Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Scientific Discovery and Technological Innovation
Freedom vs. Constraint
Human Intelligence and its Limits
Exploration, Imperialism, and Conquest
Nature vs. Civilization
Summary
Analysis
A fantastic, mysterious event happened in the year 1866, which is still generally considered to be “inexplicable.” Rumors spread about the event, particularly among sailors, captain, merchants, imperial officers, and others whose live and work at sea. For some time, ships at sea observed an enormously long, thin, “phosphorescent” object that moved at an incredibly fast speed.
On July 20, 1866, five miles off the Australian coast, a British imperial ship named the Governor Higginson encountered a “moving mass.” A similar encounter took place three days later in the Pacific Ocean, which indicated that whatever animal the Governor Higginson encountered could move at an incredible speed. Two weeks later and 2,000 leagues away from the second event, two steamers in the Atlantic also encountered the mysterious mass. Once news spread of these occurrences, the public began to joke about the phenomenon, but others approached the matter with grave seriousness. The sea “monster” was depicted in newspapers, songs, and theatrical performances. Scientists also weighed in, and arguments erupted over different interpretations of what the monster was.
This passage explores the diverse ways in which people choose to interpret the world—and particularly inexplicable objects like the unidentified mass. Although many might assume that scientific explanations are the most useful in such a situation, the mention of pop culture and media reminds the reader that these more creative, less rational outlets of interpretation are no less important to the general population.
Themes
Eventually, the chief writer of a celebrated satirical magazine gave a “death blow” to the monster through making fun of it. As a result, by the beginning of 1867 thoughts of the monster had left people’s minds. However, in March the monster was thrust back into the spotlight in an entirely new form: this time, it took the shape of an entire island. On March 5, a Quebecois passenger ship unexpectedly struck a rock at five a.m., breaking the ship’s keel. Three weeks later, the exact same thing happened to another ship, the Scotia. Soon after the collision, the Scotia’s captain found a leak in the ship’s fifth compartment, which was soon traced to a hole in the ship’s bottom.
This passage indicates that the monster achieved a kind of reality in people’s minds. The vast majority of people who heard about the creature didn’t directly witness it, and thus their only access to it was via rumor, discussion, and imagination. This meant that the monster could be “killed” simply by people no longer taking it seriously.
Themes
The Scotia continued on its course, but once it had safely arrived at its destination a shocking discovery was made: the whole in the ship’s bottom was a perfect triangle shape, as if it had been drilled by a mechanical tool. Following this discovery, the public imagination went wild. All shipwrecks in history were suddenly blamed on the mysterious “monster” that bore the hole inside the Scotia, and people demanded that the creature be destroyed immediately.
Here the monster comes to serve a useful role: it becomes the missing piece of the puzzle for unresolved mysteries such as shipwrecks. This further emphasizes the idea that the monster has a more significant presence in people’s minds than it does in reality.
Themes
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