Character Analysis

Character Analysis

Captain Nemo 
The commander of the Nautilus. He is a mysterious man. He is often moved to tears, yet easily angered. He is a brilliant man who was formerly an engineer. He designed the Nautilus himself. His nationality remains unknown to the narrator. Nothing concerning his past is revealed in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, except his reason to hate the countries of the world because of the apparent loss of his family at some point in the past.

The best account of Nemo's character may come from the observations of Professor Pierre Aronnax, the narrator of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, who comes along the voyage with Nemo. He is described as a reticent man throughout the account; tall and swarthy in appearance, with a straight nose and wide-set eyes, an attribute which gives him exceptional range of vision.

Quote: Captain Nemo: Think of it. On the surface there is hunger and fear. Men still exercise unjust laws. They fight, tear one another to pieces. A mere few feet beneath the waves their reign ceases, their evil drowns. Here on the ocean floor is the only independence. Here I am free! Imagine what would happen if they controlled machines such as this submarine boat. Far better that they think there's a monster and hunt me with harpoons.

Dr. Pierre Aronnax 
The narrator, aged forty. He is a former medical doctor turned into a scientist and lecturer at the Museum of Paris. He is unmarried and childless. He resides in Paris. While lecturing in the United States, he is asked by the U.S. government to join the expedition aboard the Abraham Lincoln in search of the mysterious monster that has been attacking ships. Nemo quickly invited Aronnax to join him in the Nautilus, but Aronnax initially refused due to Nemo's desire to leave Ned and Conseil to drown. After Aronnax proved his loyalty to his friends, Nemo brought all three aboard the submarine. 

Quote: Professor Pierre Aronnax, narrator: A strange twilight world opened up before me, and I felt as the first man to set foot on another planet, an intruder in this mystic garden of the deep.

Ned Land

Ned Land, a harpooner taken along on the theory that the killer is a gigantic narwhal. An explosion aboard the Abraham Lincoln , along with Aronnax and Conseil, aboard the Nautilus, where he and Nemo save each other’s lives. he is A Canadian traveling. He is revered as the king of harpooners. He is forty years old, large, quiet, and angry when contradicted.

Quote: Ned Land: Fine way to go hunting'. I knew there'd be a catch to this.
Counsil: Seems you can't do anything on this boat without getting wet.
Ned Land: Hey, I feel like I'm keepin' a fish outta work.