Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea tells the story of marine biologist Pierre Aronnax, his manservant Conseil and harpoonist Ned Land, who – after joining the hunt for a mysterious sea monster – are thrown overboard when the monster attacks and find themselves prisoners of Captain Nemo, probably one of Verne’s most memorable yet elusive characters. On board the Nautilus, a technologically advanced submarine that everyone has mistaken for a sea monster, the three companions get to experience the vast and endlessly fascinating world under the sea. Twenty Thousand Leagues is an adventure tale, political commentary and scientific utopia all in one – and one of Verne’s most successful works. Its first edition sold out within a week. Despite terrible initial English translations and the sometimes academically dry writing style, its appeal has endured, still capturing readers young and old with the excitement of discovering a new world.
Summary
Free at Last
The Nautilus leaves the site of the battle and starts heading north toward the Arctic seas. Finally, there is land in sight, and the three companions again prepare for escape. Whereas earlier Dr. Aronnax was slightly reluctant to leave the Nautilus and the sights and beauty of the world under the sea, now he is ready to go; his esteem for the captain is completely gone. A day of waiting ensues. When the time finally comes, Dr. Aronnax encounters a problem: Captain Nemo has left his room and is playing the organ in the salon, which Dr. Aronnax must cross in order to get to the dinghy. He carefully tiptoes through the room and manages to get to the other side without the captain noticing him. The three men make it into the dinghy and close the door behind them. However, just as Ned, Conseil and Dr. Aronnax are loosening the bolts which fix them to the Nautilus, the submarine gets sucked into a maelstrom – dangerous waters just off the coast off Norway that form a powerful whirlpool from which no ship has ever escaped. They don’t know if the captain has maneuvered the ship into the maelstrom deliberately. The Nautilus and the still attached dinghy start to go around in an ever faster spiral. Suddenly, the bolts break apart and the little vessel is flung into the center of the whirlpool. Dr. Aronnax hits his head and is knocked unconscious. Miraculously, they all survive, and, when he awakes again, he is in the hut of a fisherman on the Loffoden Isles, together with his two companions. He has no memory of how they escaped the maelstrom. Dr. Aronnax finishes his tale with good wishes for Captain Nemo, hoping that he, too, managed to escape and may continue his life in the oceans and that he will eventually stop hating humankind.
