Point of View

Jules Verne tells his novel “Journey to the Center of the Earth” in the first-person limited-omniscient perspective, from the point of view of main character, Axel. This is done for a number of reasons. The limited-omniscient aspect of the novel allows for suspense, terror, and drama, as the narrator, like the reader, is aware of things only as they occur, or as they happen. The limited-omniscient point of view also allows Verne to insert various phenomena, without giving precise explanations for them. This allows his characters to suggest plausible scientific explanations for them –such as how the subterranean world is lighted by naturally-occurring electricity.

The first-person perspective allows the reader to experience things first-hand on a very intimate level, as if the story is being related by a close friend. The reader is given access to all the fears, concerns, worries, thoughts, and feelings of...