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 horrified, but he tries to maintain his composure. He knows that Lidenbrock will only listen to “scientific arguments.” Lidenbrock allows Martha to go to market, and after the men eat the meal she prepares, they return to the study. Lidenbrock thanks Axel for helping him with the cipher and promises to include him in the forthcoming glory. Lidenbrock entreats his nephew to keep their findings a secret, lest Lidenbrock’s jealous enemies try to beat them on Saknussemm’s quest. Axel points out that Saknussemm offers no proof to his claims. Lidenbrock allows Axel to voice the rest of his objections, and the younger man adds that they don’t know what the terms in Saknussemm’s note mean. Lidenbrock counters this, using an atlas to prove that a “Jokul” is an Icelandic volcano, and Snäfell is a specific dormant volcano.
When Axel argues with Lidenbrock for the first time in the novel, he deliberately keeps the argument “scientific” and evidence-based to appeal to Lidenbrock’s respect for scientific method. He emphasizes that Saknussemm’s message lacks proof, highlighting the importance of evidence. He then argues that Lidenbrock cannot follow Saknussemm’s instructions because he doesn’t know what they mean, highlighting knowledge and foresight. Lidenbrock rebuts this second point with his own “scientific argument,” even citing his sources with the help of an atlas.
Themes
Axel accepts Lidenbrock’s points, but he challenges him to make sense of the message’s references to “Scartaris” and June. Lidenbrock reasons that as the “Kalends,” or end, of June approaches, the Scartaris peak of Snäfell casts a shadow over the crater that leads to the center of the earth. Axel tries to argue that science disproves the notion that Saknussemm could have successfully traveled to the center of the earth, but Lidenbrock dismisses the “tiresome theories” of science and presents him with calculations that disprove the prevailing theories of the planet’s composition. He argues that the earth’s core does not exist, and that they should follow Saknussemm’s path to test this hypothesis. Axel is overwhelmed by his uncle’s enthusiasm and agrees to join him.
Lidenbrock’s theory that the earth’s core does not exist drives his desire to repeat Saknussemm’s expedition. For Lidenbrock, the entire adventure is an experiment designed to test this hypothesis. He believes that the common belief in the earth’s core is not sufficiently backed by evidence, so he intends to find evidence that disproves it himself. Lidenbrock’s passion is infectious, and Axel gives up on their argument as he finds himself persuaded to join his uncle.
Themes
