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Part 2, Chapter 10
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 Nautilus now enters the Sargasso Sea, which is named after the Spanish word for kelp. Following this, it moves through the middle of the Atlantic at a steady pace; Arronax guesses that Nemo is heading back to the South Pacific. He wonders if Nemo will grant them permission to leave at the end of this journey, especially if they promise to never reveal the truth of his identity to anyone. Yet he worries about the consequences of bringing the issue up. A few days later, they pass an underwater mountain range. Arronax comments on the extraordinary nature of the scene before them, and says he wishes they could bring a “souvenir” of what they see.
It is debatable whether Arronax’s timidity in approaching Nemo is the result of excessive politeness, or whether there is a genuine risk in bringing up the subject of freedom in the wrong manner. Both are likely true to a certain extent—Arronax feels more sympathy toward Nemo than he arguably should, and at the same time, he might be right to be worried about how Nemo would react to this issue.
Themes
Somewhat surprised, Nemo points out that it is very easy to take a photograph of the scene before them, and proceeds to do just that. Speaking retrospectively, Arronax explains that he will go on to publish the resulting photograph in his log book. After taking the picture, Nemo comments that it is time for them to journey back up; minutes later, they are back at the ocean’s surface.
Judging by the museum in the submarine, Nemo does have a concept of why people want souvenirs—what he doesn’t share is Arronax’s desire to show these souvenirs to others.
Themes
