules about the food and clothes as per Fogg's desires. He loved his new home and employer.
Fogg went to the Reform Club. In the dining room, he sat at his table and read the newspaper until sundown. After dinner, other members joined him: engineer Andrew Stuart, bankers John Sullivan, Samuel Fallentin, Thomas Flanagan and one of the bank executives Authier Ralph. They discussed the bank robbery in which someone stole 55 thousand pounds. The world's best detectives were working on the case. The gang played cards and discussed how much it would take to go around the world. The newspaper article stated that such a venture requires 80 days. Fogg made a bet for 20 000 pounds that he can make it. The train for Dover left that night at 20:45. If he wanted to go around the world in 80 days he had to come back to London on December 21st at 20:45. They made a note about their bet and placed their signatures on it.
Fogg came home at 19:50 and Jean was surprised because he wasn't supposed to be back until midnight. Fogg told Jean that they are going to travel the world and that they didn't need many things because they will be buying all of their necessities on the go. Jean was hoping that he would finally live in peace with Fogg when all of the sudden they were making a trip around the world. While they were waiting at the train station, a beggar approached Fogg who gave her some money and wished her luck. Jean was moved by his gesture. The train left the station on time and Jean remembered he forgot to turn on the gas in his room.
The news about the bet spread. It reached newspapers across the UK. The newspapers divided themselves into Fogg's supporters and the ones who were against them. Some of them wrote that a venture of this kind was impossible if taken into consideration the problems which could occur. Many bets started to form. Seven days after he embarked on his journey a telegram came from Suez: "I'm chasing the bank robber Phileas Fogg. Get me an arrest warrant for Bombay.". The telegram was sent by detective Fix. Fogg all of a sudden goes from a gentleman to a criminal overnight.
Fix expected a ship in Suez. He was sent there after the bank robbery to supervise all passengers. The description of the criminal went as follows: an elegant individual who was in front of the bank during payments. When the ship arrived, Fix was approached by Jean who gave him his passport. He wanted to get the needed documents for Fogg. Fix went to the consulate to let them know that he suspects the robber could be on the ship. The consul told him that it wasn't necessary to check the passports anymore but Fogg wanted to be sure the robber passed through Suez.
Fogg was on the ship, mapping out the path they passed and their stop points. He wrote down dates and hours. They came to Suez as they had planned. Fogg didn't roam the city because he wasn't interested in it but Jean did it for him.
Fix asked Jean for his passport hoping to extract information from him. Jean was very excited about the journey but disappointed because he didn't see much. He told Fix that his master was in such a hurry they left without their stuff and with a single suitcase with a lot of money in it. He also stated that he doesn't believe Fogg started this journey only because of the money. This information affirmed Fix's suspicions; did Fogg leave London after the robbery and put the bet up as an excuse? Fix told everything to the consul and everything turned against Fogg. Fix sent a telegram to London saying he needed an arrest warrant to wait for him in Bombay.
There were many people on the ship. The journey was pleasant, the meals were great, there was also dancing and singing. Fogg was indifferent the whole time and didn't give out any kind of excitement or worry. Jean also enjoyed the trip because his accommodation was good and he liked the food. He would often talk to detective Fix.
The ship came to Aden and Fogg went to confirm his passport and then went back to the ship. Jean roamed the city for a while. The ship sailed for Bombay later that night. Jean was happy to be traveling with Fix because he considered him to be a perfect gentleman and it didn't even dawn on him that Fix might have a reason for spending so much time with him. The ship came to Bombay two days early so Fogg was ahead of his schedule.
Fogg went to the passport office and told Jean they will meet at the train station. Their train was supposed to leave at 8:00 for Calcutta. When he came to the train station, Fogg ordered dinner and didn't even see the city.
Fix went to get the arrest warrant but it wasn't there. He was told that he will not be getting the arrest warrant because the robbery wasn't their problem but London's problem. Meanwhile, Jean walked around town and observed everything. He almost ruined the whole trip. Jean entered a temple to admire its beauty but he didn't know Christians weren't allowed inside the temple and even if they are granted access they would have to take their shoes off and which he did not do and was attacked as a result. Jean barely managed to get out and run away. He came to the train station 5 minutes before the train was supposed to leave, barefoot and without the souvenirs he had bought.
Fix followed them and heard Jean retell Fogg everything that happened to him in the temple. Fix decided to stay in Bombay because what Jean did was a felony and he decided to use it to imprison them. Fogg and Jean boarded the train and took off.
They were sitting next to Sir Francis Cromarty who tried to talk to Fogg but he wasn't very cooperative. Jean realized that Fogg was serious about traveling the world and all of a sudden he felt a wave of youth coming towards him. He talked to them about his plans, counted the days and calculated how much they had left. Jean didn't want to adjust his clock to the time zones because he always wanted to know what time it was in London.
The train stopped in the middle of nowhere because the railway ran out despite the papers saying it was done. Fogg wasn't at all upset because he already had two spare days. Some of the passengers already knew that the railway wasn't finished so they went to the nearby city to find some other means of transportation. Fogg decided to walk when Jean found them an elephant. They bought it and took Sir Francis with them.
Their guide, wanting to make their trip shorter, went straight through a forest. After two hours they stopped to have a meal. The further they got, the more dangerous it got. There were many natives attacking them but their guide managed them. They stopped when night came and found a small, run-down house.
They spent the night there and around 6 in the morning, they continued their journey. The elephant stopped in the middle of the forest when he heard some instruments playing and people singing. The guide went to see what was going on. He ordered them to hide because there was a procession coming. At the end of the procession was a woman and behind her was her husband's corpse. She was a voluntary sacrifice but she was there involuntarily so Fogg decided they needed to save her.
The guide warned them that they will be tortured if caught and he told them all about the girl. She was a native, daughter of a rich salesman for Bombay and raised in an English way. Her name was Auda. When her parents died she was forced into a marriage.
After three months she became a widow and ran away. Auda was caught and now she was going to be sacrificed. They made a plan to save her during the night, the problem was that the temple was being guarded. They tried to enter through the backside but there weren't any windows or doors. The temple was made out of terracotta and wood so they started tearing it apart in order to get in. All of a sudden they heard a scream and hid.
The guards came and they lost their chance. They changed their plans and decided to take her when she was at the pyre. Jean saw an opportunity and said that it would be best to pretend that he is her husband and quickly take her away. When the ceremony started he got up. Everyone was scared and confused but they bowed down to him. He took the girl and ran away. When the people realized it was a trap, it was too late because they were already gone with the girl.
The kidnap plan worked. The girl was a bit stunned but they continued their journey. Fogg calculated they will make their deadline if they board the ship to Hong Kong on October 25th. After coming to Allahabad, Fogg sent Jean to buy some clothes for Aouda. She started to come to her senses. Aouda was beautiful and spoke English. Fogg paid his guide and gave him the elephant because he has proven himself to be loyal to them when it wasn't his obligation to help them save Aouda.
Fogg told Aouda everything that had happened and he offered to take her to Hong Kong because she had a cousin there. Along the way, they stopped in Benares where Cromarty left. They traveled along the Ganges and at 7:00 in the morning they reached Calcutta and they came just in time to board the ship to Hong Kong.
When they went on the train Fogg and Jean were approached by a man asking them to leave with him. He took them to the court in his carriage. There he placed Jean and Fogg in a room that had bars on the windows and he told them that their trial would begin at 8:30. Aouda thought they were imprisoned for helping her and Fogg was sure everything will be resolved by midday, which is when they have to board their ship. When they came in front of the court, the judge told them they were arrested for entering a temple.
Detective Fix bribed some men from the temple to sue them. Jean was sentenced to 15 days in jail and a 300 pound fine while Fogg was sentenced to 8 days in jail and 150 pound fine because he didn't take care of his servant's activities. Fogg agreed to pay 2000 pounds to avoid staying in jail and they left. Fix was angry because he didn't think Fogg would pay so much to get out of jail.
They boarded the ship "Rangoon" and their trip was supposed to last 11-12 days. Fix also boarded the ship because he had to arrest Fogg in Hong Kong. If Fogg went any further, Fix wouldn't have the right to prosecute him. Fix was curious about Aoude and he concluded they must've kidnapped her somewhere along the way. Fix was planning his arrest in Singapore.
