AXEL LIDENBROCK

A young geologist
Nephew of the great Professor
Otto Lidenbrock
The narrator of the story
Medium-build, heavy eyebrows
and sideburns, short hair
Character Traits
Curious Adventurous

Obedient Fairly Resilient

Examples of Textual
Evidence

Although stunned by his

uncles decision Arnes
code, Axel joins him (pp.
10-11)
Wants to experience the
journey for himself (p.
37)
C
Probably against his
better judgement, he
soldiers on with the trip,
even though it was
perilous at times (pp.

18-36)
Cautious Sensible

He approaches each
turn in the journey with
care and logic, and tells
his uncle as such (p.13,
pp 21-22, p. 41)

HANS BJELKE
An experienced lcelandic
guide
Leads Professor Otto
Lidenbrock and his nephew
Axel on their dangerous
pioneering journey to the
centre of the earth
Tall, broad and muscular; long
hair and sideburns
Character Traits

Examples of Textual

Evidence
Courageous Strong Resilient
Loyal Trustworthy

Practical Skilled craftsman

Caring Compassionate

Makes the journey to

Mount Sneffels on foot
(p. 13)
Saves Axel from falling
to his death (p.16)
Saves them all in the
Lidenbrock Sea (pp. 4446)
Sticks with Professor
Otto and Axel throughout
the trip, even if he may
have privately disagreed
(pp. 26,55,59)
Looks for water sources
when their supply ran
out (p. 26)
Builds a raft for use on
the Lidenbrock Sea (p.
43)
Fishes in the sea for food
(p. 44)
Treats Axels wound,
carried him to shore

after the storm (pp. 36

and 52)

Minor Character
GRETCHEN
Axels girlfriend
Encouraging and understanding
urges Axel to go on the expedition
with Otto
Kind, loving and faithful
eventually marries Axel

Themes
The perils and rewards of exploration
and adventure
During the expedition, Otto and
Axel encounter many foreseen and
unforeseen dangers. Though well

prepared, they were venturing into

uncharted territory. They
experienced the dangers of
crawling in rocky underground
caves, getting lost in tunnels,
almost losing their lives in a storm,
and even coming face to face with
a gigantic 12ft man who was
looking after a herd of mastodons.
They were almost mauled by huge
prehistoric animals and were close
to being roasted alive in a volcanic
crater!
The rewards of the dangerous
pioneering mission are also sweet.
Ottos pioneering efforts made
history, and he was acclaimed as a
great scientist and a national hero.
Axel shares in the glory and has a
host of memories to treasure.

Courage, determination, perseverance

and foresight are keys to success
All three adventures display these
qualities throughout the expedition.
The professor is certainly
courageous in undertaking such a
project. No doubt the spirits of
young Axel did flag at several
points, but with encouragement
from his uncle and the presence of
their trusty guide, he soldiered on.
Otto has foresight in being fully
equippedphysically, mentally and
emotionally. He continually bolsters
his nephews morale. The trios
equipment and provisions also
helped them in their perilous
expedition.
Extending the frontiers of human
knowledge

 Professor Otto is an academic

with a great thirst for
knowledge. He has an extensive
library in his own house. When
he finds Arne Saknussemms
journal, he is excited at the
prospect of new knowledge, and
immediately embarks on the
trip with his nephew. He is
willing to risk life and limb to
extend the frontiers of human
knowledge.
Strive to achieve your dreams
We should not settle for second
best in life. If we have a dream
or goal, we should do our best
to make it come true, and
better still, excel while we are at
it. Professor Otto stumbles

across the mysterious note and

immediately starts on his own
adventure. He does not hesitate
even though he is faced with
obstacles which may cause
another person to turn back and
give up. This is amplified when
we think of the setting of the
storymost modern
conveniences would not have
existed then, but this does not
stop the Professor from
continuing with hid journey. For
his efforts, he gains an
experience beyond his
expectations.

Nothing is impossible
If we believe in ourselves and
work hard to achieve our goals,

then there is nothing that can

be out of our reach. In a few
episodes, Axel experiences
some setbacks, causing him to
want to give up, but his uncles
determined spirit pushes him to
continue with the journey. This
up-for-it attitude is
extremely useful when we face
challenges
in our lives.

Moral Values
Teamwork and cooperation
teamwork and cooperation are
important to the success of any
mission, and certainly play a big
part in Professor Ottos
courageous journey to the
centre of the earth. Not only

does Professional Otto have the

help and academic expertise of
his nephew Axel, who supported
him with a pioneering spirit, he
also has Hans to guide them.

Moral Values
Courage, determine and perseverance
These qualities are crucial for a
project to be successful. We
certainly see all these qualities
in the main characters of the
story. Despite the challenges,
dangers and unforeseen
circumstances, they do not dive
up until they are forcibly ejected
from the volcano of Mount Etna.
Along the journey, they
encourage each other and are

patient and are patient and

optimistic most of time.
Their characters complement
each other and made the
journey a fruitful and
memorable one.

Friendship
Professor Otto and Axel are
related as uncle and nephew.
Beyond this relationship they
are also academics and coworkers with a mutual
interest in geology and
science. On this journey,
they share a pioneering
experience in a journey to
the earths bowels. This is
especially important during

the expedition because the

team members need each
other for support, knowledge
and guidance.

Hans plays a very important

role as guide, protector,

saviour and friend to both
Professor Otto and Axel. He i
self-sacrificial and is willing
to risk his life to save that of
his team mates. A friendship
is a relationship built up over
time that involves sharing
mutual interests, making
sacrifices and spending time
together.

Caution and consideration for

others

 In his eagerness to follow the trail

of Arne Saknussemm to the centre
of the earth, Professor Otto
sometimes throws caution to the
wind. He impulsively drags Axel
along on his dangerous journey,
and he takes many risks along the
way. He should have been more
considerate of the others and not
endanger their lives as he pursued
his passion.

Point of view
The first person point of view is
used in this novel, via Axel
Lidenbrock.
As a narrator, Axel is a cool,
observant and witty narrator who
recounts the expedition in great
detail. He is also frank and

objective about his own flagging

spirits when the going gets rough,
but is quick to credit his uncle for
his encouragement, moral support
and love.

Tone & Mood

The tone tells us the writers /
speakers attitude to his subject. In
literature, the tone influences the
writers choice of words and the
literary devices he uses. The mood
refers to the emotion or feeling in a
novel.
BeginningAt the beginning of
the novel, there is a sense of
excitement, frustration and
enthusiasm. Professor Otto is
excited when he discovers a 300year old coded message. He also

gets frustrated when he is unable

to crack it, but this frustration
turns to enthusiasm as he makes
preparations to embark on his
journey.
MiddleDuring the journey, we
get a number of shifts in tone and
mood such as fear, excitement,
elation/ happiness and
apprehension as the trio face
various trials and tribulations.
EndThe three adventurers
experience relief, excitement and
wonder when they are thrown out
of the volcanic crater and land in a
beautiful countryside in Stromboli.
They are elated at their
achievement and happy they
survived to tell the tale. The mood
is calm and peaceful after the
tension and excitement of the
actual adventure.