Detective Fix Character Analysis in Around the World in Eighty Days

The antagonist of the novel. Detective Fix is an inspector from the Scotland Yard who suspects Phileas Fogg of robbing the Bank of England. Fix believes that Fogg’s wager of traveling around the world in eighty days is a cover-up for his escape from London, and decides to follow him and his servant, Jean Passepartout, on their adventure. He is continually waiting on an arrest warrant to arrive in each country they pass through, since he can only legally arrest Fogg on British territory (England, India, Hong Kong, or Yokohama). Fix manipulates Passepartout by pretending to be his friend in an attempt to gain information about Fogg and delay their travels, and eventually confesses his true identity and motivations to him. Passepartout refuses to believe that Fogg is the robber but agrees to ally himself with Fix since they both have the same goal of helping Fogg reach England as quickly as possible. As Fix gets to know Fogg better throughout the journey, he begins to feel conflicted about arresting him since he observes that his suspect is a generous, courageous, and honorable man. Even when the offer of reward money for catching the bank robber has expired, he is still motivated by a sense of duty to uphold the law and resolves to arrest Fogg regardless of if he is guilty or not. Fix is finally able to place him under arrest when they reach Liverpool, England on the last day of the wager, but is apologetic to Fogg when he learns that the real bank robber was apprehended three days before.

Detective Fix Quotes in Around the World in Eighty Days

The Around the World in Eighty Days quotes below are all either spoken by Detective Fix or refer to Detective Fix. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

“I see how it is,” said Fix. “You have kept London time, which is two hours behind that of Suez. You ought to regulate your watch at noon in each country.”

“I regulate my watch? Never!”

“Well then, it will agree with the sun.”

“So much the worse for the sun, monsieur. The sun will be wrong, then!”

Related Characters: Detective Fix (speaker), Jean Passepartout (speaker), Phileas Fogg

Related Symbols: Clocks

Page Number and Citation: 21-22

Explanation and Analysis:

“Mr. Fix,” he stammered, “even should what you say be true—if my master is really the robber you are searching for—which I deny—I have been, am, in his service; I have seen his generosity and goodness; and I will never betray him—not for all the gold in the world. I come from a village where they don’t eat that kind of bread!”

Related Characters: Jean Passepartout (speaker), Detective Fix, Phileas Fogg

Page Number and Citation: 64

Explanation and Analysis:

Detective Fix Character Timeline in Around the World in Eighty Days

The timeline below shows where the character Detective Fix appears in Around the World in Eighty Days. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...strange habits and sudden departure bring him under the suspicion of the Scotland Yard. Detective Fix receives word from the Commissioner of Police that Fogg is the man who robbed £55,000... (full context)

Detective Fix waits nervously with the British consul in Suez, Egypt for Fogg to arrive on the... (full context)

When the Mongolia arrives, Passepartout pushes through the crowd of passengers and asks Detective Fix where to find the British consul to have his master’s passport stamped. Realizing that the... (full context)

Detective Fix tries to persuade the British consul not to visa Fogg’s passport, since Fix needs time... (full context)

Detective Fix strikes up a conversation with Passepartout and helps him buy clothing since he and Fogg... (full context)

Chance, Adventure, and Human Connection Theme Icon

Passepartout, unaware that Fix is a detective, chats freely with him about Fogg and their journey. Passepartout tells him... (full context)

Fogg, Passepartout, and Detective Fix travel to Bombay on the Mongolia. Fogg has no desire to spend time on the... (full context)

Fogg, Passepartout, and Detective Fix arrive in Bombay, which is part of British India. While a significant portion of India’s... (full context)

...while Passepartout runs errands before the train to Calcutta leaves. At the Bombay police headquarters, Fix is disappointed to find out that the warrant for Fogg’s arrest has not yet arrived. (full context)

...at the station only five minutes before the train to Calcutta is scheduled to leave. Fix overhears Passepartout relaying his mishap to Fogg and, rather than following them to Calcutta, devises... (full context)

...While Fogg is level-headed about the wager, Passepartout obsessively stresses over the time. Like Detective Fix, Sir Francis suggests that Passepartout should change his watch from London time, but he refuses. (full context)

Detective Fix, who foresaw this outcome in Bombay, is watching from the back of the courtroom, and... (full context)

Detective Fix follows Fogg, Passepartout, and Aouda onto the Rangoon in hopes of arresting Fogg in Hong... (full context)

