KEY LITERARY ELEMENTS

SETTING

While the narrative begins in London, the theme of the novel is such that the settings change continuously. Mr. Phileas Fogg attempts to go around the world in eighty days and so he covers the major points across the globe Paris¸ Suez, Bombay, Calcutta, Singapore, Hong-Kong, Yokohama, San Francisco, New York, Liverpool and then back to London. Apart from these major places Fogg also meets adventures in route.

As the train from Bombay to Calcutta stops a little beyond Lothal, Fogg and his companions travel to Allahabad on elephants. Later, when the travelers are in America and are attacked by the Sioux, they disembark at Fort Kearney station. Fogg even goes deep into American land in order to rescue Passepartout. Thus the characters in the novel go across the whole globe and see many other places. The setting of the novel is nearly the whole world!

LIST OF CHARACTERS

Major Characters

Phileas Fogg

The hero and chief protagonist in the novel. He is introduced to us as a prudent Englishman whose wealth is a source of mystery to all. He is challenged by a fellow gambler to go around the world in eighty days and he takes up the challenge. His rationality, calmness, generosity and self-control impress the readers.

Passepartout

He appears in the initial stage of the novel itself, as the newly employed French valet of Mr. Fogg. He is an honest as well as a comic French man, who is loyal to his master and yet gets into situations that hinder his masterÂ’s plans to travel around the world. Passepartout endears himself to the reader with his warmth, his sense of humor and his ability to act bravely as well as comically.

Detective Fix

There is a major bank robbery in England around the same time that Fogg leaves for his journey round the world. Detective Fix is one of the many other detectives who seek to find the culprit so they can get a percentage of the stolen money as an award. He comes to the wrong conclusion that Fogg is the bank robber and is merely pretending to go around the world when his real purpose is to flee the law.

Aouda

Aouda is a Parsee Indian princess who is orphaned at an early age. She is made to marry an old Rajah and when he dies, fanatical Hindus try & force her to commit the sacrifice of her life. She is rescued by FoggÂ’s group. She goes back with them to England, as she is unable to find her relative in Hong Kong.

Minor

James Foster

We get only one mention of him in the first chapter. He had been a servant of FoggÂ’s, but Fogg had dismissed him because he had committed the minor offence of bringing the shaving water at the wrong temperature.

Phileas FoggÂ’s Partners at Whist

The engineer Andrew Stuart, the bankers John Sullinan & Samuel Fallentin, the brewer Thomas Flanagan and Gauthier Ralph and one of the governors of the Bank of England are FoggÂ’s partners at the Reform club. It is one of them that challenges Fogg to go around the world in eighty days.

Lord Albemarle

The whole of England gets involved in the speculation as to whether Fogg will be able to complete his journey in 80 days while most feel that he will be unsuccessful, one single supporter remains faithful to Fogg, an old paralytic Lord Albermarle.

British Consul at Suez

He waits along with detective Fix for the boat Mongolia to arrive at Suez. Daily, he would see English ships pass through the canal. The detective tells the consul that they must try and detain Fogg here, but the consul cannot do that lawfully and so doesn't.

Whist Partners on the Mongolia

While Fogg is on board the Mongolia ship to Bombay he finds whist players as enthusiastic as himself. These are-a clergyman the Reverend Decimus Smith, a collector of taxes and a brigadier general of the English Army. Later the brigadier general Sir Francis Cromarty also accompanies Fogg from Bombay to Calcutta.

Chief of Bombay Police

Fix tries to induce the chief of the Bombay police to give him a warrant for FoggÂ’s arrest. This the chief of police would not do as the case concerned the London police, which alone was empowered by law to issue a warrant.

The Guard on the train to Calcutta

When Fogg, Cromarty & Fix are travelling from Bombay to Calcutta by train it suddenly stops in the wilderness. They question the guard on this and it is he, who tells them that the rail has not been laid from this Kholby hamlet to Allahabad and so the passengers will have to arrange for their own means of transport.

The Indian Owner of an elephant

Fogg approaches an Indian to hire an elephant so that they can ride on it to Allahabad. The Indian refuses to hire out the elephant, so it is eventually bought at a very exorbitant price.

Parsee Guide

A bright looking young Parsee, offers to be the guide on the elephant which will take the travelers to Allahabad. He is a brave and intelligent man and does his job well in conveying the passengers swiftly to Allahabad.

Procession Of priests & fanatics

While Fogg and his companions are traveling on a elephant to Allahabad they pass by a procession of priests and fanatics. These Hindus are forcibly taking a young princess along with them so that she may commit ‘suttee’ (sacrifice on her husband’s pyre). Later Fogg is able to make a fool of this procession by escaping with Aouda.

Judge Obadiah

As soon as Fogg is leaves the Calcutta station, a policeman takes him away to court. Judge Obadiah, a rotund looking man presides over this court and over the case of Passeparrtout, who is charged with committing sacrilege by entering a holy place in Bombay with his shoes on.

Cousin Jeizeh

He is a cousin of Sir James Jejeebhoy and is also related to Aouda. She hopes to get help from this cousin who is based in Hong Kong. But on reaching Hong Kong, Fogg and Aouda find out that he has shifted to another country after making a lot of money.

The pilot on the Rangoon

He is a sailor on the ship and he is the one who steers the ship into Hong Kong harbor. It is this pilot who informs Fogg that since the Carnatic has postponed its departure for Yokohama Fogg can board it.

John Bunsby

He is the master of the boat Tankadere, on which Fogg, Fix and Aouda travel. John is a skilled sailor who takes the trio from Hong Kong to Shanghai so that Fogg is able to board the San Francisco boat.

William Batulcar

He is the manager of a troupe of buffoons, jugglers, clowns, acrobats and gymnasts who were going to give their last performance at Yokohama before leaving for America. Passepartout takes up employment with this troupe in order to be able to leave for America with them.

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