Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

The man speaking to them is the ship’s commander. He tells them in French that although he speaks French, English, German, and Latin, he has cut ties with humanity. Professor Aronnax interjects that their meeting him was unintentional, but the man scoffs—the Abraham Lincoln’s pursuit was hardly unintentional. Professor Aronnax responds that the whole world has been talking about his ship, and that they were chasing what they thought was a dangerous monster.

The commander believes he has a right to treat them as enemies, insisting that he would have been well within his rights to let them drown. Professor Aronnax argues that only a savage, not a civilized man, would do this—to which the commander responds that he is not a civilized man. He no longer obeys society’s laws. However, he will allow them to remain on board as free men, as long as they submit to being in their cabins when he commands: They are his “prisoners of war” (41) as they have discovered the secret of his existence.

The man introduces himself as Captain Nemo and his vessel as the Nautilus. Captain Nemo then takes them to eat breakfast in an opulent dining room. They are served food that once again seems to be only from