Fix decides that, if all else fails, his last resort will be to confess his true... (full context)

Detective Fix continues to converse with Passepartout throughout the ship journey, and Passepartout starts to grow suspicious... (full context)

...makes a brief stop in Singapore, a storm causes the ship to fall behind schedule. Fix notices the stress that this delay causes Passepartout, and Passepartout hints that he knows what... (full context)

...but Fogg acts as though he already foresaw the delay that the storm would cause. Fix is pleased by the storm because it will allow more time for the arrest warrant... (full context)

The storm eventually clears up, and Fogg, Passepartout, Aouda, and Fix arrive in Hong Kong. Fogg finds out that the steamer to Yokohama happened to be... (full context)

Still suspecting Detective Fix of being a spy from the Reform Club, Passepartout asks him whether he will join... (full context)

Passepartout rejects Fix’s suspicions and tells him that Fogg is “the most honorable of men.” Fix threatens to... (full context)

...next morning, Fogg is surprised when Passepartout does not appear to answer his bell. Detective Fix informs him that he and Aouda missed the Carnatic, the ship having left earlier than... (full context)

Detective Fix joins Fogg and Aouda on John Bunsby’s pilot-boat, the Tankadere, to Shanghai. At Fogg’s urging,... (full context)

...think of him for getting drunk and whether he should tell his master about Detective Fix’s revelation. Passepartout is even more distressed when he learns that Fogg and Aouda are not... (full context)

Aouda tells Passepartout how she, Fogg, Detective Fix, and John Bunsby caught the attention of the American steamer and boarded it for Yokohama.... (full context)

Passepartout decides not to reveal Detective Fix’s true identity and motivations to Fogg, instead blaming himself for getting drunk at the tavern... (full context)

Passepartout is glad to be rid of Detective Fix, and smugly notices that his watch (which he refused to adjust at Fix’s suggestion) now... (full context)

Fix, having finally procured the arrest warrant for Fogg at the English consulate in Yokohama, resolves... (full context)

...commercial emporium” that has arisen out of a once-wild Western city. They run into Detective Fix at the hotel, and Fogg accepts his request to accompany them on their impending journey... (full context)

As Fogg, Passepartout, Aouda, and Fix walk around San Francisco, they happen upon a rowdy political rally where two candidates for... (full context)

On the train ride from Oakland, California to Omaha, Fogg, Passepartout, Aouda, and Fix look out at the varied landscape of prairies, mountains, and creeks that make up the... (full context)

Passepartout and Detective Fix are both impatient and weary of delays as the train continues on. Aouda realizes that... (full context)

Fogg, Passepartout, Aouda, and Fix continue to play whist. Suddenly, Colonel Stamp Proctor appears and makes himself known to Fogg.... (full context)

...that he will risk everything to find Passepartout, “living or dead.” At Fogg’s request, Detective Fix stays behind to watch over Aouda while Fogg heads out with a band of soldiers... (full context)

As Aouda and Fix wait at the station, the engineer arrives in the engine that Passepartout detached from the... (full context)

...Fogg twenty hours behind schedule. An American man named Mudge had offered to take Detective Fix on his sledge the night before, and he had refused, but Fix now suggests that... (full context)

...way to get back to Europe. They both refuse to separate from him, which causes Fix to doubt his harsh judgment of Fogg as a criminal. Still, he resolves to fulfill... (full context)

Fogg, Passepartout, Aouda, and Fix endure the bitterly cold journey to Omaha. They arrive at the station just in time... (full context)

Fogg, Passepartout, Aouda, and Fix embark on the Henrietta an hour later, and by the next day Fogg has paid... (full context)

...Henrietta runs out of steam, they reach Queenstown, Ireland. Since this is British soil, Detective Fix is tempted to arrest Fogg right away, but he hesitates, perhaps having changed his mind... (full context)

...Aouda is distraught, and Passepartout again blames himself for Fogg’s misfortune since he knew Detective Fix’s true motive long before the arrest. They had arrived in Liverpool at 11:40 A.M. on... (full context)

At 2:30 P.M., Fix abruptly bursts into the Custom House and begs Fogg to forgive him—the real bank robber... (full context)

Detective Fix Character Analysis

Detective Fix Quotes in Around the World in Eighty Days

Chapter 8 Quotes

Chapter 19 Quotes

Detective Fix Character Timeline in Around the World in Eighty Days