But I forgot. We're dealing with very bookish characters here. Professor Aronnax, a marine biology expert who jumped at the chance of hunting for a legendary, gigantic narwhal. Conseil, a self-motivated student whose favorite habit is to classify things constantly. The Nautilus provides the highlight of their studies--which is practically everything they live for.
Captain Nemo knew he didn't need to lock them up in a cell. Their lust for knowledge would be their own prison, and the harpooner Ned Land, who still retained a natural thirst for liberty, was outnumbered by two men with the gift of persuasion, rather than force. Conseil put it in plain words: he had no desire to go back to civilization. Professor Aronnax, faced with the first opportunity of escape (to the Indian subcontinent), declares evasively:
And this, after the drugging incident, which caused Aronnax to suspect Nemo of sinking a ship during their unconsciousness!"No, no, Ned. . .Let's ride it out, as you seafaring fellows say. The Nautilus is approaching populated areas. It's going back toward Europe, let it take us there. After we arrive in home waters, we can do as we see fit. Besides, I don't imagine Captain Nemo will let us go hunting on the coasts of Malabar or Coromandel as he did in the forests of New Guinea.""Well, sir, can't we manage without his permission?"I didn't answer the Canadian. I wanted no arguments. Deep down, I was determined to fully exploit the good fortune that had put me on board the Nautilus.
The question remains: ultimately, did Ned save their lives, or did Conseil and the professor save his? It is true that, had it not been for Aronnax and Conseil's presence, Nemo would probably have left Ned to die. On the other hand, had Ned given up on escape, the three (or two) of them would have spent the rest of their lives on the Nautilus and not in "the real world", where they belonged.
Movie!Ned puts it aptly: "I feel like a knife that's just stabbed a friend in the back." However great its scientific treasures, the Nautilus is just that: a prototype for submarine warfare (scarcely preceded by that used in the U.S. Civil War). Aronnax may genuinely believe what he learns on the Nautilus could be used for the greater good--Conseil and he might be willing to give their lives for it--but does it justify his ignoring Nemo's crimes?
Ned may not be a brilliant scholar, but what he lacks in academics he makes up for in common sense. Everyone needs a friend like him, especially those of us whose heads might easily get turned by our individual interests.
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