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Part 1, Chapter 21
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Scientific Discovery and Technological Innovation
Freedom vs. Constraint
Human Intelligence and its Limits
Exploration, Imperialism, and Conquest
Nature vs. Civilization
Summary
Analysis
The three men are all frozen with shock. Another stone flies at them, this time knocking the pigeon leg out of Conseil’s hand. Ned asks if “apes” are the culprit, and Arronax replies that it’s “savages,” which he claims is basically the same. They run to the boat; Ned refuses to leave their hunting winnings behind, but still manages to move with speed. They are chased by around 100 indigenous people, shouting and gesturing with anger. When they get back on board the Nautilus, they find Captain Nemo playing the piano organ in the drawing room. When Arronax tells Nemo what happened on the island, Nemo objects to Arronax’s framing of the indigenous people as “savages,” and also assures him that they wouldn’t have posed any serious threat.
Again, the book’s representation of indigenous people is rather ambiguous, particularly in passages like this where both a highly dehumanizing and a more fair perspective are juxtaposed together. While the book arguably indicates that Nemo’s sympathy with oppressed people and opposition to exploitation are admirable, overall Nemo functions as a somewhat ridiculous character with strange and eccentric views. This perhaps puts his views in a less serious light.
Themes
Literary Devices
Nemo appears to lose himself in piano-playing again, and Arronax leaves. The next morning, at six a.m., Arronax goes back to the platform on top of the Nautilus. As the light makes the island visible, he sees an enormous gathering of indigenous Papuans. Their ears are decorated with bones, and many are naked. Arronax notices that there are several women among them. The Papuans scrutinize the Nautilus, and keep repeating a word, assai, which Arronax realizes is an invitation to come onto the island. He declines. By 11 a.m. even more Papuans stand on the shore, although as far as Arronax can see they don’t have any boats with them.
The ambiguity of the Papuans’ invitation—as well as Arronax’s unequivocal response—is significant. It is unclear whether the Papuans’ are attempting a peace offering or trying to lure Arronax back in order to further harass him. Either way, the act of invitation indicates that they want his entrance to the island to be on their terms. Yet Arronax does not respect them, and thus dismisses the invitation without much thought.
Themes
Without anything else to do, Arronax sets to work collecting specimens from the water, assisted by Conseil. He comes upon a shell so special that makes him scream in wonder. Distracted, he doesn’t notice a Papuan man aiming a rock at the shell; the rock knocks the shell right out of Conseil’s hand, smashing it. Conseil immediately picks up his gun and points at the Papuan man, but Arronax stops him, saying, “No shell is worth the life of a man.” Arronax, concerned about what he perceives as the Papuans’ increasing boldness, goes to find Nemo. He announces that the Papuans have surrounded the Nautilus in their canoes. Nonchalantly, Nemo presses an “electric button” that closes the hatches of the vessel, before assuring Arronax that he needn’t worry anymore.
The phrase “electric button” might appear redundant to modern eyes, but in the 1860s it would have seemed futuristic and exciting. Some critics have marveled at the extent to which Verne was able to predict the arrival of technologies before they actually existed, but others argue that the prophetic element of his writing has been exaggerated, and that his depictions of technology are neither particularly prescient nor sophisticated.
Themes
Arronax is about to leave, when Nemo requests that he stay to chat. The men discuss the French explorer Dumont d’Urville, who—after a spectacular career adventuring at sea—died in a railroad accident. After this conversation, Arronax goes to tell Conseil that according to Nemo, they don’t have anything to fear from the Papuans. He suggests that they choose to trust the captain. Arronax sleeps restlessly, disturbed by the sound of the Papuans, which enters his dreams. In the morning he feels unsure of what to do with himself. He awaits the high tide that they are hoping will rescue the Nautilus, which is due to arrive in the afternoon.
Given what Nemo has already said about coral being the ideal tomb for a sailor, it seems that he believes the opposite is true of Dumont d’Urville. To Nemo, nothing could be worse than the life of a sailor ending on land, especially in an accident on the railroad, a symbol of modern human society.
Themes
Literary Devices
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Just in time, the vessel begins to rock, indicating that the tide is indeed moving it away. Nemo suggests that they open the hatches, even though the Papuans still surround the ship. When the hatches are opened, Arronax watches with horror as the Papuans clamor to enter the vessel. However, each one who does so leaps back in horror as soon as he reaches the staircase. Confused, Ned touches the staircase only to be thrown away. He screams that he has been hit by a “thunderbolt.” Arronax realizes that that the staircase is electrified. The Nautilus continues on its journey.
The gruesome end to the interaction between the main characters and the Papuans recalls all the terrible ways in which colonizers deploy technology in order to torture, incarcerate, and kill colonized people. This passage makes it clear that technology is not neutral—it can be utilized for scientific purposes, but it can also be harnessed to harm other people.
Themes
