Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

“Three seconds after reading the letter of the honourable Secretary of marine, I felt that my true vocation, the sole end of my life, was to chase this disturbing monster, and purge it from the world.”

Professor Aronnax, the narrator of the story, receives a letter from the United States Government. Signed by the Secretary of Marine, it asks him to join an expedition on the Abraham Lincoln in pursuit of the mysterious object in the water—which everyone, including Professor Aronnax, has determined to be a monster. While Professor Aronnax had given no thought to such an endeavor before he receives the letter, he decides—a few seconds after reading it—that it is now his sole purpose in life. He feels it is his calling to pursue the monster and rid the world of such a menacing threat.

“The entire ship’s crew was undergoing a nervous excitement, of which I can give no idea: they could not eat, they could not sleep—twenty times a day, a misconception or an optical illusion of some sailor seated on the taffrail, would cause dreadful perspirations, and those emotions, twenty times repeated, kept us in a state of excitement so violent that a reaction was unavoidable.”

Once onboard the Abraham Lincoln, the whole crew is invested in finding the monster. Men of all ranks watch day and night, which keeps the mood tense. Although they often end up chasing a whale, everyone is constantly on edge with the prospect of finding the creature. Captain Farragut has also offers a prize of two thousand dollars to the first man who spots it, which adds to the constant energy and excitement.

“There was no doubt about it! This monster, this natural phenomenon that had puzzled the learned world, and overthrown and misled the imagination of seamen of both hemisphere, was, it must be owned, a still more astonishing phenomenon, inasmuch as it was simply a human construction.”

A collision between the monster and the Abraham Lincoln throws Professor Aronnax overboard and into the sea. Conseil follows and they struggle to save one another from drowning. Suddenly, as Professor Aronnax feels himself slipping into the sea, Ned Land pulls him and Conseil onto the monster. He quickly realizes that the monster is not a natural creature of the sea, but a man-made machine. He—along with the rest of the world—has been fooled into thinking it was some type of animal. He finds that this makes it even more impressive and interesting.

“A flash of anger and disdain kindle in the eyes of the Unknown, and I had a glimpse of a terrible past in the life of this man. Not only had he put himself beyond the pale of human laws, but he had made himself independent of them, free in the strictest acceptation of the word, quite beyond their reach!”

After Professor Aronnax, Ned Land, and Conseil board the ship, they are held in a cabin until Captain Nemo confronts them about chasing him around the ocean. Captain Nemo has deliberately removed himself from society and does not appreciate their intrusion. Professor Aronnax believes that Nemo has fled a tormented past, finding a new life in the water that frees him from the rules that govern society. His freedom is absolute and he does not have to answer to anyone but himself.

“These are the only ties that bind me to the earth. But I had done with the world on the day when my Nautilus plunged for the first time beneath the waters. That day I bought my last volumes, my last pamphlets, my last papers, and from that time I wish to think that men no longer think or write.”

Professor Aronnax, Ned, and Conseil become Captain Nemo’s prisoners on the ship, but they are allowed to roam about freely. Professor Aronnax is impressed by the 12,000 volumes that line the shelves of his extensive library. Captain Nemo explains that his books are his only ties to society. In his mind, nothing else has been produced since the day he plunged into the ocean in the Nautilus. The works are frozen in time—the only evidence of a past that no longer exists.

“There sir! That is the perfection of vessels! And if it is true that the engineer has more confidence in the vessel than the builder, and the builder than the captain himself, you understand the trust I repose in my Nautilus for I am at once captain, builder, and engineer.”

Captain Nemo takes Professor Aronnax around the ship and explains how it works. He emphasizes that the design of the ship is flawless and built to perfection. It is not subject to the problems facing other ships that sail on the surface. He then states that he is the one who designed and constructed the ship, and therefore places his complete trust in it.

“‘Ah!’ thought I to myself, ‘I understand the life of this man; he has made a world part for himself, in which he treasures all his greatest wonders.’”

Professor Aronnax, Ned, and Conseil are in the saloon when the lights suddenly go out. Two iron panels open and reveal crystal windows that look out into the ocean, which is illuminated by light from the ship. The three men stare out in awe for two hours at all the aquatic life that passes before the windows. In those moments, professor Aronnax appreciates Captain Nemo’s choice to live a life of isolation at sea. Captain Nemo resides in his own underwater world, where he can marvel at the treasures of the sea and have them all to himself.

“And now, how can I retrace the impression left upon me by that walk under the waters? Words are impotent to relate such wonders!”

Captain Nemo, Professor Aronnax, and Conseil hunt in a submarine forest, suited up in heavy gear that makes it possible for them to walk on the ocean floor. With the sunlight shining through the water, they see a vast array of aquatic life. Professor Aronnax hardly has the words to describe the experience. Once again, Captain Nemo has shown him something that has rendered him in complete awe.

