Journey to the Center of the Earth Character Analysis

Axel

Axel is the novel’s narrator. He is the nephew and assistant of renowned geologist Otto Lidenbrock, who raised Axel after he was orphaned as a child. Though Axel is also a geologist, he begins… read analysis of Axel

Professor Otto Lidenbrock

Professor Lidenbrock is an eccentric geologist and Axel’s uncle. He is entirely devoted to science, which he often prioritizes over the people around him. Lidenbrock owns a house in Hamburg and exerts complete control… read analysis of Professor Otto Lidenbrock

Hans Bjelke

Hans is an Icelandic eider-duck hunter whom Lidenbrock employs to guide himself and Axel on their journey. He is unflappably stoic, revealing little emotion for the entirety of his time with Lidenbrock and Axel… read analysis of Hans Bjelke

Arne Saknussemm

Arne Saknussemm is a 16th-century Icelandic alchemist. Though long dead by the start of the book, he initiates the plot with a runic message describing his journey to the center of the earth. When Professor… read analysis of Arne Saknussemm

Gräuben

Gräuben is Axel’s fiancée and Lidenbrock’s ward. She is 17 years old and shares Axel’s interest in minerology. They initially keep their relationship a secret from Lidenbrock, but when Axel accidentally reveals to… read analysis of Gräuben

Martha

Martha is Lidenbrock’s housekeeper. She is a dutiful servant, but she often worries about her employer’s eccentricities. At the beginning of the novel, she and Axel face Lidenbrock’s confusing behavior together, acting as the… read analysis of Martha

Minor Characters

Professor Fridrikson

Professor Fridrikson is an Icelandic professor of natural science who hosts Axel and Lidenbrock when they arrive in Iceland. He is polite and guileless, and he becomes Axel’s first friend in Iceland.