India Gate Essay

SETTING While the narrative begins in London, the theme of the novel is such that the settings change continuously. Mr. Phileas Fogg attempts to go around the world in eighty days and so he covers the major points across the globe Paris ¸ Suez, Bombay, Calcutta, Singapore, Hong-Kong, Yokohama, San Francisco, New York, Liverpool and then back to London. Apart from these major places Fogg also meets adventures in route. As the train from Bombay to Calcutta stops a little beyond Lothal, Fogg and his companions travel to Allahabad on elephants. Later, when the travelers are in America and are attacked by the Sioux, they disembark at Fort Kearney station. Fogg even goes deep into American land in order to rescue Passepartout. Thus the characters in the novel go across the whole globe and see many other places. The setting of the novel is nearly the whole world! CHARACTER LIST Major Characters Phileas Fogg The hero and chief protagonist in the novel. He is introduced to us as a prudent Englishman whose wealth is a source of mystery to all. He is challenged by a fellow gambler to go around the world in eighty days and he takes up the challenge. His rationality, calmness, generosity and self-control impress the readers. Passepartout He appears in the initial stage of the novel itself, as the newly employed French valet of Mr. Fogg. He is an honest as well as a comic French man, who is loyal to his master and yet gets into situations that hinder his master’s plans to travel around the world. Passepartout endears himself to the reader with his warmth, his sense of humor and his ability to act bravely as well as comically. Detective Fix There is a major bank robbery in England around the same time that Fogg leaves for his journey round the world. Detective Fix is one of the many other detectives who seek to find the culprit so they can get a percentage of the stolen money as an award. He comes to the wrong conclusion that Fogg is the bank robber and is merely pretending to go around the world when his real purpose is to flee the law. Aouda Aouda is a Parsee Indian princess who is orphaned at an early age. She is made to marry an old Rajah and when he dies, fanatical Hindus try & force her to commit the sacrifice of her life. She is rescued by Fogg’s group. She goes back with them to England, as she is unable to find her relative in Hong Kong. Minor Characters James Foster We get only one mention of him in the first chapter. He had been a servant of Fogg’s, but Fogg had dismissed him because he had committed the minor offence of bringing the shaving water at the wrong temperature. Phileas Fogg’s Partners at Whist The engineer Andrew Stuart, the bankers John Sullinan & Samuel Fallentin, the brewer Thomas Flanagan and Gauthier Ralph and one of the governors Bank of England are Fogg’s partners at the Reform club. It is one of them that challenges Fogg to go around the world in eighty days. Lord Albemarle The whole of England gets involved in the speculation as to whether Fogg will be able to complete his journey in 80 days while most feel that he will be unsuccessful, one single supporter remains faithful to Fogg, an old paralytic Lord Albermarle. British Consul at Suez He waits along with detective Fix for the boat Mongolia to arrive at Suez. Daily, he would see English ships pass through the canal. The detective tells the consul that they must try and detain Fogg here, but the consul cannot do that lawfully and so doesn’t. Whist Partners on the Mongolia While Fogg is on board the Mongolia ship to Bombay he finds whist players as enthusiastic as himself. These are-a clergyman the Reverend Decimus Smith, a collector of taxes and a brigadier general of the English Army. Later the brigadier general Sir Francis Cromarty also accompanies Fogg from Bombay to Calcutta. Chief of Bombay Police Fix tries to induce the chief of the Bombay police to give him a warrant for Fogg’s arrest. This the chief of police would not do as the case concerned the London police, which alone was empowered by law to issue a warrant. The Guard on the train to Calcutta When Fogg, Cromarty & Fix are travelling from Bombay to Calcutta by train it suddenly stops in the wilderness. They question the guard on this and it is he, who tells them that the rail has not been laid from this Kholby hamlet to Allahabad and so the passengers will have to arrange for their own means of transport. The Indian Owner of an elephant Fogg approaches an Indian to hire an elephant so that they can ride on it to Allahabad. The Indian refuses to hire out the elephant, so it is eventually bought at a very exorbitant price. Parsee Guide A bright looking young Parsee, offers to be the guide on the elephant which will take the travelers to Allahabad. He is a brave and intelligent man and does his job well in conveying the passengers swiftly to Allahabad. Procession Of priests & fanatics While Fogg and his companions are traveling on a elephant to Allahabad they pass by a procession of priests and fanatics. These Hindus are forcibly taking a young princess along with them so that she may commit ‘suttee’ (sacrifice on her husband’s pyre). Later Fogg is able to make a fool of this procession by escaping with Aouda. Judge Obadiah As soon as Fogg is leaves the Calcutta station, a policeman takes him away to court. Judge Obadiah, a rotund looking man presides over this court and over the case of Passeparrtout, who is charged with committing sacrilege by