In the novel, A Journey to the Center of the Earth, author Jules Verne tells the
fictitious story of three men and their adventures as they descend into the
depths of the earth. The leading character in this expedition is a
fifty-year-old German professor named Hardwigg. He is an uncle to the narrator,
Henry (Harry), a simple Englishman. The other man is Hans, a serene Icelandic
guide. Professor Hardwigg finds a piece of parchment that written in Runic in a
book. Harry finds out before his uncle that it says there is a way to get into
the center of the earth through a mountain (Mt. Sneffels) in Iceland. Harry is
reluctant to tell his uncle the message because he is afraid his uncle will
actually want to visit the center of the earth. He was right because the
professor wanted to explore as soon as possible. They head off to Iceland, and,
along the way, receive Hans as their guide. The journey to the mountain itself
takes a while. They reach the entrance to the center, and from there, they head
inside. Once in the dark labyrinths, they descend (this goes on for days). The
three men then face difficulties: thirst, light, getting lost, injuries, and
fatigue, were among them. They make many discoveries. They find that there’s a
sea, with fish and sea monsters. They find forests, giant mushrooms, animals
that look like dinosaurs, and even what seems to be giant human beings. The idea
of writing this story came from a scientist who explored the crater of a certain
mountain. Verne got the idea that maybe it would be possible to descend even
further into the earth. Many of Verne’s “fantasy” stories have come true
in the years following his death in the year 1905. A Journey to the Center of
the Earth is farthest from reality. Even with the technology we have today, it
would be impossible for one to descend into the earth. For one thing, we know
now that the earth can’t be hollow because of extreme pressures and
temperatures. People became interested in Verne’s stories during his time
because though they were unrealistic, they were too interesting and entertaining
to pass up. Some people even believed he had traveled to the many places that he
wrote of. While checking into a hotel once, the woman told him to rest well in
the room because he must be tired from his many adventures. She probably thought
this because Verne uses facts of science so well the story can seem as if it
were actually the real thing. Verne’s writings about submarines, space travel,
helicopters were prophecies of the future. It is a mystery how he came up with
such ideas for wonderfully told adventures. Verne grew up when steam engines
were changing the world. He was the first writer to proclaim that scientific
discovery could prompt remarkable stories. I found A Journey to the Center of
the Earth thoughtful and mind-boggling at the same time. The discoveries they
find are truly unbelievable: Sea monsters, a sea, giants, forests and giant
mushrooms. These are surely non-existent because nothing like them could live in
such circumstances. The characters in this story must have also been extremely
strong and determined, since they’re able to live for so long underground in
darkness (somewhat). The beginning of the story is quite slow; they take a long
time to start descending into the earth. Once you get into the story, its quite
easy to find yourself in the midst of the channels of granite. A Journey to the
Center of the Earth is a wonderfully well written book. The very idea of a
person being able to travel into the earth is remarkable in itself. To put seas
and creatures into the story is exceptional. Jules Verne is such a great writer,
he makes this adventure seem as if it actually happened; as if it weren’t just
some fantasy, but an undeniable existence.