Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Journey to the Center of the Earth, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Science and Discovery
Maturity and Independence
Intuition vs. Evidence
Nature vs. Civilization
Adventure
Summary
Analysis
Axel acknowledges that the journey has gone well so far, and if it continues as it has, the men will reach glory one day. He wonders if his reasoning is becoming like Lidenbrock’s because of his strange surroundings. Axel believes that “external objects have an actual influence on the brain,” citing the way the depths’ absolute silence seems to have caused Hans, Lidenbrock, and Axel to fall silent as well.
Axel acknowledges the psychological effects of the journey as he reflects that the “external objects” around him are exerting “an actual influence” on his mind. The absolute silence of the underground tunnels, which are so far removed from any sign of life, leaves the men disinclined to break that silence by talking to each other.
Themes
On August 7th, the men are 30 leagues under the earth and 200 leagues from Iceland. Axel is ahead of the others, and he pauses to examine the beds of granite. When he looks up, he is alone. He waits for Lidenbrock and Hans, but after 15 minutes they do not appear, so he retraces his steps to look for them. He walks for half an hour, unable to comprehend that he might be alone. He tries to convince himself that he will come upon Lidenbrock and Hans any moment, and he decides to follow the Hansbach back to find them. He looks down for the stream and finds that the ground beneath him is dry.
Axel is distracted by the beds of granite, highlighting his interest in geology. This distraction separates him from Lidenbrock and Hans, forcing him to fend for himself. Everything seems lost when Axel can’t relocate the Hansbach, suggesting he might now have to face his worst fear: dying underground, in the course of an expedition he never wanted to take to begin with.
Themes
