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Chapter 23
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Around the World in Eighty Days, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Modernity, Time, and Control
Imperialism
Chance, Adventure, and Human Connection
Honor, Reputation, and Duty
Summary
Analysis
Aouda tells Passepartout how she, Fogg, Detective Fix, and John Bunsby caught the attention of the American steamer and boarded it for Yokohama. Having failed to find Passepartout on the Carnatic or the French and English consuls, they happened into the acrobatic show purely by chance and stumbled upon him there.
Again, this coincidence emphasizes the importance of trusting in chance and being open to adventure. Had either Passepartout or Fogg focused too heavily on controlling their respective situations when they were separated, they would likely not have been reunited.
Themes
Passepartout decides not to reveal Detective Fix’s true identity and motivations to Fogg, instead blaming himself for getting drunk at the tavern in Hong Kong. Fogg, Passepartout, and Aouda board the General Grant steamer for San Francisco among a diverse array of passengers. Aouda feels herself growing emotionally attached to Fogg, whom she views as her “protector.” She and Passepartout mutually praise Fogg’s “honesty, generosity, and devotion.”
Aouda and Passepartout’s admiration of Fogg demonstrates the power of random chance in forging connections between otherwise dissimilar people. Had it not been for their misadventures on the journey, these three characters would likely not have crossed paths in such a meaningful way.
Themes
Passepartout is glad to be rid of Detective Fix, and smugly notices that his watch (which he refused to adjust at Fix’s suggestion) now matches up perfectly with the ship’s time. The narration reveals, however, that while it is 9:00 A.M. on this side of the 180th meridian, it is 9:00 P.M. in London—a difference of twelve hours.
This is a crucial moment that foreshadows the end of the novel, as Passepartout’s stubborn decision not to change his watch plays a significant role in nearly losing Fogg the wager. For Fogg and Passepartout, their ongoing efforts to control time are ultimately futile.
Themes
Literary Devices
Fix, having finally procured the arrest warrant for Fogg at the English consulate in Yokohama, resolves to board the General Grant and follow him to America and then to England, where he can finally make the arrest. He boards the steamer after them, and Passepartout reacts violently when he runs into Fix on the deck. Fix manages to convince him that, since they now share the same interest in seeing Fogg arrive back in London as soon as possible, they are allies rather than adversaries. Passepartout reluctantly agrees. When the General Grant arrives in San Francisco, Fogg has neither gained nor lost a day.
At this point, the reward for apprehending the bank robber has expired. Though Fix is the antagonist of the novel, his motive shifts here—whereas he was initially driven to arrest Fogg for the money, he is now purely motivated by his duty to uphold the law and his reputation as a detective. In this sense, he is not so different from Fogg, who is completing the wager in order to live up to his own reputation as an honorable man of his word.
Themes
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