Phileas Fogg's life depends on time. He's all about punctuality, and his adventure's success depends upon being in the right place at the right time—and the minutes are ticking away. Throughout Around the World in Eighty Days, things get even more wild and crazy as time runs out for Fogg and company. We start to wonder if time is really on his side, as he so often assumes, or if the bet is going to end up becoming the biggest time-out of his life. (We've totally got more sayings about time coming up, in case you were wondering.) After all, if Phileas doesn't reach London in time, it's game over.
Questions About Time
- What does Phileas Fogg have time to do? What doesn't he have time to do? What does this reveal about his character? How about for Passepartout?
- Which characters use their time wisely? Which don't? How can you tell? What are the stakes?
- How does time affect the plot of the story? Be specific and give evidence from the text.
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
A gentleman with money has time for an adventure.
The purpose of time is not to keep track of it.