NOVEL : JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH - Literary Analysis

SYNOPSIS:

Journey to the Centre of The Earth is an adventurous science fiction. Professor Lidenbrock discovers a coded message in an ancient  manuscript about a way to get into the centre of the Earth through a mountain in Iceland. After decoding the message ,Lidenbrock and Axel set off to Iceland to begin their journey to the centre of the Earth. There they hire an Icelandic guide, Hans Bjelke to help them on their journey. Professor Lidenbrock, Axel and Hans Bjelke find and enter the volcanic crater that marks the entrance to the centre of the Earth. Inside they face several difficulties and see a  lot of strange things, including prehistoric life.

They reach a vast underground cavern filled with a deep ocean, surrounded by a coastline. The travelers build a raft and set sail on the ocean and reach a coastline. They enter a passage that they assume is the way ahead but discover that it is blocked by cave-in. They blast the rock but the explosion causes the sea to rush in. They are swept into a large vent filling with water and magma and are ejected onto the surface. When they regain consciousness, they find out that they are on the island of Stromboli in Italy. The travelers return home to Germany. In Germany they are treated like heroes and Professor Lidenbrock's achievements are recognised. Axel marries Gretchen, and Hans eventually returns to Iceland.

PLOT:

EXPOSITION

      Professor Lidenbrock and his nephew, Axel, decoded amessage written 300 years ago by a famous Icelandic explorer, Arne Saknussemm.

      In his coded message, Arne Saknussem wrote that he had been to the center of the earth and hewent on to describe how he did it.

      Brushing aside the concerns of his nephew, the Professorinsists that Axel accompany him on the expedition. Sadly, Axel takes his leave from his beloved Gretchen.

      Professor Lindenbrock and Axel travel for ten days by ship before reaching Iceland. ProfessorLidenbrock employs, Hans Bjelke, as their guide on their adventure.

      Ten days later, on Monday, June 29th, they reach the top of Mount Sneffel. The shadowof the afternoon sun shows which crater they should descend.

RISING ACTION

      The trio descend into the crater and they travel downward until they reach the bottom of the pit. There are two tunnels and the Professor chooses the one on the right. After several days trekking underground and almost out of water, they have to retrace their steps because the path leads to a dead end.

      Axel collapses and assumes they will return to the surface after returning to the beginning of the two tunnels.

      Then, they descend into the second tunnel and emerge into a chamber of clear white mica. The chamber resembles a giant diamond cavern.

      Hans finds an underground river and they quench their thirst. By the next evening the professorestimates their position tobe 90 miles southeast of Mount Sneffels and eight miles deep.

      Axel finds himself alone. In desperation he retraces his steps but becomes hopelessly lost.

CLIMAX

•          Axel is reunited with his uncle and Hans and meets Lidenbrock Sea. They then found a forest of giant mushrooms.

•          They also see ferns as tall as trees and a mastodonskeleton.

•          The Professor decides that they must cross the ocean. Hans builds a raft from giant reeds and a sail from a sleeping rug.

•          They push out to sea leaving behind the shore which they named Port Gretchen.

•          Hans drops a hook and soon a fish is caught.

•          The professor wants to learn the depth of the sea so Hans attaches a pick axe to a long rope and throws it overboard. When Hans retrieves the pickaxe it bears marks that look like teeth.

•          Two huge sea monsters surface, battle and almost swamp the raft.

•          A storm hits them and they have been carried back to the same shore from which they left. 

FALLING ACTION

      The travelers continue to explore the coastline, and find a passageway marked by Saknussemm. However, it is blocked.

      The adventurers plan to blast the rock with gun cotton and paddle out to sea to escape the blast. However, they discover that behind the rockfall was a seemingly bottomless pit, not a passage to the center of the earth.

      After spending hours being swept along at lightning speeds by the water, the raft ends up inside a large volcanic chimney filling with water and magma.

      The three are rushed upwards, through stifling heat, and are ejected onto the surface from a side-vent of a volcano. When they regain consciousness, they discover that they have been ejected from the active volcano on the Isle of Stromboli.

RESOLUTION

      They land outside the volcano.

       While making their way down, they learn from a young shepherd that they are on the island of Stromboli in Italy.

       They have entered the earth by one volcano and come out by another, over 3,000 miles apart.

       Four months after discovering Arne Saknussemm’s coded message, they return to Hamburg where the trio are treated like heroes and the Professor's achievements are recognized.

CHARACTERS:

Professor Otto Lidenbrock

An intelligent, determined and adventurous scientist.

Axel Lidenbrock

Afaithful and loyal nephew. He is young and easily scared.

Hans Bjelke

A brave Danish guide. He is very quiet but is always

on hand to save the other two explorers.

Gretchen

A young woman who loves Axel.

SETTING:

PLACE

1)      HAMBURG, GERMANY

-   Prof. Otto Lidenbrock found a book by Arne Saknussemm.

-    He decided to go to the centre of the Earth along with his nephew, Axel.

-  The starts and the ends of the whole journey.

2)    ICELAND

- They started their journey to Iceland. They were joined by a guide, Hans Bjelke.

3)      MOUNT SNEFFELS

-Their journey to the centre of the Earth begins at.

-They travelled  about 3000 miles from Iceland to Sicily.

4)      HANS’S STREAM

- Underground stream that was found by Hans that saved their lives when their water supply runs out.

5)      LIDENBROCK SEA

-   An underground sea. On their journey across the sea, they found gigantic, monstrous sea animals.

6)        FOREST

- They found giant mushrooms and giant skeletons.

7)        SICILY

- They went out from another volcano and were at Sicily, 3000 miles apart from where they started.

TIME

This adventure story is set in 1862 when there were no modern facilities.

The adventure of the story starts from May 1862, when Axel and his uncle discovered about the mysterious paper written by Arne Saknussem which leads them to the centre of the earth. Their adventure ends on August 1862when they arrived Iceland.

SOCIAL 

-   Society who appreciate science and older findings

- Society who possess high curiosity towards science

-  Society who are patient and determine

-Society who are adventurous and resilient

- Society who are literate and knowledgeable in science