“What a scene! We were dumb; our hearts beat fast before this shipwreck, taken as it were from life, and photographed in its last moments.”

After traveling two thousand miles over the course of several days, Conseil spots a shipwreck through the window. They see five corpses—four men and a woman holding a baby. The steersman is still holding the wheel. They can only look out in silence at the ship’s final moments. The tragic scene is a humbling moment and foreshadows several unfortunate events that will befall the Nautilus.

“Captain Nemo was before me, but I did not know him. His face was transfigured. His eyes flashed sullenly; his teeth were set; his stiff body, clenched fists, and head shrunk between his shoulders, betrayed the violent agitation that pervaded his whole frame.”

After the Nautilus is freed from the rocks in the Torres Straits, it heads toward the Indian Ocean. As the ship loses sight of land, Professor Aronnax heads to the ship’s platform. He finds Captain Nemo and his lieutenant having an agitated conversation and pointing to a spot on the horizon. When Professor Aronnax attempts to see what they are looking at through his telescope, Captain Nemo knocks it out of his hand. Professor Aronnax has only ever seen Captain Nemo be calm and barely recognizes him in his angered state. In that moment, Captain Nemo is transformed —becoming unfamiliar, and incapable of hiding his strong, violent emotions.

“‘Yes, forgotten by all else, but not by us. We dug the grave, and the polypi undertake to seal our dead for eternity.’ And burying his face quickly in his hands, he tried in vain to suppress a sob.”

The Nautilus crew, along with Professor Aronnax, Ned, and Conseil, attend a funeral for a slain member of the ship. Professor Aronnax does not know the details surrounding his death from a head injury. After the subterranean funeral, Captain Nemo is solemn and unable to contain his sadness, revealing another instance where control over his emotions slips. Professor Aronnax is increasingly seeing more sides to Captain Nemo.

“This munificent charity from the man of the waters to the poor Cingalese was accepted with a trembling hand. His wondering eyes showed that he knew not what superhuman beings he owed both fortune and life.”

Captain Nemo attacks a shark when it tries to kill a lone fisherman. He stabs at the shark, unable to kill it until Ned Land strikes it with his harpoon. Captain Nemo then grabs the fisherman and brings him back to his boat. After Captain Nemo and Conseil revive him, Captain Nemo hands him a bag of pearls. The man accepts them with a shaking hand, unsure of what to make of the strange crew surrounding him in copper helmets. Captain Nemo has not only saved him, but bestowed a fortune of pearls upon him. It shows Professor Aronnax that Captain Nemo is not only brave and daring, but also capable of great acts of kindness.

“Thus the communication between the two was proved. I then sought for it with my Nautilus, I discovered it, ventured into it, and before long, sir, you too will have passed through my Arabian tunnel!”

Captain Nemo has discovered a new route between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean—rather than taking the fastest and most direct route, the Suez Canal, they will travel via a subterranean route under the isthmus that Nemo has named the Arabian Tunnel. Nemo theorized that it existed, and proved it by putting gold rings on the tails of fish in the Red Sea. Six months later, those same fish appeared in the Mediterranean—another example of Captain Nemo’s ingenuity.

“It was plain to me that this Mediterranean, enclosed in the midst of those countries which he wished to avoid, was distasteful to Captain Nemo. Those waves and those breezes brought back too many remembrances, if not too many regrets. Here he had no longer that independence and that liberty of gait which he had when in the open seas, and his Nautilus felt itself cramped between the close shores of Africa and Europe.”

When they reach the Mediterranean Sea, Professor Aronnax observes that Captain Nemo avoids making an appearance and determines that the area most likely brings back bad memories and regrets. Captain Nemo’s more relaxed, independent nature is temporarily absent, and the vibe on the ship changes as a result. It feels more claustrophobic, especially since the ship mainly stays under the surface of the water.

“But I had guessed that whatever the motive which had forced him to seek independence under the sea, it had left him still a man, that his heart still beat for the sufferings of humanity, and that his immense charity was for oppressed races as well as individuals.”

When discussing the vast submarine treasure Captain Nemo is collecting in Vigo Bay, Professor Aronnax says he regrets that unfortunate people will be deprived of its riches. Captain Nemo immediately defends gathering the treasure, explaining that he has sympathy for oppressed people and is not ignorant of human suffering. Professor Aronnax realizes that although Captain Nemo has taken a life of isolation at sea, he still thinks about the plight of other people and provides generously for those who need it.

“I followed him with unshaken confidence. He seemed to me like a genie of the sea; and, as he walked before me, I could not help admiring his stature, which was outlined in black on the luminous horizon.”

