My Two Cents...

First of all, I'll just say that I don't really know what to say as of yet. I've only read 5 chapters, but so far I am enjoying the book. I don't think I've read enough to really be able to analyze it yet, but I have to say... Mom, (karen) by your comments about Mr. Fix, I think you are trying to imply things that may happen later in the book, and thats not fair since you've already read it! I looked up Passepartout on dictionary.com, and the correct pronunciation is: pahs-par-too (with the emphasis of the word on "too"). It is an actual french word, defined as: 1) Something that passes everywhere or provides a universal means of passage. I think that is pretty clever of Verne, considering Passepartout is about to "pass" across the world.

About Phileas Fogg... I can't quite figure him out. At the beginning he was really reminding me of Will Farrell's character in "Stranger Than Fiction". I don't think he's cold-hearted, but definitely odd, and obviously very prideful. His motivation for the trip? I'm not sure. His life sounds miserably dull and boring, so maybe all that reading of newspapers finally got to him and he decided to change it up a little bit. I don't really think he stole the money, because it sounds like he has enough. Also, it says he didn't care about winning the $20,000-- that "he certainly did not bet to win" (ch 3). I don't really think a man desperate enough to steal fifty-five thousand pounds would go and bet almost half of it on something as risky as traveling around the world in 80 days. That is, unless he was positive he would win...