# In Which This Story, as Truthful as It Is Improbable, Is Finished explained — Topsy-Turvy

> Chapter companion for Topsy-Turvy by Jules Verne.

## What happens

The final chapter reveals that J.T. Maston's miscalculation—forgetting three zeros in the Earth's circumference—caused the N.P.P.A.'s operation to fail, sparing the world from catastrophe. Maston is disgraced but later marries Mrs. Evangelina Scorbitt, who inadvertently caused the error by interrupting his calculations. Alcide Pierdeux gains fame for exposing the mistake. The Gun Club members face public ridicule, and the N.P.P.A. stock collapses.

## Themes in this chapter

### Scientific Hubris

The Gun Club's overconfidence in their calculations and technology leads to a humiliating failure, underscoring the dangers of unchecked ambition and the fallibility of even the most brilliant minds.

### Love and Marriage

Maston and Mrs. Scorbitt's marriage concludes the story, with love emerging from disaster; Pierdeux's romantic prospects also improve due to his newfound fame.

## Character check-ins

### J. T. Maston

Discovers his fatal error of three zeros, is crushed by disgrace, and ultimately marries Mrs. Scorbitt on the condition he never calculates again.

### Mrs. Evangelina Scorbitt

Follows Maston to Ballistic Cottage, confesses her love, and marries him; she is revealed as the inadvertent cause of his miscalculation due to her telephone interruption.

### President Barbicane

Confronts Maston about the failure, expresses irony and reproach, and later faces public ridicule along with the Gun Club.

### Capt. Nicholl

Argues with Maston over the explosive's power, defends his melimelonite, and shares in the humiliation of the failed enterprise.

### Alcide Pierdeux

Publishes the article exposing Maston's error, gains worldwide fame and reputation, and reconciles with his former sweetheart's father.

## Key lines

> Well, now I am not good for anything any more in this world.

Maston feels utterly worthless after his error is revealed.

_Expresses Maston's despair and loss of purpose._

> It is certain that had the problem of the modification of the earth’s axis been correctly figured, it would have had been exactly solved. But this forgetting of three zeros has made a change at the end of the calculation of twelve naughts.

Pierdeux's article explains that Maston's omission of three zeros multiplied the error by a trillion, dooming the project.

_Clarifies the technical cause of the failure._

> Yes, she was the cause of the disaster. It was on her account that J. T. Maston found himself dishonored

Maston blames Mrs. Scorbitt's telephone call for his distraction, leading to the mistake.

_Reveals the personal blame and irony in their eventual marriage._

## Links

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- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/topsy_turvy_se
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