Captain Nemo takes Professor Aronnax on a late-night excursion to the lost ruins of Atlantis. Even though they must walk in the dark water with only a light in the distance to guide them, Professor Aronnax follows Captain Nemo without hesitation. As he follows Captain Nemo, he feels admiration for the man who fearlessly guides him—comparing him to a magical genie. He knows that Captain Nemo has never wavered in his confidence navigating the often-dangerous aquatic realms around them.

“For a man unaccustomed to walk on land, the Captain climbed the steep slopes with an agility I never saw equaled, and which a hunter would have envied.”

Professor Aronnax follows Captain Nemo up to the summit of a peak in order to determine if they are in the South Pole. Professor Aronnax is amazed that a man who rarely walks on land is so agile, possessing a quickness of step that is unrivaled. He is able to climb with an ease that would make many hunters jealous.

“The situation was terrible. But every one had looked danger in the face, and each was determined to do his duty to the last.”

In the South Pole, the Nautilus is trapped, surrounded by ice sheets on all sides. The air supply is limited. Every man on the ship becomes a part of the effort to free it from its ice prison. They know their lives are at stake, and they are willing to do whatever it takes to survive. Even Ned Land commits himself to doing everything possible to get them out of the ice.

“But Captain Nemo was before me; his axe disappeared between the two enormous jaws, and miraculously saved the Canadian, rising, plunged his harpoon deep into the triple heart of the poulp.”

Near the Bahamas, the ship is attacked by roughly a dozen giant squids with huge tentacles and mouths like beaks. The men rush out to fight them, including Professor Aronnax, Ned, Conseil, and Captain Nemo. When one throws Ned to the ground and nearly eats him, Captain Nemo comes to his rescue by striking at the creature’s jaws with his ax. Although Ned has been eager to leave the ship, he joins the fight when the creatures attack. He is then rescued by the man he has long wanted to get away from. He recognizes Captain Nemo’s heroic act by silently bowing to him.

“The Canadian was evidently losing all patience. His vigorous nature could not stand this prolonged imprisonment. His face altered daily; his temper became more surly. I knew what he must suffer, for I was seized with nostalgia myself. Nearly seven months had passed without our having had any news from land; Captain Nemo’s isolation, his altered spirits, especially since the fight with the poulps, his taciturnity, all made me view things in a different light.”

Ned, a man who needs his freedom, has long been tired of the Nautilus, and Professor Aronnax increasingly understands and sympathizes with his position. Captain Nemo’s dark side has changed Aronnax’s view of a man he at first admired and respected. Professor Aronnax knows his loyalties ultimately lie with Ned and Conseil, and Ned’s growing impatience brings a greater sense of urgency to their plans to escape.

“I turned to Captain Nemo. That terrible avenger, a perfect archangel of hatred, was still looking.”

Captain Nemo attacks the vessel that’s been firing on them, claiming it’s the reason he’s lost everything, including his family. He runs the spur of the Nautilus into the other ship. When Professor Aronnax finds Captain Nemo in the saloon, he’s watching the ship sink, its men struggling in the water. Although Aronnax once admired Captain Nemo, he now sees him as a man embodying only hatred and vengeance. He finds it shocking that Captain Nemo simply looks on as other men die. It is a side of him that Professor Aronnax has been increasingly exposed to, and now knows is one of his defining qualities.

“At that moment, I heard the distant strains of the organ, a sad harmony to an undefinable chant, the wail of a soul longing to break these earthly bonds. I listened with every sense, scarcely breathing, plunged, like Captain Nemo, in that musical ecstasy which was drawing him in spirit to the end of life.”

As Professor Aronnax is sneaking out to escape the Nautilus, he hears Captain Nemo playing the organ in the saloon. The melancholy sounds are a reflection of Captain Nemo’s darkened state. Professor Aronnax is entranced, listening intently. The music emanating from Captain Nemo seems to beckon him to his final moments, which are inevitable as the ship heads into a deadly whirlpool. The moment reveals the tragic turn Captain Nemo’s journey has taken. Although he once held the admiration of Professor Aronnax, he is now defined entirely by his rage and despair.

“We were in dread. Our horror was at its height, circulation had stopped, all nervous influence was annihilated, and we were covered with cold sweat, like a sweat of agony! And what noise around our frail bark! What roarings repeated by the echo miles away!”

In their attempt to escape, Professor Aronnax, Ned, and Conseil head toward the giant maelstrom, along with the Nautilus, to which they are still attached. They are seized with fear, their cries drowned out by the sounds of roaring waves crashing into the sharp rocks below. It is the moment that will decide their fate: whether they will break free from the Nautilus or find themselves tethered to it forever as it goes down into the massive whirlpool.