Fogg And Passepartout example essay topic

Type of Literary Work This sensational novel is an adventure novel consisting of an enterprising Englishman touring the globe. Woven within are historical facts, such as the British Empire and colonies around the globe, as well as historically accurate locations. Theme The theme of this breathtaking novel is one of daring and persistence. On the whim of a wager, Fogg is sent around the world in the impossible time span of eighty days. Throughout the work, Fogg's limitless persistence, entwined with his stereotypical English composure, astound the reader. Fogg represents this boundless daring in the audacious wager he makes.

He has promised his arrival back in London in eighty days, regardless of the wilderness, delay, or other problems that may arise on his journey. The reader is, perhaps, driven to the conclusion that Fogg is a madman, who takes lightly to large sums of money. This is not so, as Fogg (although the wager seems unfeasible) is a reserved man, calm and collected at all times atop the punctuality Verne expresses within him in just the first chapters. Verne expresses the stereotypical Englishmen, the seeker of adventure, popular in his time. Almost jokingly does Verne come to this conclusion, he being a Frenchman, in which all Englishmen will go to the corners of the Earth to find an area to "Europeanize", find a wild beast to market from, or a project to throw their pounds at. Fogg's endless persistence, is further shown in his composure while great delays push him back, tragedies occur around him, and loved ones are lost repeatedly.

His endless hope was a flood during a great drought within the circumstances he was found in. Train delays were compensated through elephant purchases, steamer delays through chartering yachts, stubborn foreigners subdued through a handful of bank notes - even the weather seemed to fall before Fogg. His devotion to his ultimate goal, not that of the money but of the accomplishment, was infinitely expressed throughout the work. Setting The setting for this novel was a constantly shifting one.

Taking place during what seems to be the Late Industrial Revolution and the high of the British Empire, the era is portrayed amongst influential Englishmen, the value of the pound, the presence of steamers, railroads, ferries, and a European globe. The novel begins in London, but quickly changes eastward, from Paris, to Suez, Bombay, Calcutta, Singapore, Yokohama, San Francisco, Omaha, New York, Queenstown, Liverpool, and back to London - a complete circumnavigation around the glove condensed into two hundred-odd pages. Within these locales, the area is constantly in transportation areas, that is to say, railroad stations, quays, and carriages. Basic Plot Around the World in Eighty Days begins in the Reform Club in London, where whist players of different disciplines have challenged the news of a circumnavigation conquered in eighty days.

Phileas Fogg, a daring individual, wagers with his comrades he can accomplish the trip in that specified time regardless of delay, bad weather, or other incidents and accidents. His fellow players, astounded at Fogg's brazen gamble, offer twenty thousand pounds to the winner, Fogg, or those at the Club. And thus, the incredible journey begins. Fogg returns to his home on Saville Row, where he asks his newly appointed servant to pack his essentials and prepare to voyage to France. Fogg, the punctual Englishman, tallies his gains and losses within a journal as the trip continues. The two voyagers arrive in Paris, and just as swiftly depart to Marseilles.

There, hastily again, they steam to Suez. While in Suez, a certain Mr. Fix, an English detective, is on the wait for a warrant for the arrest of a bank robber. The supposed criminal is described exactly as Fogg's persona, and Fix is determined to arrest this eccentric man before he leaves English lands. Just as the detective feels ready for an arrest, the servant and Fogg depart on the Mongolia on way to Bombay.

The detective follows with determination, after leaving word to forward the warrant to Bombay. The three travel to Bombay, where they spend a trivial amount of time. While here, Passepartout is sent on errands to purchase more essentials. In his curiosity, he ventures within an Indian temples, with his shoes on. Entering within such a temple as Passepartout did is regarded as a crime by the English government, who respects the beliefs of the natives. The priests run him out, and Passepartout is lucky to escape on a train with his master on way to Calcutta.

The headlines which were produced on English newspapers months ago were proven false. This is to say, the Bombay-Calcutta railroad was not truthfully finished. Mr. Fogg's voyage was cut abruptly at the end of the railroad track. The passengers would have to travel the missing piece of the railroad by foot, a great delay to Phileas Fogg. Fogg showed no emotion at this, and instead, searched about and purchased an elephant and hired a guide.

The adventure that would follow would imprint on Fogg a tinge of emotion in two month's time. On way to Calcutta, through the jungles and on an elephant, the party encounters a fanatical bunch of native Indians carrying an abducted princess, so the Parsee guide tells them. Fogg wastes no time in telling his companions they must not delay and rescue the girl, regardless how much time he might lose and the wager with it. The party awaits the morning, when Passepartout rescues the girl from the platform where the fanatics were going to burn her.

They race away from the firing muskets and swinging sabres towards Calcutta, where yet another incident awaits them. At Calcutta, two English policemen have Fogg follow them to a makeshift courtroom. There, Fogg and Passepartout are accused of neglecting native Indian rules of the temple and are sentences to a week in jail. Fogg pays bail and they leave, almost missing the Rangoon, the steamer that is to take them to Hong Kong. Amid stormy seas, and gale winds, the steamer arrives at Singapore and continued towards Hong Kong, where Fix plans to make an arrest of Fogg.

