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
The men come to, expecting to find themselves in Iceland. Instead, they are in a volcanic crater surrounded by rich foliage, ocean, and mountains. The area is sunny and warm. Lidenbrock leads the men in search of food and water, and as they walk, he and Axel try to determine their location. They meet a child, who informs them they are in Stromboli, a volcanic island off the coast of Sicily and more than 3,000 miles from Iceland. Axel marvels at the natural beauty, which he has heard of in Roman myths.
Stromboli presents a contrast to the subterranean world that highlights the wonder of nature. Where the underground tunnels were silent, dark, and largely desolate, Stromboli is warm and full of life. Axel’s reference to Roman myths further highlights nature’s beauty. Rome is often considered a progenitor of Western civilization, and the notion that Roman mythology revered nature emphasizes how the natural world is more ancient and impressive than any civilization.
Themes
Lidenbrock puzzles over the compass, which indicated throughout the journey that the men were moving north. Axel says that they do not need to find an explanation, but Lidenbrock argues that an esteemed professor must discover the reason behind such a phenomenon. Hans accepts his payment, touches Axel and Lidenbrock’s hands, and smiles.
Axel has come to accept that not every mystery can or should be answered, but Lidenbrock’s scientific curiosity is never satisfied. Their intellectual debate is interrupted by Hans’s first display of emotion. He smiles at Axel and Lidenbrock and physically reaches out to them, indicating how tight their bond has become.
Themes
