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 is curious what Lidenbrock means by “embark,” so he leaves the grotto and finds a subterranean sea. Lidenbrock proudly announces that he has named the sea after himself. The sea is lit by a strange “continuous aurora borealis” that fills the vast cavern. Clouds have condensed at the arch of the cavern, and Axel is sure that they will soon rain. The clouds’ similarity to the sky only makes Axel more conscious of the sky’s absence.
Throughout the journey, Axel has noticed how the underground tunnels lack any sort of life, and how that absence damages the men’s mental states. Now they have found a cavern that resembles the surface world they left behind, but the resemblance only worsens Axel’s homesickness. The apparent impossibility of an underground borealis and rainstorm further support Lidenbrock’s claim that humanity’s understanding of science cannot account for everything nature creates.
Themes
The cavern is eight or nine miles high, and Axel has no idea what geological process could have created it. He has no words to describe his impression of the cavern, and he longs for “new words” to describe it.
The cavern continues to surpass contemporary geological science. Axel cannot identify the processes behind its creation, and he lacks the words to describe it properly. His desire for “new words” reflects the advancement of science, which constantly continues to progress, relegating previous terms and theories obsolete.
Themes
Lidenbrock invites Axel to walk along the shore with him. Among the rivulets that run into the sea, Axel sees the Hansbach, and he sighs that he will miss the stream. Lidenbrock scoffs that they have no need of it, and Axel thinks his uncle is ungrateful. Axel is distracted, however, by a forest of mushrooms growing by the sea. Lidenbrock and Axel wander beneath the huge mushrooms, and when they emerge they encounter ancient plants of gigantic proportions. Lidenbrock is amazed to see flora from another epoch, and Axel describes the cavern as the original version of a scientist’s greenhouse.
Axel’s affection and gratitude for the Hansbach reflect his growing connection to nature, and his understanding of nature as a force to be respected. This opinion is strengthened as Axel and Lidenbrock discover giant mushrooms and ancient plants unlike any they have ever seen. Axel’s description of the cavern as the original greenhouse indicates that humans’ accomplishments are attempts to replicate the accomplishments of nature.
Themes
Lidenbrock points out bones of ancient animals on the ground. Axel eagerly examines the bones and the dust that surrounds them. He concludes that the animals must have lived by the sea when it was already underground, which confuses him. Lidenbrock responds that the earth’s crust must have at one time been elastic, allowing abysses to open suddenly and capture organisms inside. He adds that some of these creatures might still be alive. Lidenbrock and Axel look out over the sea, and Axel wonders what lies on the opposite shore. After an hour, they return to the grotto.
When Lidenbrock notices the bones, Axel takes the lead in examining them. His analysis of the evidence leads him to a conclusion he doesn’t understand, but he prioritizes the data in front of him over what he believes should be true, allowing Lidenbrock to form his conclusion.
Themes
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