When the steamer arrives at Hong Kong, and the warrant has not arrived, Fix decides to act boldly. He invites Passepartout to a drink within a Hong Kong bar. After drinking heavily, and inhaling opium fumes, Passepartout passes out, delaying Mr. Fogg. Unable to miss the steamer bound for Yokohama, Fogg continues without Passepartout, unaware the steamer changed schedules and left hours prior to his arrival. He hires the Tank adere, to take him to Shanghai to catch the steamer he missed, while Passepartout is lost in China. Fogg makes it to Japan after catching the steamer in Shanghai and finds Passepartout in a circus, after he desperately tries to find a job to pay for a meal.

They continue to America on the Carnatic, much to the dismay of Fix. The detective now promises to help Fogg to return to England as quickly as possible, in order to arrest him. The trip to San Francisco goes serenely. At San Francisco, the party continues via the newly opened transcontinental railroad towards New York. On the eleven day trip, the party experiences delays of snow, blocked tracks, and even a ruined bridge.

It is the delay at Fort Saunders that is the greatest delay to Fogg. Attacked by Indians while in the train, the party and the passengers are forced to defend themselves against the savages. Passepartout, the brave former acrobat, goes under the train and to the locomotive, where he disconnects the engine from the rest of the train. Thus slowing the train, the travelers fend off the Indians, taking no fatalities, but several seriously wounded. When the dust clears, three travelers are missing, among them Passepartout. After Passepartout's disappearance is discovered, Fogg pleads with the brigade stationed at the Fort to assist him in recovering the prisoners from the Sioux.

After negotiating, the brigade chief allows half his men to go with Fogg. Two days elapse, and after a fierce battle with the Indians, Fogg returns with Passepartout. However, the train has left since then, and the party is stranded a quarter of the way still from New York. A fellow passenger who stayed at the Fort, suggests to Fogg he can take them from their location to Chicago, where an express train could be taken to New York. Fogg agrees, and the party is taken on a sled ride at forty miles per hour to Chicago. At Chicago, Fogg hires an express train made of seven locomotives to go to New York as quickly as possible.

On arriving at New York, the party discovers the China has left forty five minutes prior. Out of desperation, Fogg hires a merchant ship, the Henrietta, to take him to Bordeaux, instead of Liverpool. The rugged and rude captain, Captain Speedy, is, instead, taken prisoner by his crew and Fogg, who makes himself captain. Steaming as quickly as possible now to Liverpool, another problem arises - the ship will run out of coal two days before reaching Liverpool.

Fogg thinks this matter through, and purchases the ship from Captain Speedy for sixty thousand dollars. Fogg changes his destination from Liverpool to Queenstown, where he can catch an express mail train direct to London. Still low on coal, Fogg suggests the wooden half of the ship be chopped and burned. The ship was destroyed and left as an iron skeleton, and enters Queenstown within the day.

There, yet another problem arises. On landing again on English soil, Fogg is arrested by Fix, who had been following them since Suez. Fogg is detained at a prison, and transported to London, but is delayed two days. On the second day, Fix tells Fogg he mistakenly arrested him, and the true criminal was arrested three days prior.

At this news, Fogg knocks out Fix, and heads to his home, too late to win his wager. There, he expresses his true feelings for Aoudad, the Indian princess, and plan to marry her. He sends Passepartout to fetch a Reverend to marry them and prepares to live in ruin. When Passepartout reaches the Reverend's home, he finds no one, realizing the day must be Saturday, not Sunday! He runs to Fogg and informs him of his mistake, and both return to the Reform Club. There, Fogg surprises his fellow whist players by being on time, and thus, winning the bet agreed upon three months before.

Major Characters Phileas Fogg - A rich Englishman, he is the main character of the novel. Determined in all his mind to conquer the trip around the world in eighty days, his effort is commendable. Portrayed as a punctual and gentle man with a greatly controlled composure, he helps those around him on the trip regardless of the delays to winning the wager. Saving a persecuted princess in India, his servant several times, and bringing the detective who would eventually arrest him home, the man was truthfully a good soul with a blank face.

Regardless how many delays encountered the man, or incidents and obstacles that stood in his path, he would not lose sight of his goal and the possibility of his touring the globe in such a time. Honestly, a very lucky man, who was very sure of his abilities. Jean Passepartout - The devote servant, he followed Fogg in his tour around the globe. Initially searching for a master who would keep in one locale, and living in peace for his time of service there, he changes into thinking this trip exceptionally bold and exciting. Jean Passepartout was the first to realize Fix's true intentions around Fogg, and from that point on, behaves much like a bodyguard to Fogg, ignorant of Fix's ignoble plan. Passepartout plays an important role of relief within the novel, essentially, the outspoken Phileas Fogg, the Englishman who spoke so rarely.

Characters likes most or least Of the characters within this selection, I enjoyed Fogg the most. His personality was incredibly interesting. The stereotypical design Verne implements into him is curiously entertaining. His punctuality, his blunt beliefs in his goal, and his general demeanor are very eccentric and appealing.

The determination Fogg places in the conquering of this challenge is inscrutable, while his reasons for doing so are paradoxically frank. Personal Evaluation I greatly enjoyed reading this book. The adventure and suspense both intertwined with the historical background of the Industrial Revolution years is very enjoyable and highly entertaining. Verne's style is unique and exciting, especially in this work. I would highly recommend this book to someone else, and would pick it up another time in haste.

I would also hesitate in changing the contents.