Travelling Around the World Essay -- Literary Analysis, Jules Verne

In the nineteenth century, it seemed impossible to circumnavigate the world in only eighty days. That, however, was exactly what Phileas Fogg did in Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days. This novel follows the journey of the eccentric Englishman, Phileas Fogg, after he bet he could race around the world in eighty days. Accompanied by his faithful servant, Passepartout, and a scheming detective, Fix, he encountered many challenges he had to overcome in order to return in time to win the bet. In Around the World in Eighty Days, Jules Verne demonstrated how increased industrialization made a profound impact in travel, technology, and business. In addition, Verne shows how industrialization contributed to an increase of nationalism and European imperialism. Industrialization was an important movement of the nineteenth century. Industrialization was the process of turning an agricultural society into an industrialized one, based on the manufacturing of goods and services. This meant new technological innovation and economical development. Industrialization was important because it led to the development of new technologies and inventions that vastly improved life, such as the steam engine. It also helped to grow businesses by letting them expand their networks and reach consumers in more distant areas. Industrialization also made an impact on Fogg’s journey. Phileas Fogg’s journey was made possible by the growing industrialization of the time. One example of industrialization was the extensive use of trains in the novel. During the nineteenth century, nations all over the world built rail lines. For example, when Phileas Fogg reached India, the change from old forms of transportation to new industrialized ... ...rned with learning of the natives’ cultures. Like many European governments, he only cares that his country has obtained the land, but does not care about the people in it. Ultimately, imperialism had an extended reach throughout the world in the nineteenth century. In Around the World in Eighty Days, Jules Verne demonstrated how increased industrialization made a profound impact in travel, technology, and business. In addition, Verne shows how industrialization contributed to an increase of nationalism and European imperialism. Verne’s novel shows how industrialization, nationalism, and imperialism affected individuals. It also demonstrates how these themes interacted with each other, and how they influenced each other. Ultimately, Around the World in Eighty Days exhibits the important movements in the nineteenth century and their significance in history.