20 000 Leagues Under The Sea In The True Confessions

The sea is used as a metaphor for freedom in many books, specifically The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, where the characters escape from society. Societal concepts and theories surrounding the sea have been around since the dawn of time, from the Cosmic Turtle to tall tales of sirens luring sailors to early deaths. Humans have had a fascination with the ocean due to its mystery and its seemingly boundless expanse leading to intriguing beliefs. These beliefs directly transfer to authors and then to the literature they write, prime examples being Avi’s The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle and Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. The protagonists of each, Charlotte Doyle and Captain Nemo respectfully,

Through her time on the ship she learns greatly about herself along with how the world truly is, in the end she figures out where her true self must be and who she truly is. Although the “coming of age” narrative has been used countless times throughout literature the way Avi uses the sea as a tell to explain Charlotte’s inner thought and outlook upon her situation is quite interesting and refreshing. Near the beginning of the novel Charlotte describes the sea as “Intoxicating” (Avi 8) and the “the sky itself, as blue as the baby’s bluest eyes” (Avi 28). These quotes show how the author reflected the protagonist’s emotions off the scene around her, while also demonstrating how the sea affects its viewer with feelings of excitement and new experiences. This is not the only time when the seas descriptions and Charlotte’s emotions depict each other “As for the sea it was almost the same color as the sky, a menacing claylike gray” (Avi 36). At this time in the story Charlotte is beginning to feel threatened but by reading into the situation you can tell she is excited to get this feeling, through her entire life she had been raised to be “proper” and “behaved” but now finds joy in the adventure and daring pursuits she finds at sea. At the end of the novel once she

According to canon Nemo was a genius prince of India whose kingdom was overthrown by the British, therefore he took to the sea by building the Nautilus, a submersible capable to traveling at speeds and depths unheard of at the time. He uses the Nautilus to enact revenge upon his enemies along with exploring the world and its seas like no one else can giving him ultimate freedom. At one point he even