Previous
Mood
Definition of Oxymoron
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two contradictory terms or ideas are intentionally paired in order to make a point—particularly to reveal a deeper or hidden truth... read full definition
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two contradictory terms or ideas are intentionally paired in order to make a point—particularly to reveal... read full definition
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two contradictory terms or ideas are intentionally paired in order to... read full definition
Chapter 33
Explanation and Analysis—The Sea A Desert:
In this excerpt, Verne uses metaphor and oxymoron to convey Axel’s despair at the stark emptiness of the underground sea. He, Lidenbrock, and Hans have been stuck in one place for some time, with no way to propel themselves forward or back:
I take the glass and scan the sea. It is a desert. Perhaps we are still too near the shore. I turn to the air. Why do we see none of the birds reconstructed by the immortal Cuvier, flapping their great wings in this dense atmosphere: these fish would supply them with stores of food. I gaze into space, but the air is as lonely as the waters.
Here, the narrator describes the sea as “a desert,” highlighting the profound stillness and barrenness of the subterranean environment’s calm waters. The term “desert” would usually conjure images of vast, uninhabited, and resource-scarce landscapes. It’s certainly not a word that would conventionally be used to describe a body of water. This oxymoron emphasizes Axel’s sense of despair and disheartenment. Like a desert, the underground sea appears devoid of life and movement, offering no immediate signs of hope or change. There seems to be no visible life around him at all, and the “air is as lonely as the waters."
Seas are usually associated with life, movement, and abundance, and deserts by their apparent stasis and lifelessness. In juxtaposing these conflicting images, the metaphor Verne uses here makes the reader understand the unexpected and disconcerting stillness of the underground sea. It amplifies the sense of alienation and hopelessness Axel experiences. It’s another moment in the novel where the predictable gets turned on its head. The sea is a “desert” because it can’t provide the group with either nourishment or forward motion.
Related Themes:
