Setting Analysis of Novel: Journey to the Center Of the Earth by Jules Verne

Here, we analyze the setting of a novel namely JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH by JULES VERNE.

A.    SETTING OF PLACE

-          Professor Lidenbrock’s little house on King’s street, Hamburg, Germany.

From chapter 1 to 3, the story took place in Professor Lidenbrock’s little house on King’s street, one of the oldest streets in the old part of Hamburg. This house was built half of brick and half of wood, overlooking canal. This place was the place where Professor Lidenbrock, Axel, Martha, and Mary lived.

The story took scene in kitchen when martha cooked, in dining room where they ate (breakfast, lunch and dinner), study room where Professor Lidenbrock and Axel worked and firstly the mysterious parchment fell down, King’s Street itself where the Professor rushed away forgetting his supper, Altona Road where Axel walked confusing his uncle idea, here he also met Mary, and the last was a station at Altona where they waited for a train to go to Copenhagen.

-          Copenhagen

Before reaching Copenhagen, Axel and his uncle arrived at Kiel and went by ship and then another train to Copenhagen. In Copenhagen they went to a quays (place where ships are tied up), they went to the church spire in the south west district and climb the spire for five days.

-          Reykjavik, Iceland

Then they went to Reykjavik, Iceland by a Danish ship for 10 days. Towards evening, the ship went round the northern point of Denmark, and during the night, sailed along the southern coast of Norway and entered the North Sea. After two days they sighted Scotland and reached Atlantic. They anchored in Faxa Bay of Reykjavik. Then they climbed down into a waiting boat and were soon on Icelandic soil.

In Reykjavik, they stayed in Mr.Fridriksson’s house. When Professor Lidenbrock went to the library to look for Saknussemm manuscripts, Axel went out to explore the town which was look uninteresting for him. Then they went to Sneffel by horse with their guide, Hans.

-          Gufunes village, Gardӓr village, Budir village, Stapi village; Iceland

In their way, they stopped and had breakfast in Gufunes. Hans answered some questions from the professor. They stopped to sleep for the night in a house in Gardӓr. They also took a rest in many village before reaching Sneffel.

-          Sneffels, dead Volcano in Iceland

They started to climb the mountain, a 5000 feet high-mountain (dead volcano). They arrived  on the peak and went down by chimney of the Sneffels to explore the way that Saknussemm went before. They went about 2.250 miles from Reykjavik. Along their journey, they found many strange things, like big mushroom forest, fishes without eyes, monsters like a large snake, sea with high wave and temperature, and etc.

During their journey underground, they found water source (after their mad thirst) and they gave it name ‘Hansbach’ because Hans made a hole in the wall which brought out water, a hot water (stream water), for them to drink. They found a port and they named it Port Mary. They also found an island and sea, they named it Axel Island and Lidenbrock Sea.

They also had many difficulties in their journey, like the lack of water and food, hot wheater,  lost, storm, wave, tired and many other anxious feeling.

They guest they passed many area like, such as Mediteranean, england, and they reached Italy.

-          Stromboli, Italy.

They can’t believe that they arrived somewhere not Germany, not Iceland but in Italy. They were in a fruit garden, full of fruit and a very lovely place.

-          Go back home, King’s street, Hamburg, Germany.

After a long journey to the centre of the earth, they finally came back to their lovely house in Germany. Then Professor Lidenbrock became popular because of their journey story. At the time, they brought Hans to Germany. After a view days, Hans went back to Iceland.

B.     SETTING OF TIME

            The story happened from 24 may 1863 until September in that year. The scene were in morning, down, midday, afternoon, evening and midnight.

The story started when the Proffesor bought a book and found a parchment on it. It was 24 May 1863 at lunch time. On 26 May at down, they went to the station leaving Hamburg to Copenhagen by train and arrived on 28 May at ten in the morning. They arrived in Iceland on 13 June. On 23 June in the morning, they reached the Sneffel Mountain and started to climb it. On 27 August they were pushed by the water to get to the surface and they arrived in Stromboli, Italy. On 31 August they started to go back to German and arrived in German at 9 September on the evening.

C.    SETTING OF CIRCUMSTANCES

            In the first chapter, actually the condition was running commonly. But when there was an exciting discovery about the mysterious parchment, Professor Lidenbrock became a corious man and because of him the condition of the house become not usual. All of the people in the house were worried about him.

            The second chapter, Axel as Professor Lidenbrock’s nephew was invited by Professor Lidenbrock to accompany him in the impossible journey. It was a very uncomfortabla circumstance for him.

            There was a sad scene in the third chapter when Axel decided to accompany his uncle and separated from the girl he loved, Mary, especially when Mary supported him to go.

            In Iceland, they didn’t experience an exciting trip because in three hours the view were particularly uninteresting for them, especially Axel.

            In fifth chapter, Axel, Professor Lidenbrock, and their guide began walk in the silence because the way they took became wetter and more lonely with few animals and even fewer people. Axel began to feel tired but his uncle stayed fresh and spirit.

            There was a frightened condition when they climb Sneffels, the dead volcano. There was a dust storm, a tall column of dust and sand rising and twisting in to the air. The wind was driving it towards their sides of the mountain, so they decided to continue their journey.

            A hesitated condition happenned when they were in the chimney, they took the wrong way between two ways. So they went back again to the first way where the way was devided into two.

            One big problem for them which made them weak was the lack of water. It made them mad thirst. This is a bad condition for them because they can’t continue their journey without water to drink. But finally, they felt really happy and glad because Hans, found water source for them. They hurried on, full of hope and no longer felt tired. The sound of running water had already refreshed them.

            There was something horrified happened to Axel. Suddenly, he discovered that he was alone. He lost and began to feel uneasy. He felt crushed. He lay in terror and despair. But in his hopeless period, he heard a voice behind the wall. And he was saved again.

            When they were in underground sea, they felt frightened in the middle of their journey because they saw so many big odd creatures like monsters. Then, those monsters threw themselves at each other without noticing them.

            Something terrible happened, there was a storm, the weather was changing, the air grew heavy, and full of electricity, described by the author. When the storm was happened, they could not remember anything.

            They felt a little happy and roomy, unless they were not dead in that erruption. They reached surface in Italy. At first, they were confused and keep asking where they were.

            A happy ending happened when they arrived in Germany, Professor Lidenbrock became famous and the gladest feeling of Axel is to saw and married with Marry.