Transition (3)

“The project was a bold one, full of difficulty, perhaps impracticable. Mr. Fogg was going to risk life, or at least liberty, and therefore the success of his tour. But he did not hesitate, and he found in Sir Francis Cromarty an enthusiastic ally.” (Verne 77).

In the beginning of the novel, the narrator describes Mr. Fogg as a very reserved and punctual man. He is impeccable in his manners and is described as living a regularized life. He “required to be almost superhumanly prompt and regular. On this very 2d of October he had dismissed James Forster, because that luckless youth had brought him shaving water at eighty0four degrees Fahrenheit instead of eighty-six; and he was awaiting his successor, who was due at the house between eleven and half-past” (Verne 12). Throughout the novel however, the readers see a change in Mr. Fogg’s character as he becomes more rational. For example, during the journey he comes across a young Parsi woman named Aouda, who is being dragged to a sanctuary to be sacrificed by Brhamins. When Passepartout tells him to save Aouda, he decides to devote his spare twelve hours to help free her from the sati ceremony. Due to the incident, he loses the two days that he had gained earlier but does regret it. Furthermore, he decides to take Aouda with him when he finds out that her family has moved and is no longer in Hong Kong. He feels it is uncaring just to leave her behind in Hong Kong by herself and decides to take her to England, where he can support her with his wealth.