Jean talked to Fix and told him all about Aoude. During the trip, they would meet often to talk. Jean didn't know why Fix was following them around but he thought he might be sent from the Reform Club to check if Fogg was keeping up with the planned route. When they came to Singapore Aoude and Fogg took a tour of the city by carriage. They proceeded with their journey but the weather changed. Jean was worried they wouldn't make their deadline. He joked with Fix during their conversation and Fix thought Jean was on to him.
Fix decided that, if he fails to arrest Fogg in Hong Kong, he will tell Jean the truth and see if he will be willing to serve as a criminal. Jean noticed that Aoude admired Fogg but that he wasn't influenced by her beauty at all.
On the 3rd and 4th of November, there was a strong storm and the ship had to slow down. The passengers were told that they will be about 20 hours behind schedule. Fogg remained calm and Fix loved the situation because Fogg was forced to stay in Hong Kong for a few days. Jean was angry at the sea and the waves and spent his time talking to the ship captain, asking how long the storm would last. In the end, they arrived a day late. Luckily the ship to Yokohama, which was supposed to sail on November 5th, didn't leave due to a malfunction so they still had a chance to board the ship.
Fogg was calm and Jean was thrilled about the situation. Fogg placed Aoude in a hotel and went to find information about her cousin, the richest salesman in town. He found out he hasn't been living in China for two years and that he was in the Netherlands. Fogg decided that Aouda will go to Europe with them.
Jean went to the port to book three cabins. There he found Fix who was still angry because he didn't have the arrest warrant. In the port, they were told that the ship was leaving that night and not the next morning because it was fixed. Fix decided to tell the truth to Jean.
Jean told him that he knew Fix was from the Reform Club and that he was following them to check if Fogg was keeping up with his route. Fix explained to him that he was wrong and that he was actually an agent of the London police trying to catch Fogg because of the robbery he allegedly committed. Jean doesn't believe him because for him Fogg was an honest man who would never break the law.
Fix offered him money to help him keep Fogg in Hong Kong. Jean declined his offer and Fix asked him to forget what they talked about. Fix offered him his pipe and it contained opium. Jean didn't know that and he passed out from it. With Jean out of the picture Fogg won't find out the ship will be leaving later that night and even if he finds out he will leave without Jean.
In the meantime, Fogg and Aouda were walking around town. Fogg was able to travel with one bag but he couldn't let Aouda without her necessities so he bought her dresses and everything else she needed. They had dinner together after which Aoude went to bed and Fogg read the newspaper. He wasn't worried about Jean being gone because he thought he would come before morning and their departure. In the morning Fogg realized Jean never came back to the hotel. He went to the port with Aoude and there they found out the ship had left. Fogg didn't seem concerned.
Fix approached him asking about Jean. With a wide smile on his face, he told Fogg that the next ship will be leaving in 8 days. Fogg wasn't ready to quit. He asked a sailor to take them to Yokohama but, since his small boat wasn't strong enough to take them there, he suggested they give them a lift to Shanghai.
The ship for San Francisco heads off from Shanghai so the situation suited them. Fix also joined them. The ship was supposed to leave on September 11th, and if the weather serves them they will make it in time. Before leaving Fogg went to the French consulate where he left Jean's description and enough money for him to go back home. They headed for Shanghai on a ship called Takadera alongside its captain and four other sailors. Jean never appeared.
Fogg asked the captain to do everything in his power to reach their destination on time. Fix couldn't understand why a thief was running the long way when he could have ran directly to America. He was worried about Fogg reaching San Francisco where Fix won't be able to do anything to him. Fogg asked about Jean. He thought that he may have reached the ship.
Fix was feeling a bit unpleasant about traveling on Fogg's account but Fogg didn't let him pay for anything. The captain felt a storm coming. Despite their preparations, they barely made it through the night. The morning brought better weather. The storm slowed them down and the captain realized they wouldn't make it in time. Around 7 they saw the ship leaving Shanghai. Fogg decided they should signal the boat.
On November 8th Jean woke up on the ship Carnatic. After Fix placed him into an unconscious state he managed to get out of the bar and come to the ship. There he collapsed and the sailors took him to a cabin. He realized both Fogg and Aouda weren't there because he didn't tell them about the ship leaving early. Jean knew Fix did this on purpose to separate him from Fogg. He also had no money.
On November 13th Carnatic came to Yokohama. Jean went to the city looking for some food but he was out of luck. In the morning he had to come up with a way to earn money. He knew some French and English songs so he decided to sing on the street. Jean also sold his suit and bought an old, cheaper one and he still had some money left for food.
Jean saw an ad for a performance of the acrobatic group of William Batulcar. He will have one last show before leaving for America. Jean went to the circus to look for Batulcar. He offered him a job as a clown and Jean accepted because it was his chance to get to San Francisco. Jean was part of a human pyramid but during the applause, the pyramid fell apart because of Jean. He ran into the audience where he saw Fogg. Batulcar was furious and asked them to pay for his mistake and Fogg gave him a bunch of money. Fogg, Aouda and Jean boarded another ship.
The ship saw the signals from Tankadera and he helped them. Fogg paid the captain and went to Yokohama. On November 14th they came to Yokohama where Fogg, asking for Carnatica, found out Jean was in Yokohama. He searched for him all around when he accidentally stumbled upon the circus and Jean recognized him. Jean saw Fix but he decided he will still hold his secret. The ship which led them to San Francisco was called General Grant.
Fogg calculated that with this ship they will come just in time. The journey was peaceful. Aouda started having feelings for Fogg who was already traveling for 52 days. Fix was also on the ship. In Yokohama, he got his arrest warrant but he couldn't use it because it was too old. The warrant will be valid in London so Fix had to follow Fogg to the very end. He hid in order not to see Jean but it was all for nothing. Jean beat him up.
Fix told him he won't put obstacles in their way as he did in Bombay because it was also in his interest that Fogg reaches London in time. On December 3rd the ship came to San Francisco. Fogg was exactly on schedule.
They left the ship at 7 in the morning and their train for New York was at 8 in the evening. Fogg and Aouda went to the consulate to check their passports. Jean decided to get some guns because he heard that there were many robberies going on.
Fogg saw Fix on the street and acted surprised so they went sightseeing together. They came in the middle of a gang fight. Fix even took a punch for Fogg. After the fight, their clothes were ruined so they had to go and get new ones. They came back to the hotel where they saw Jean with many guns. They took a carriage to the station and went to New York.
The journey to New York was supposed to last seven days. Book's, cigarettes and flower salesmen constantly walked through the train. An hour after departure it began to snow. In the night the wagons would turn into dormitories so the passengers could get some rest. Fogg, Jean, Aouda and Fix observed the nature around the train. A herd of buffalos stopped their journey for three hours, and Jean was furious about it.
Between the 5th and 6th of December, they came to Utah. Jean met Wiliam Hitch, a missionary who wanted to give a lecture in wagon 117. Jean attended the lecture. Hitch talked about his religion, from its very beginning. As he talked, people left because his lecture was too long. In the end, Jean was the only one left and when the missionary asked him to join him Jean ran away. The train made a break in Ogden.
Fogg, Aouda and Jean decided to see the city. After coming back to the train, just when the train took off they heard someone yelling to stop the train. Some man ran after it and jumped into the last wagon. Jean approached him and found out he ran away from his family after a fight.
Jean was worried about the snow which could destroy their plans. Aouda saw Proctor at the train station, the man who hit Fogg. She was scared that Fogg, if he recognizes him, invites Proctor to a fight because of the way he had treated him. She told Fix and Jean about her worries and Fix said he will get rid of Proctort. They had to prevent the two of them from seeing each other. Fix got Fogg to play a game with him so he would leave the wagon.
The train was stopped because the bridge it was supposed to cross was too weak to handle it and the train station already sent another train to get the passengers. The engine driver Forster thought that he could cross the bridge and the passengers were so happy that they didn't even listen to Jean's advice. He thought it would be better than the passengers crossing the bridge and then the train. Jean went back to his wagon and didn't say a word to Fogg. The train crossed the bridge at full speed. As soon as they crossed it the bridge crashed.
It took them 4 more days to get to New York. Fogg was still playing whist. He didn't even realize Proctor entered the train. He commented on Fogg's playing. Fix intervened and asked Proctor to work out their issues. Fogg didn't feel like doing that and he arranged a duel with Proctor in Plum Creek. He asked Fix to be their witness and continued to play the game calmly.
When they reached Plum Creek the engine driver told everyone not to exit the train because they had to move forward immediately due to a 20 minutes delay. He suggested to Proctor and Fogg to have their duel while driving. They went to the last wagon and kindly asked the passengers to leave the wagon. They would enter each with two revolvers and 6 bullets. They will start shooting when the train whistles again. They couldn't hear shots but not for the wagon. They came from the outside.
A group of natives entered the train. They wanted to stop the train, but instead of slowing it down, they went full speed. They attacked the people. Aouda defended herself with a gun. The engine driver fought alongside Fogg, and he got injured. He told Fogg that the train had to stop in 5 minutes. Jean left the wagon and detached the locomotive from the other wagons. The passengers hit the emergency brakes, and the wagons stopped in front of Kearney station. The soldiers from the station came to their rescue, and the natives ran away.
Three passengers went missing, including Jean. Proctor was seriously injured. He was taken to the train station where he got medical help. Fogg and Aoude didn't even have a scratch. Fix was injured in his arm. Fogg thought Jean must be held captive by the natives and he decided he had to find him, dead or alive. Fogg asked the army captain to follow the natives. He gave him 30 volunteers.
Fix wanted to go with Fogg but Fogg asked him to keep an eye on Aouda. Fix felt bad about losing Fogg after all he's been through. In the afternoon the locomotive Jean had detached came back. They attached it back and headed for New York because they were already three hours late. The passengers boarded and Fix stayed with Aoude at the train station. When night came, Fogg was still gone. In the morning they heard gunshots and Fogg came back with the soldiers and the three passengers the natives had captive.
Fogg was 20 hours behind schedule. Jean was desperate because he felt guilty about it. Fix offered him a new transportation device, a sleigh. During the winter people used those sleighs to come from one station to another. If the wind was strong enough, they would be faster than a train. Fogg said Aouda should stay at the train station with Jean but she declined. Fix wasn't really sure about everything but he decided to stick with his plan to capture Fogg. The sleigh took the shortest route. The passengers shivered because of the wind.
Jean told Fogg he will never forget that he sacrificed his own safety to save him. Finally, they reached Omaha and they got on a train to Chicago. When they came to Chicago they got on another train and when they came to the river Hudson they found out that the ship "China" had left for Liverpool only 45 minutes earlier.
Jean was desperate. Fogg realized that he can't leave with any other ship because he would be too late. They decided to spend the night at a hotel on Broadway. Fogg ordered Jean and Aoude to get ready and wait for him in the morning. In the port, he found a shipowner and offered him money to take them to Liverpool. The captain declined. Then Fogg asked him if 2 000 pounds would be enough for him to take them to Bordeaux. The captain agreed because he will earn money without leaving his route. Fix realized Fogg would come back to London almost broke.
Fogg stood on the bridge of the ship. He bribed all of the officers and sailors on the ship and now he was headed for Liverpool while the captain was captive in the cabin. Fix was fascinated by Fogg's stunt but he had a doubt that now, when Fogg had the whole ship, he wasn't really headed for Liverpool. The journey got cold and the wind slowed down the ship. December 16th was the 75th day of the journey. Jean overheard Fogg talking to one of the sailors who told him they wouldn't have enough coal for the journey because they were sailing full speed. Fogg told them to place all of the coal in.
On December 18th the sailor told Fogg that they would run out of coal that day. In the afternoon he ordered Jean to bring him the ship's captain. Fogg offered to buy his ship because he was about to burn a part of it and use it instead of coal. Fogg gave the captain 6 0000 dollars. The captain agreed but had some conditions.
That night the ship came to port Queenstown. They went down and Fix thought of arresting Fogg but didn't do it. They entered the train and got to Dublin by morning. Then they boarded another ship and came to Liverpool on December 21st at 11:40. Fogg had 6 hours to reach London. Fix approached him, showed him the arrest warrant and arrested him.
Fogg was arrested and was supposed to spend the night in jail. Aoude didn't know what was going on and Jean told her the whole story. Jean blamed himself for not telling Fogg the truth about Fix. Fogg was calm and indifferent and no one could conclude whether he was furious about the situation.
Around 2 o'clock he heard a loud noise. Jean and Fix came. Fix apologized about arresting Fogg because the real thief had been caught three days ago. Fogg approached the detective and punched him which made Jean very happy. They went to the train station but the train had left. Fogg ordered another train and around 3 o'clock a train with three passengers was heading for London but they had to wait for some places. Fogg came to London on December 21st at 8:50. He did go around the world but he came back 5 minutes too late and lost the bet.
