CHAPTER SUMMARY AND NOTES

CHAPTER 18

Summary

The weather is rough in the latter days of the voyage to Hong Kong. Fogg remains calm, Passepartout is angry and Fix is delighted at the delay. Passepartout lends a helping hand in the ship. The Rangoon reaches Hong Kong a day later. A pilot informs Fogg that the Carnatic would leave Hong Kong for Yokohama and Fogg is pleased as he had thought that he had missed the ship. Fogg has some hours before boarding the Carnatic, so he takes Aouda to the Club Hotel in the meanwhile. He goes to look for her relative in the meanwhile but finds that the latter had left the city. It is decided then that Aouda will accompany Fogg to Europe and Passepartout is told to engage three cabins on the Carnatic.

Notes

There are natural delays in Fogg's journey and one such impediment is described here. The ship Rangoon is caught in a gale and she is delayed as a result. The reaction to this delay is completely different in the three people: Fogg, Passepartout and Fix. While Fogg maintains his composure as always, Passepartout is very worried and Fix of course is delighted at the delay. Passepartout's behavior makes us smile. While he keeps helping the crew of the ship, he keeps cursing the weather in his characteristic style. Passepartout is a sincere and active fellow.

Fix is sly and his one point program is to arrest Fogg. The reader too is glad when the Rangoon reaches Hong Kong. Passepartout and Fogg are under the impression that they would have missed the connecting ship to Yokohama but we see here that Lady Luck is on Fogg's side. The ship is delayed by a day and for that reason Fogg has a chance to board it. While he is in Hong Kong he decides to trace Aouda's uncle but unfortunately the latter has moved away from there. Aouda has no choice now but to accompany Fogg to Europe. She is self-respecting and does not wish to be a burden on Fogg, but she is told that she is not. We notice that Fogg does not sweet talk but just states his opinion matter of factly. He says-'You abuse nothing, and your presence does not interfere in the least with my plan.' Indeed Fogg never ever goes out of his way to be effusive. Though the reader might have expected some other emotion from him here, we know our matter of fact hero too well by now. Passepartout on the other hand is more expressive about his feelings and is glad that he will not lose the company of the young woman who always treated him with great kindness. So, Aouda is going to travel with Fogg once again.

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