For example, rather than seeing through the facade that Nemo presents to him and the rest of the crew (of a wise, albeit rebellious scientist), he romanticizes the Captain. But, he ends up missing critical pieces of information and context. Throughout, Aronnax attempts to demonstrate his wisdom. He believes, if he can figure out where Captain Nemo is from, he’ll better understand the man. Thus, our undersea life began to seem natural to us, and we no longer thought of the days we used to spend on land.Īlso of interest is the narrator’s obsession with other characters’ nationalities. We were growing fast to our shell like snails, and I swear it must be easy to lead a snail’s existence. He notes the following in regard to their captivity: This is in part due to his immense curiosity about the submarine and the various wonders that Nemo keeps inside it.

He’s unwilling to leave his captivity, instead insistent that he, Ned Land, and Conseil remain where they are and see how things play out. The Professor is baffled by the fact that Captain Nemo built the submarine and was capable of keeping it a secret. (He cites the holes it creates in the sides and bottoms of ships as evidence.) He presents himself as someone of immense knowledge (playing into his last name, which is intentionally similar to the word “arrogance”). When the story begins, he believes the “creature” damaging ships around Europe is a giant narwhal. Professor Pierre Aronnax is the story’s narrator and a Professor of Marine Biology who lectures around Europe.

Jules verne nautilus captain