entering a holy place in Bombay with his shoes on. Cousin Jeizeh He is a cousin of Sir James Jejeebhoy and is also related to Aouda. She hopes to get help from this cousin who is based in Hong Kong. But on reaching Hong Kong, Fogg and Aouda find out that he has shifted to another country after making a lot of money. The pilot on the Rangoon He is a sailor on the ship and he is the one who steers the ship into Hong Kong harbor. It is this pilot who informs Fogg that since the Carnatic has postponed its departure for Yokohama Fogg can board it. John Bunsby He is the master of the boat Tankadere, on which Fogg, Fix and Aouda travel. John is a skilled sailor who takes the trio from Hong Kong to Shanghai so that Fogg is able to board the San Francisco boat. William Batulcar He is the manager of a troupe of buffoons, jugglers, clowns, acrobats and gymnasts who were going to give their last performance at Yokohama before leaving for America. Passepartout takes up employment with this troupe in order to be able to leave for America with them. Colonel Stamp Proctor At San Francisco Fogg, Fix and Aouda find themselves in Montgomery Street, which is crowded, by the members of two opposing political parties. The opposing members become violent and Fogg’s group is caught in between. A huge fellow with a red goatee, a ruddy complexion and broad shoulders, raises his fist over Mr. Fogg. Fogg is very angry and later these two men even resort to dueling. Elder William Hitch Mormon missionary A priest boards the train from San Francisco to New York at Elko Station. He is a Mormon missionary, who gives a lecture on Mormonism in Car no. 117 of the train. Forster He is the engine driver of the train bound for New York. When the train stops before Medicine Bow Bridge, which is shaky, it is Forster who suggests a way of getting over. His idea is to take the train over the bridge at a very high speed, which will enable it to pass over. The Guard Fogg and Colonel Proctor decide to perform a duel on one of the platforms where the train to New York stops. But they are stopped by the guard as the train isn’t stopping there. It is this guard who suggests that they fight aboard the train itself. The Sioux These are bold Indians who often attack the trains running across the American continent. A band of Sioux attacks the New York bound train. They are armed with guns and a fierce battle ensues between the passengers and the Sioux. Fort Kearney Captain The Captain in command of Fort Kearney meets Fogg. Fogg insists that the Captain allow some of his soldiers to come with him in order to rescue three passengers who are captured by the Sioux. The captain agrees eventually as he is impressed by Fogg’s gallantry. Driver & Stoker of the train These two are injured by the Sioux, who attack the New York bound train. As the engine is separated from the train they travel in it in an insensible condition till they recover consciousness. Eventually they both turn the engine back to Kearney station. Mudge An American at Fort Kearney station, offers to transport Fogg and group on a sledge to Omaha station. This skipper of a land craft manages to transfer the group safely to Omaha station in a few hours. Andrew Speedy He is the captain of the trading vessel Henrietta, a man of fifty, a sort of sea dog with a growl. He agrees to take Fogg and his companions to Bordeaux but Fogg hijacks the boat and decides to take it to Liverpool instead. The boat finally reaches Queenstown, an Irish port. Clergyman (Reverend Samuel Wilson) When Aouda and Fogg decide to get married Passepartout is sent to the clergyman. After meeting the parson he realizes that the next day is not Monday but Sunday. Both Fogg and Passepartout had not realized that they had reached England a full day earlier. The clergyman then is a source of luck. SHORT SUMMARY (Synopsis) The story begins at England. We are introduced to Fogg, a very precise man who regularly goes to the Reform Club every evening. At one such visit to the club to play cards, he gets into a conversation with his fellow card players as to whether it is possible to go around the world in eighty days.  He believes that it is and is challenged to complete the adventure. This is the beginning of the entire plot and from then on we see how Fogg goes around the world and we witness the amazing adventures that he has with his companions. The main plot is based on Fogg’s travels, while other such plots merely support the central theme Fix, the detective follows Fogg all over. He believes that Fogg is the bank robber who has robbed a great sum from the bank of England. He puts obstacles in Fogg’s path just so that he can arrest him whenever he gets the warrant from England. The suspicion that Fogg might be a clever gentleman robber is the sub-theme of the book and the author makes the reader also suspicious. Passepartout too wonders whether his master might be a robber though in his heart he has ample trust in Fogg’s integrity. The plot moves ahead with Fogg striving through various obstacles to reach London in time. He goes through Brindisi, Suez, Bombay, Calcutta, Hong Kong, Yokohama, San Francisco, New York and finally Liverpool. Fix arrests Fogg at Liverpool and this delays our hero. He thinks that he has missed the deadline and hasn’t reached London in time when in reality he reached a full day earlier. Thus Fogg wins the wager and in the course of his travels, finds himself a worthy charming, beautiful wife too.