20, 000 Leagues under the Sea by the French author Jules Vernes is a classical novel with a fantastical twist. It tells the story of Pierre Arronax, a forty-year old French naturalist, the protagonist, who is kidnapped by a creature that turned out to be a secret submarine. Throughout the story, we learn about the appreciation he gained for the Nautilus and the interesting conversations he has had with the captain, the man responsible for the capture of him and his companions, his male-servant Conseil and the Canadian Harpooner whom he met aboard the Abraham Linlcoln, the ship that he was on before falling abroad and getting captures. It also goes over the multiple escape attempts that the men tried to engage in. The three most prominent themes in the story is western colonialism, exploration, and freedom.
Western colonialism may be, arguably, the most important theme in the story, as it can be inferred to be the reason for Nemo’s hatred for humanity. From the beginning, we learn that Nemo despises mankind, and expresses his contempt in his conversations with Arronax. From their first conversation, when Arronax confronts the captain about his decision to hold the three men captive, calling that the action of a savage, Nemo angrily rebukes that he is no civil man. This shows his hatred for society and people in general. Later on, we learn about his sympathy for the natives that seems to back the fact that he too was stricken by western colonialism and imperialism. When the natives were called as “savages”, he was quick to object, showing that he did feel it for them. Also, he mentions “the oppressed”, which is clearly the people who were hurt or pushed over by colonization, as per the time period. 1800s, the primetime of imperialism. It is never clearly stated what happened to his wife and children, but their death may also be related to colonialism, as he was trying to avenge them, and all the oppressed people.
Exploration is also a key theme in the story, as Arronax talks a lot about the geography of the regions they traveled through and the natural phenomena. Even though he is initially put off by the fact that he had been taken by force and kept in captivity, he begins to like all the adventures he could go through aboard the Nautilus. The multiple excursions to the ocean floor warmed him up to Captain Nemo, and they ended up having many interesting and valuable discussions about nature and science. Their shared love for exploration, nature and the sea brought them together, and is what ultimately moved the story forward. From the priceless pearls to fighting a monster, Arronax was exposed to the best face of nature and the ocean aboard the Nautilus, with Captain Nemo. He got to see what he could’ve never dreamed of, had he not fallen overboard and into the grasps of the submarine.
Freedom is something that could be looked at in two ways in the story, as although the captives had the opportunity to be free aboard the submarine and go on excursions, they were never given a choice of their destinies. As Arronax stated at the very beginning, keeping a man captured was the action of a savage, not a man from civil society. But as the story goes on, Nemo goes as far as to consult Arronax on what happens, placing an image of choice in front of him. But the truth could not be more evident, they were to stay aboard the ship for as long as they were alive, and their freedom to choose their fate or destiny was ripped away from them. But the captain gave them an illusion of freedom, by giving them the opportunity to make the smallest of choices, so that they had a false sense of liberty. This was their only choice, other than death. On the contrary, Nemo finds more freedom aboard the submarine than anywhere else. There, he is not constrained by moral code or ethics, and free to rule and live the way he wants, away from the humanity that he despises so much. This is perhaps the only true freedom in the story.
In conclusion, 20, 000 Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne is a story of adventure that dives deeper into one man’s revulsion for “civil” mankind and the hate he holds for it. It is a story packed with mystery and surprises, and shows us the repercussions of western imperialism through exploration and freedom. Although the surface may seem light compared to other novels, the darkness is buried underneath, with Nemo. This is a very valuable read for mature teenagers, as it offers a lot of room for critical thinking and discussion. Even if the clear and concrete truth to Nemo’s hatred for humans and society is never clearly revealed, it is a topic that offers a lot of room for conversation. This is a read that is very valuable, as it would make us appreciate being able to be free and to live in a society without hating everything.
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