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Part 1, Chapter 15
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
Arronax explains to Ned—who balks at the prospect of wearing the suits Nemo has laid out for them—that “the forests of the island of Crespo” are actually deep in the ocean. The outfits are made from rubber, and almost resemble suits of armor. After overcoming his initial hesitation, Ned joins Arronax and Conseil in putting on his suit. To Arronax’s embarrassment, he struggles to walk inside the outfit. Arronax admits that it is hard to describe the wonder and freedom that accompanied swimming through the ocean in Nemo’s special gear.
Again, there is a contrast between the clunky, rather comical-seeming outfits that Nemo gives the men to wear and the feeling of freedom that accompanies swimming in them. This reiterates the idea that human technologies—as clumsy and imperfect as they can be—can facilitate beautiful and harmonious interactions with nature.
Themes
Arronax wishes he could communicate with Conseil about the wonders before them, but because their submersion in the water prevents this, he talks to himself instead. Nemo leads the way, indicating where the men should go. After about an hour and a half away from the Nautilus, the men begin journeying down a slope, going ever deeper into the ocean. They keep walking until an “obscure mass” appears in the distance. Arronax realizes that this is the forest of Crespo.
Themes
