Around the World in Eighty Days · Chapter
II explained
Passepartout explores the meticulously organized house on Saville Row, finding it perfectly suited to his desire for a calm, regular life.
What happens
Passepartout explores the meticulously organized house on Saville Row, finding it perfectly suited to his desire for a calm, regular life. He observes Mr. Fogg's exacting habits and is impressed by his master's composure and precision, believing he has finally found an ideal employer.
Themes in this chapter
Order and Method
The chapter emphasizes Fogg's meticulously ordered household, with a detailed daily schedule and a system for his wardrobe, reflecting his methodical nature.
Time and Punctuality
Fogg's life is governed by precise timing, from the electric clocks beating in unison to the exact minutes for tea and shaving, underscoring his obsession with punctuality.
Characters to notice
- Passepartout
Explores the house, admires its order, and feels confident he has found his ideal master.
- Phileas Fogg
Described as exactitude personified, with a calm, phlegmatic demeanor and a strictly regulated daily routine.
Key passages
“So clean, well-arranged, solemn a mansion pleased him; it seemed to him like a snail’s shell, lighted and warmed by gas, which sufficed for both these purposes.”
The house was so tidy and orderly that Passepartout found it comforting, like a snug shell lit and heated by gas.
Passepartout's first impression of the house emphasizes its cleanliness and order.
“Phileas Fogg was, indeed, exactitude personified, and this was betrayed even in the expression of his very hands and feet; for in men, as well as in animals, the limbs themselves are expressive of the passions.”
Fogg was the embodiment of precision, and even his hands and feet revealed his character, as a person's limbs can show their emotions.
Describes Fogg's extreme exactness as visible in his entire demeanor.
“What a domestic and regular gentleman! A real machine; well, I don’t mind serving a machine.”
What a steady, predictable master! He's like a machine, and I'm happy to work for one.
Passepartout's joyful acceptance of Fogg's mechanical regularity.