# XVIII: The Way Northward explained — The Adventures of Captain Hatteras

> Chapter companion for The Adventures of Captain Hatteras by Jules Verne.

## What happens

The crew of the Forward, motivated by the promise of monetary rewards for each degree of latitude crossed, sails northward through Melville Bay. Shandon expresses his deep resentment and skepticism about Hatteras's leadership, predicting failure once hardships begin. The doctor befriends Duke, the dog, while Shandon and Wall discuss the imprudent use of coal and the captain's reckless drive toward the Pole.

## Themes in this chapter

### National Rivalry and Patriotism

The crew's motivation is tied to British monetary rewards and the legacy of explorers like Parry, reflecting national pride in Arctic conquest.

### Leadership and Mutiny

Shandon's secret resentment and predictions of failure highlight the fragile command structure and potential for mutiny.

### Human Endurance and Survival

The chapter foreshadows the physical and psychological trials ahead as the crew heads into harsh conditions.

## Character check-ins

### Richard Shandon

Expresses bitterness and predicts Hatteras's failure; refuses to warn the captain about the coal shortage.

### James Wall

Conveys concerns about the crew's morale and the captain's imprudence to Shandon.

### Dr. Clawbonny

Befriends Duke and is amused by Bolton's jesting about 'the Sea of Money.'

### John Hatteras

Drives the ship northward under steam despite fuel concerns; uses monetary incentives to secure crew loyalty.

### Clifton

Calculates the crew's potential earnings and is eager to pass latitude 72°.

### Duke

Becomes friends with Dr. Clawbonny and shows instinctive hostility toward Shandon, Pen, and Foker.

### Pen

Is growled at by Duke, who harbors a grudge against him.

### Foker

Also targeted by Duke's hostility.

## Key lines

> absence of all dangers and fatigues, in an open sea; Hatteras has caught them by his money; but what is done for pay is ill done. But once let hardships, dangers, discomfort, sickness, melancholy, and fierce cold stare them in the face⁠—and we are flying towards them now⁠—and you will see whether they remember the pay they are to get.

Shandon argues that the crew's current obedience is bought by money and will vanish when real suffering begins.

_Shandon's cynical view of the crew's loyalty and Hatteras's leadership._

> The Forward sailed by Cape Alworth June 16th. Mount Rawlinson raised its white peaks towards the sky; the snow and mist exaggerated its size so that it appeared colossal; the temperature remained a few degrees above the freezing-point; cascades and cataracts appeared on the sides of the mountain; avalanches kept falling with a roar like that of artillery.

The ship passes Cape Alworth and Mount Rawlinson, where melting snow creates waterfalls and avalanches.

_Description of the Arctic landscape during the summer thaw._

> Clifton contented himself with remarking that there were two degrees between latitude 72° and latitude 74°: that was £125 to his credit. But they told him that a fortune did not amount to much up there, and that a man could be called rich only when he could have a chance to drink to his wealth; it seemed better to wait for the moment when they could meet at some tavern in Liverpool before rejoicing and rubbing their hands.

Clifton calculates his potential earnings, but the crew jokes that wealth is meaningless without a tavern to celebrate in.

_The crew's avarice is tempered by the absurdity of riches in the barren Arctic._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_adventures_of_captain_hatteras_se/chapters/xviii-the-way-northward
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_adventures_of_captain_hatteras_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_adventures_of_captain_hatteras_se/chapters