Book Report 2

Jules Verne, Around the World in Eighty Days, Oxford:Oxford University Press, 1992,89 pages

Summary:
One day, Mr. Fogg promised to five people that he would go around the world within eighty days. If he broke the promise, he had to pay twenty thousand pounds. However, if he made the promise come true, each member must pay four thousand pounds. He immediately returned to his house and made his servant go together. They stared to France at first. A bank of England was robbed of fifty thousand pounds a few days before they left London. Mr. Fogg was suspected by police, so the detective traced Fogg’s trip secretly. The route of the trip was very hard and dangerous. In India, he and his servant saw that some Hindus tried to burn a young lady with her dead husband. They rescued the lady and decided to join her to the trip. In America, they were attacked by Indians but they overcame the difficult situation. As a result, they finally succeed the world trip and, the fact that he was not thief was revealed. He married the beautiful woman who was in India. The brave and honesty man make the impossible plan real.

Setting: the world in 1872

Point of View: third person

Conflict: Fogg was in conflict with his servant, detective and the world environment to work out his promise.

Climax: Mr. Fogg believed that he delayed the promised time. He was deeply depressed, but he only misunderstood the date, so he could reach the promised place in the promised time exactly. The detective who had traced Mr. Fogg convinced that Fogg was the thief, but a thief who stool the money from the bank of England was captured by police before they came back to England. This mean was that Mr. Fogg was not thief. The lady who was likely to be burned in India offered to marry him with happy.

Symbol: A brave is the symbol of this story. Without the brave, Mr. Fogg would not achieve his plan. There were many difficulties during his trip, but he behaved bravely against each difficult situation. The brave led him the success.

Irony: The world trip within eighty days was thought to be impossible at that time. But, Mr. Fogg made the trip possible despite of many difficult situations he faced.

Theme: The theme of this book is “ Be brave and you will succeed.” Mr. Fogg’s trip was sometimes interrupted by some characters or situations, and he didn’t have time enough to succeed his trip, nevertheless he justified his belief. For example, he saved the beautiful young lady who was likely to be burned. Finally he married her. To be brave is important.

Evaluation:
This story is very interesting. The character in the story went to different country. The author described well the environment in the late of nineteenth century. As for me, I am interested in the world trip. I learned never- give- up belief from this novel. I want to behave like Mr. Fogg someday when I trip around the world. In this way I thought this novel was good, but I had a few complaints. First, it seemed that native Indians or Hindus was barbarous. I felt the writer discriminate them consciously or unconsciously. Second, there were too many happy-end in this story. Although characters faced some difficult situations, it was certain that they overcame the problem. I know real world is harder than this story. The thought led this novel unreal and boring. Of course, I know all novels should not be serious. I simply felt that this novel was not real but fun.