It was peaceful in the city and there was no one in front of Fogg's house. When they left the train station Fogg told Jean to buy some food for the house. He took his defeat in his calm way. When he came home, he refused to talk to anyone. Aouda and Jean were worried about him because he didn't even go to the Reform Club that day. He didn't even have to go to the bank because he gave the money he lost on the bet to the members of the club.
He had no need to leave the house. Around 7 he told Aouda he had to talk to her. He apologized because he had nothing to offer to her now that she came to England because he had lost everything. Aouda thanked him for saving her life and offered herself to become his wife. Fogg accepted and admitted to her that he loves her. Jean went to the priest and arranged their marriage.
The opinion about Fogg changed when they realized the real thief was caught. The newspaper came to life and started making new bets. On the day of Fogg's return, his friends waited for him in the Reform Club. They realized Fogg will be late because he didn't come with the train he was supposed to come with.
At 8 hours 44 minutes and 57 seconds, Fogg entered the club and won the bet. How did this happen? Fogg sent Jean to talk to the priest who told them that it was Saturday and not Sunday. They were a day too early. Fogg didn't think about the time zones and about changing the dates. If Jean's clock showed the date alongside the time they would have known that they had enough time.
Fogg got his money and it wasn't a lot considering how much he had spent on the journey but he did it for the journey and not the win. He gave money to Aouda and Fix. Fogg asked Aouda if she still wanted to marry him and thanked her because without her he would have never found out he had a day to spare. They got married on Monday and Jean was their witness. Some might say Fogg got nothing by traveling the world but that's a lie. He got the woman that makes him the happiest man on the planet.
Characters
Characters: Philleas Fogg, Jean, Fix, Aouda, Pars, Comarty, ship captain...
Phileas Fogg - was a mysterious, kind and above all a gentleman. He was a member of the Reform Club. Fogg was rich, but he didn't spend his money around, he was interested in science, loved to read the newspaper and play whits. He had no family or relatives. Fogg was about 40, had a noble face, he was tall, had blond hair, calm and indifferent. Fogg was never in a hurry but always came everywhere on time. His calmness impressed Jean and the other characters. He was also generous with his travel companions. His generosity is shown when he gives Fix some of his money despite him not deserving it.
Jean Passepartout - was a Parisian who lived in England for 5 years before meeting Fogg. He was about 30 and changed various jobs. Jean was kind and helpful, had blue eyes, broad shoulders and brown hair. He was a witty man, loyal to Fogg and did everything in his power to help him, despite sometimes getting into troubles which made Fogg lose time. He asked for a peaceful life and ended up traveling the world. Jean often misunderstood Fogg but he won him over with his kindness.
Aouda - was a princess who lost her parents at a young age. She was forced into a marriage and would have been dead had it not been for Fogg and Jean who saved her and she traveled with them. At first, she felt gratitude towards Fogg but it turned into love. She was a strong and calm woman who didn't fear the storm and other troubles on their journey. She admired Fogg's bravery.
Detective Fix - was looking for a bank robber, and he was convinced it was Fogg. He was persistent in his job, but he kept on making the wrong conclusions about Fogg and his journey. He placed obstacles in their way, hoping to keep them in India and to arrest them. He was skillful. Fix pretended to be Jean's friend just to gather information about Fogg. He thought he was always right.
Biography
Jules Verne was a French novelist and the pioneer of science-fiction. From a young age, he was attracted to the theater and he wrote many librettos for the opera. His imagination was later on taken over by scientific discoveries and research.
He was born in 1828 in Nantes (France). His father was a lawyer and Jules had no desire to be in the same business as his father and to inherit his workplace.
After finishing his law studies in Paris, Jules decided to dedicate himself to literature. As eleven years old he boarded a ship to India but his father stopped him. The love for the sea kept on living in him.
With his novels, he didn't only explore the sea but the Moon, underground and missing continents as well. He wrote, "Voyages Extraordinaires" which contains 63 science-fiction and adventure novels. "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" is also in the book.
He wrote his first novel in 1862 and it was named "Five Weeks in a Balloon". A year later he published "From the Earth to the Moons", "Journey to the Center of the Earth", "Adventures of Captain Hatteras".
He died on March 24th, 1905.
Leave a Reply