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
The man speaking to them is the submarine’s commander, the tall man from earlier. He explains that he speaks French, English, German and Latin, but wanted to “reflect” before he spoke with the captives. Arronax is shocked by the total absence of any foreign accent in the commander’s speech. The commander laments that the Abraham Lincoln attacked his vessel, calling the actions of the ship “evil.” Arronax responds by explaining that people across the globe believe this vessel to be “some powerful sea monster of which it was necessary to rid the ocean at any cost.” The commander asserts that he has the right to treat the three men as prisoners of war, or abandon them to the water.
It is difficult to tell whether the commander is a hero or villain. Indeed, as the novel ends up showing overall, he is not quite either. His capture of Arronax, Conseil, and Ned may seem like a brutal act of aggression, but—as he points out—it is actually justifiable if they are considered prisoners of war. Perhaps he is simply acting in self-defense.
Themes
Literary Devices
When Arronax comments that such actions would be “savage,” the commander angrily replies that he has legitimate reasons for removing himself from society and its “stupid laws.” Stunned, Arronax thinks about how the commander has to answer to no one except himself and God. Arronax feels frightened and fascinated at the same time. The commander says that he will allow the men to stay aboard the vessel, and that they can be free as long as they agree to one thing: there will be times when he tells them to stay in their cabins, and they must obey. Arronax agrees, but points out that they aren’t really “free” if they’re confined to the vessel. However, the commander replies that Arronax must simply accept this.
Rules are obviously important to the commander, yet he appears to have a contradictory relationship to them. On one hand, he has exiled himself from society in order to escape what he calls its “stupid laws.” Yet almost in the same breath, he immediately imposes a rule on his captives. It seems as if the commander considers other people’s rules “stupid,” but not his own.
Themes
Literary Devices
The commander says that Arronax, Conseil, and Ned must give up their connections to the outside world. He reminds them that this is an act of mercy, as they are prisoners of war. He explains that Arronax’s book about the sea is one of his favorites, but adds that there are mysteries in the sea that Arronax doesn’t know about. He promises that Arronax is going to witness a “fairyland of marvels.” Finally, he introduces himself as Captain Nemo. Arronax follows Nemo into a dining room, which is brilliantly lit. A lavish breakfast is laid out on the table.
Captain Nemo has asserted himself as a kind of total authority by capturing the three men and forcing them to abide by his rules, yet at the same time, he appears to want the men to want to be aboard the ship. Again, this makes it difficult to tell whether he is a hero or a villain.
Themes
Literary Devices
Arronax doesn’t recognize many of the dishes, though he senses that they come from the sea. Nemo assures him they are “wholesome and nourishing.” He explains that the vessel’s chef is an expert at making food from the ocean appear to be dairy or meat. While they eat, Nemo explains that he loves the sea because there, one is immersed in the beauty and harmony of creation. There is peace and freedom to be found there that does not exist on land. He notes that the vessel they are on is named the Nautilus.
Nemo’s sincere love of the ocean makes him a sympathetic character, even if he is also an eccentric (and somewhat sinister) one. His attitude that life in the ocean is better than on land does not seem totally unfounded, yet it almost appears as if he has created an artificial environment in order to justify this existing belief.
Themes
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