Captain Nemo is a sea researcher, inventor, and owner of the “Nautilus” submarine. This character is the embodiment of a true hero, courageous, decisive, and fair.
Aronnax, a French naturalist, is a participant of the marine expedition organized for the capture or destruction of an unknown creature of gigantic proportions that was seen in different latitudes of the World Ocean. Being a narrator, Aronnax observes that Captain constantly declares hatred for all humanity considering it the personification of violence and injustice: “I have broken with society for reasons which I alone have the right to appreciate,” argues Captain (Verne 42). At the same time, he tries to get in touch with people. Usually, Captain is restrained and severe, but there are moments of mental emancipation (Drabble par. 2). Only in the last chapter, the author reveals the crisis of the mystery of Captain Nemo, who turns out to be the defender of the island, where the unfolding events occur.
At the end of the story, compassion and desire to help melt the ice in the heart of Captain’s misanthropy, and he tells the story of his life. The reader learns that Captain is an Indian-born talented and educated man, who once had a chance to become the leader of a popular uprising against British colonization in their homeland. The revolt ended in defeat, and he retired from the world of evil and violence finding a shelter under the water. “If his destiny is strange, it is also sublime,” concludes Aronnax (Verne 248).
Thus, the reader notices his conflict with the public that led to the escape from the world and spiritual loneliness. Helping those who struggle for freedom against colonization, he changes for better and becomes more humane.
Works Cited
Drabble, Margaret. “Book Of A Lifetime: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, By Jules Verne.” The Independent. The Independent, 2011.
Verne, Jules. “Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea.” N.p., 2008.