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Dramatic Irony
Chapter 10
Explanation and Analysis—Fogg and Passepartout:
Passepartout is a foil for Fogg, allowing the reader to see that Fogg's intense love of order can be too extreme. In Chapter 10, Fogg's adherence to routine renders him unable to appreciate the wonder of his surroundings in the way Passepartout does:
Mr. Fogg, after bidding good-bye to his whist partners, left the steamer, gave his servant several errands to do, urged it upon him to be at the station promptly at eight, and, with his regular step, which beat to the second, like an astronomical clock, directed his steps to the passport office. As for the wonders of Bombay—its famous city hall, its splendid library, its forts and docks, its bazaars, mosques, synagogues, its Armenian churches, and the noble pagoda on Malabar Hill with its two polygonal towers—he cared not a straw to see them.
Fogg knows exactly where he is going and how to get there. Despite the fact that he could explore "the wonders of Bombay," he does not think that is the point of his trip around the world. He is traveling to prove that it can be done more quickly and predictably than ever. Passepartout, on the other hand, has adventures wherever the journey takes him. In Bombay, for example, he ignorantly enters a temple without removing his shoes and is forcibly ejected. Although this scene is played for comedy, it nonetheless demonstrates that Passepartout is learning far more than Fogg, and having more remarkable experiences. Passepartout is excited to work for Fogg because he wants a consistent routine, but his interest in routine does not prevent him from being flexible when presented with the possibility to have new experiences.
A scene in Chapter 23 suggests that Fogg's wealth is part of why he is able to act more mechanical and less human than Passepartout, his foil who also loves order. Passepartout has less money and therefore does not have the same luxury of disengagement from human culture:
THE NEXT morning poor, jaded, famished Passepartout said to himself that he must get something to eat at all hazards, and the sooner he did so the better. He might, indeed, sell his watch; but he would have starved first. Now or never he must use the strong, if not melodious voice which nature had bestowed upon him. He knew several French and English songs, and resolved to try them upon the Japanese, who must be lovers of music, since they were for ever pounding on their cymbals, tam-tams, and tambourines, and could not but appreciate European talent.
Passepartout needs to figure out how to interact with people in all the places he visits because he doesn't have the means to secure a smooth itinerary the way Fogg can. But the longer the novel goes on, the more Fogg's itinerary veers off track. Passepartout's ability to connect with humans comes to appear, even to Fogg, just as valuable as Fogg's money. Fogg's marriage to Aouda at the end of the novel makes it clear that he has finally come around to Passepartout's way of pursuing order in moderation, not at the expense of human connections and adventure.
Related Themes:
Chapter 23
Explanation and Analysis—Fogg and Passepartout:
Passepartout is a foil for Fogg, allowing the reader to see that Fogg's intense love of order can be too extreme. In Chapter 10, Fogg's adherence to routine renders him unable to appreciate the wonder of his surroundings in the way Passepartout does:
Mr. Fogg, after bidding good-bye to his whist partners, left the steamer, gave his servant several errands to do, urged it upon him to be at the station promptly at eight, and, with his regular step, which beat to the second, like an astronomical clock, directed his steps to the passport office. As for the wonders of Bombay—its famous city hall, its splendid library, its forts and docks, its bazaars, mosques, synagogues, its Armenian churches, and the noble pagoda on Malabar Hill with its two polygonal towers—he cared not a straw to see them.
Fogg knows exactly where he is going and how to get there. Despite the fact that he could explore "the wonders of Bombay," he does not think that is the point of his trip around the world. He is traveling to prove that it can be done more quickly and predictably than ever. Passepartout, on the other hand, has adventures wherever the journey takes him. In Bombay, for example, he ignorantly enters a temple without removing his shoes and is forcibly ejected. Although this scene is played for comedy, it nonetheless demonstrates that Passepartout is learning far more than Fogg, and having more remarkable experiences. Passepartout is excited to work for Fogg because he wants a consistent routine, but his interest in routine does not prevent him from being flexible when presented with the possibility to have new experiences.
A scene in Chapter 23 suggests that Fogg's wealth is part of why he is able to act more mechanical and less human than Passepartout, his foil who also loves order. Passepartout has less money and therefore does not have the same luxury of disengagement from human culture:
THE NEXT morning poor, jaded, famished Passepartout said to himself that he must get something to eat at all hazards, and the sooner he did so the better. He might, indeed, sell his watch; but he would have starved first. Now or never he must use the strong, if not melodious voice which nature had bestowed upon him. He knew several French and English songs, and resolved to try them upon the Japanese, who must be lovers of music, since they were for ever pounding on their cymbals, tam-tams, and tambourines, and could not but appreciate European talent.
Passepartout needs to figure out how to interact with people in all the places he visits because he doesn't have the means to secure a smooth itinerary the way Fogg can. But the longer the novel goes on, the more Fogg's itinerary veers off track. Passepartout's ability to connect with humans comes to appear, even to Fogg, just as valuable as Fogg's money. Fogg's marriage to Aouda at the end of the novel makes it clear that he has finally come around to Passepartout's way of pursuing order in moderation, not at the expense of human connections and adventure.
Related Themes:
