Points of View

The book is written as a first-person narrative by Professor Pierre Aronnax. It often takes the form of a journal in which Aronnax records the minutiae of each day aboard the Nautilus. Since Aronnax is a scientist, many parts of the book are about science. There are long passages explaining exactly where the Nautilus is traveling in terms of longitude and latitude. About a third of the book is nothing but descriptions of marine life in the various oceans and seas through which the submarine travels.

Aronnax is not interested in people or personalities, but science and the attainment of knowledge. He can easily ignore the plights of his fellow travelers - for example, he is insensitive to Ned Land's complete outrage at being a prisoner. He is more interested in a new oyster than Captain Nemo's need for revenge. This can make the book rather...