Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Around the World in Eighty Days, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Modernity, Time, and Control
Imperialism
Chance, Adventure, and Human Connection
Honor, Reputation, and Duty
Summary
Analysis
Passepartout has no money and is extremely hungry after spending his first night in Yokohama with nothing to eat. He trades his European clothing for a Japanese outfit from a dealer on the street and comes across an advertisement for an acrobatic troupe that is giving a show before departing for the United States. Having been a circus performer before becoming a domestic servant, Passepartout convinces the troupe leader, Mr. Batulcar, to put him in the show as a clown.
Passepartout, unlike Fogg, is unable to buy himself out of trouble—instead, he must rely on his own resourcefulness and creativity. As a result, he is forced to assimilate with the very people he judged as a “motley crowd” in Chapter 22 and finds that he, as a former circus performer, has more in common with Japanese culture than he expected.
Themes
Passepartout joins the Long Noses, Japanese performers who wear elaborate costumes and oversized ornamental noses, in their acrobatic show. He is supporting the other acrobats at the bottom of a “human pyramid” when he sees Fogg and Aouda in the crowd and exclaims, “Ah my master! My master!” In his excitement, Passepartout causes the pyramid to collapse, and he, Fogg, and Aouda hurry off to catch the American steamer bound for San Francisco.
It is purely by coincidence that Passepartout, Fogg, and Aouda happen to be reunited at the acrobatic show. This reinforces the importance of maintaining an open mind and an adventurous outlook; had Passepartout not approached his situation with this attitude, he may never have crossed paths with his friends.
Themes
