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Chapter 34
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Journey to the Center of the Earth, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Science and Discovery
Maturity and Independence
Intuition vs. Evidence
Nature vs. Civilization
Adventure
Summary
Analysis
The next day the men sail away from the island, and Axel observes that a storm is brewing in the clouds overhead, which are charged with electricity. He advises Lidenbrock and Hans to lower the mast, but Lidenbrock refuses. Almost immediately after, a hurricane strikes. The men cling to the raft, and Axel calls to lower the mast, but the other men still refuse. Loud claps of thunder and blinding lightning strikes confuse Axel’s senses as he holds tightly to the boat.
Lidenbrock’s stubborn desire to move forward continues to jeopardize the expedition as he once again ignores the evidence of danger that Axel points out. Despite Lidenbrock’s continued dismissal of him, Axel is becoming more confident in voicing his opinions about how to proceed with their journey.
Themes
