What would it be like under the sea? The author of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, Jules Verne has written a marvelous science-fiction of traveling under the sea in hostage of Captain Nemo, who is full of mysteries. Verne has depicted a marvelous and vivid picture of life under the sea.

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea is written in the first-person narrative of Pierre Aronnax, a renowned scientist from France. The story begins with the setting in France in the year 1866 with great rumours about a glowing giant fish that has been attacking and sinking numerous ships.  An expeditionary battle-ship, Abraham Lincoln, is sent by the government of the United States to identify and possibly, stop this creature. M. Aronnax is invited to join the expedition, and thus boards the Abraham Lincoln with his faithful man-servant, Conseil. M. Aronnax and Conseil meet Ned Land, a famous Canadian harpooner. However, as Abraham Lincoln tries to attack the creature, she is attacked instead by the creature and as a result, M. Arronax, Conseil and Ned Land fall into the sea, and inside the fish. Actually, it is not a fish, but a massive submarine privately controlled under the mysterious ‘Captain Nemo.’

Captain Nemo doesn’t want his existence to be known to the people living on dry earth, so he would let the three have a free life as long as they return to their own rooms and not intervene when they are asked to. M. Arronax, professor of natural science, is naturally thrilled to be under the sea, and haves a great time on the Nautilus, and doesn’t mind much about not being able to return to the civilization. However, although the three men are treated very nicely, with nice clothes, great food and comfortable rooms, Ned Land the harpooner isn’t satisfied at all. All he thinks about is going back to the dry earth and enjoy his life in complete freedom.

During their stay in the Nautilus, the three companions have the most extraordinary and exciting adventures under the sea; hunting in underwater forests, visiting an island and being attacked by the savage inhabitants, fishing for giant pearls, and taking a walk to the lost city of Atlantis. However, living in the Nautilus isn’t all that fun, either. The companions are having trouble with Captain Nemo’s strange behaviours, and joined the funeral for one of the crews of the Nautilus, buried under the sea, undisturbed by sharks and men. Also, in their way to the South Pole, they are stuck in ice, and barely get out, almost dead with the lack of oxygen. Another time, the Nautilus is stuck by a giant squid and while fighting it, one of the crew is snatched by the squid and Captain Nemo weeps bitterly for his crew man.

The climax of the story is when Captain Nemo sinks a warship of which M. Arronax can’t define which country it belongs. Captain Nemo is blinded with vengeance and after sinking the ship, he sobs in front of his seemingly former family portrait of a woman and two children. This incident drives the three companions to leave the vessel at any cost.

One night, near the coast of Norway, the three companions, M. Arronax, Conseil and Ned finally take actions to escape the Nautilus. Unfortunately, they find themselves heading towards a whirlpool of which ships rarely survive from. In a split second, the three companions survive safely, and M. Arronax awakes in a fisherman’s hut. However, it is unknown whether Captain Nemo and the Nautilus survived from the giant whirlpool. At the end of the story, M. Arronax is waiting for his return to France, and is writing his memoirs of his 20,000-leagues journey under the sea.

The book 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea not only describes a journey under the sea, but also contains suspenseful atmosphere that increases as the readers read along. Gradually revealing Captain Nemo’s true intentions, his goals and his extraordinary philosophy of life, the tension of the plot is increased as the readers follow the story.

Atmosphere:

The author, Jules Verne, has a written the book in a generally dark, mysterious atmosphere. The suspense of Captain Nemo’s strange nature, his unknown past and intentions, the incomprehensible language of the crews, and at the end never revealing whether the Nautilus actually survived the whirlpool or not all contribute to the heavy mood of the storyline. 

Themes:

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne has many themes, including Man versus Nature, Man’s vengeance and the importance of Man’s liberty. Though, I personally read the book considering the theme of Man’s vengeance the most important. Therefore, whenever Captain Nemo’s other side of character was revealed, I marked the spot and jotted down some notes on it.