20000 LEGUES UNDER THE SEA - REVIEW

Jules Verne was born the son of an French attorney in Nantes, France. As a boy, Verne
developed a great love for travel and exploration, which was reflected in his science fiction
writings. His interest in storytelling often cost him progress in other school subjects. It is
rumored that the child Verne was so enthralled with adventure that he stowed away on a vessel
going to the West Indies, but his voyage of discovery was cut short when he found his father
waiting for him at the next port of call.

The novel begins in 1866 when a mysterious sea monster is sighted by ships of several
countries. In New York City, an expedition to track down and kill the menace is formed
by the US government. Professor Pierre Aronnax, a renoun french marine biologist, is
invited to join the expedition at the last minute. Aronnax, his assistant Conseil and
harpoon master Ned Land set sail from Brooklyn aboard the naval ship Abraham
Lincoln and travel around Cape Horn and entering the Pacific Ocean.

The monster is discovered and the ship enters into battle. During the fight, the three
men are thrown overboard and find themselves stranded on the “hide” of the monster.
Much to their surprise, they find that the animal is a metal ship. The men are captured
and brought on board the strange vessel where they meet its creator and commander,
Captain Nemo. The vessel is an electrically powered submarine known as the Nautilus
which roams the oceans to carry out marine biology research and to serve as an
instrument of revenge for her captain. Nemo and Aronnax form a friendship as Aronnax
is enthralled by the undersea views, despite the fact that Nemo has forbidden the three
passengers to leave the vessel. Only Ned Land continues to plan their escape.

The title of 20,000 leagues under the sea does not refer to the depth that the electrical
submarine dives, but rather the distance that the vessel travels in the ocean during the
story. The passengers of the Nautilus see the coral reefs of the Red Sea, the
shipwrecks of the battle of Vigo Bay, the Antarctic ice shelves and the fictional sunken
nation of Atlantis. The crew does battle with sharks and other marine life and the ship
itself is attacked by a giant octopus.

In the end, Nemo’s vessel is attacked by a ship from Nemo’s home nation. The battle
pushes Nemo into an emotional depression and in his grief, he allows the Nautilus to
enter a whirlpool off the coast of Norway. During this distraction, Aronnax, Conseil and
Land manage to escape the submarine and return to land. However, the fate of Captain
Nemo and the Nautilus remains a mystery.

I can’t remember a time when I did not know of and love the stories of Jules Verne. So
many of his stories have been adapted into movies, his characters have been adopted
into other novels, and there was once a ride in Disneyland based on the book.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was the first of his novels that I read, prompted by seeing
the Disney movie by the same name starring Kirk Douglas (who sings!) produced in
1954. This movie is likely the most famous of numerous films based upon this
book. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is considered one of his “Voyages Extraordinaires”
novels which also include Around the World in 80 Days, Journey to the Center of the
Earth, Mysterious Island, and From the Earth to the Moon. Many of the inventions that
Verne wrote about are now real technology that we see everyday. Verne paid attention
to the state of the art scientific information of his time and embellished upon it with his
vivid imagination to create his fantastic worlds of the future. If you have not read Jules
Verne, I urge you to look into his novels. You’ll see long ago dreams that now have
become the shape of life as we know it.

I advise the readers to not stop… reading even tough the book is getting boring with the advent of
descriptive fragments.