Chapter 19-24
Not for nothing, but I too am changing my mind. I am only on Chapter 25 but I am trying to determine what the author is trying to tell us. First, I think this is a joke. All in good fun I suppose. But doesn't Fogg represent someone who has his eye on the prize? Phileas has a goal and he seemingly lets nothing interfere with that. He does manage to pick up Aouda on the way (perhaps that is how that terminology originated). he is undeterred by a suttee, the train tracks being incomplete and having to travel by way of elephants (noisey ones at that) across India, losing a servant, acquiring a parasitic friend (if you can call Fix a friend), missing his ship and sailing across the Pacific in a canoe (so to speak). And, with reluctance I say this, are we not represented by Passapartout? Actually he doesn't even have the same goal as Fogg. His goal is to serve his master whose goal happens to be to circumvent the globe in eighty days. But he constantly gets off track by the "little things". Drunkeness and a little opium, a detective who is also quasi lunatictish, gets beat up for not wearing shoes and must put on a false nose to make money (at lease Cyrano didn't get paid). This might be a contrast to consider. I was particularly entertained in Chapter 24 wherein Passapartout beats the snot out of Fix. French over the Brits. And the Americans? Well, they stand around, amused, and begin immediately to bet on the two. Gotta love 'em (I'm referring to the Americans here).

Posted by mom on Saturday, July 7, 2007