Glossary

1. Providence
Providence is a term often used by the castaways who are very religious, a common trait among European settlers in the New World. It is a title of God, but also refers to God’s constant upholding of the world’s and universe’s existence, as well as His miraculous interventions in people’s lives, which the castaways often believed were the cause of inexplicable events experienced during their stay on Lincoln Island.


2. Castaway
A castaway is a term describing a person(s) who has been thrown away from civilization or place, and lives in isolation. This term was used often by the author to name the characters as a whole, and was really an unwanted title. When the ‘castaways’ had reached a quality life, they had then vowed amongst themselves to grant each other the title of colonists, patriotically settling for the benefit of their beloved United States.


3. Enigma
Enigma is a term which refers to a person or thing that is perplexing and which has no explanation. The castaways used this term often, when having been assured that the strange events happening on Lincoln Island were no miracle, they had no other choice but to be confused, until the ending of the book, where the secret was revealed. The first usage of the term was by Captain Harding, who again confounded by strange happenings called the source of these happenings a “strange and perplexing enigma”.


4. Orang
Short for Orangutan, an orang is an animal of the Primate order and the hominid family, as well as being the South-East Asian nickname for a person. This orange-haired ape lives on Lincoln Island, and an intelligent and charismatic orang had been captured by the castaways, under the name of Jup or Jupiter, to help them throughout the story with a multitude of tasks. The characters, especially Pencroft, had grown quite fond of the furry animal and his sudden death had a profound effect on the group.


5. 'Son of John Bull'
This was a very memorable term used by Pencroft to describe the wild orangutans which had plundered their beloved Granite House, one of which would become a close friend of Pencroft. The author described the importance of this term to Pencroft: “Pencroft, being a Yankee, believed to have reached the epithet of insults with the last term.”
The term itself refers to the average Englishman, and this is where the importance of Pencroft being a Yankee plays its part. The English and Americans didn’t have the closest relations, in fact quite the opposite, and by calling the orangutans literally a “son of an Englishman”, Pencroft shows his typical patriot hatred of the English, embodying the free will and swagger of the young United States.

Quotation #4

4. “I have seen nothing, yet there is something there!” (Captain Cyrus Harding)

This quote by Cyrus Harding was made after he explored the deep well in their cave house, which was part of a large cavernous system. Harding had been attracted to this spot after Jup, the orang-utan servant, and Top, the loyal dog, had both had their animal instincts tuned in for some strange and inexplicable thing down in the well. Harding explored it and found nothing, and uttering these words he had summarized the opinions of all the castaways as to the source of many extraordinary events on Lincoln Island.
Why is exclusively this quote important you might ask? This is due to the fact that when the inexplicable events had previously happened the castaways had often given the explanation of it being God’s will, or Providence. But as it happened more often, these words by Captain Harding had shown that they now believed it was less of a miracle and more of a being or “enigma” as the characters often said. They would prove to be right, as in the end it was a person, who had secretly helped the castaways. This quote signalled for me the beginning of how they would find out the secret of Lincoln Island, and ultimately, the beginning of the end.
In real world terms, this quote reminds me of the common times in our life when we search for a lost object. We know it is in the house, or in the bedroom, but try as we might, it's almost impossible to find it. It is a very frustrating feeling in all fairness, a sort of helplessness. But eventually we will somehow find it, hidden deep in a shelf or bag, just like the castaways and the secret of Lincoln Island, and these connections is what makes the characters real.

Quotation #3

3. “I should have buried my master, and then lain down on his grave to die!” (Neb)

This quote was one of the few really powerful quotes I had found in the book. Although this was in the beginning of the book, right after the crash landing of the castaway’s balloon, I found it relevant throughout the story, and not just for poor, loyal Neb. Neb was a former servant of Harding, but when the latter freed him, he wished to stay forever in Harding’s company. So great was his admiration for the captain that upon seeing Harding’s body motionless, he fell to his knees and uttered those words in desperation; that he would rather die than live without his beloved master. This theme would be ominous throughout the story, as Cyrus Harding would be integral to the castaway’s survival on the island, his knowledge being extremely invaluable, to which the rest of the group, albeit also important in their own specific ways, would be indebted to forever.

Neb’s behaviour is not particularly special to him. In many movies, songs, shows, documentaries and even in person I have heard of people saying that would “die” for something or someone. It is the ultimate compliment, to show that your life is not as valuable as something or somebody. Often it is used very lightly, most often the person over-exaggerates and wouldn’t really die for something (you wouldn’t actually die for a cold drink on a hot, summer day, but in this case you use the expression to show in how much need you are of something). However, when it is in a serious context, it can be a very humbling and modest expression, as well as powerful and meaningful. During the World Wars the most important thing for politicians and leaders to implant in the minds of their people was the idea that they would die for their beloved country, king, queen or motherland. It worked, costing millions of lives to be lost. That also shows that while this type of announcement is very meaningful, it can also be illogical and desperate. It is the easy thing to do, to simply take away your life and free yourself of regret or pain, but with a little bit of thinking you can find a much better solution, just as how Neb was sure his master was dead and was ready to do the unthinkable, when Gideon Spilett discovered dear, old Harding was alive.

Quotation #2

2. ‘It was not a pebble- it was a leaden bullet.’ (Narrator)

The castaways had always wondered whether or not the island was inhabited. In fact when they had first landed it was the first question that had appeared in their minds, as the presence of humans meant either escape or an unwanted conflict, as they knew the dangers of pirates. With Pencroft’s discovery of the lead bullet inside a young pig, they knew for sure that the island is accessible by humans, and that they have weapons, which are usually not tools of peace.

Referring to the first quotation, a similar feeling of panic had happened again among the group, as their new life on the island could be in grave danger. This discovery preceded the discovery of Ayrton, a castaway on a close island and the eventual coming of pirates themselves. I think that this part of the story had ended the so-called ‘realization period’ and gave the story a new plot line to follow, as before it was simply a story of a band of castaways seemingly trapped forever. That and a couple of other related events will entice the reader, who will look for the answer as to how the castaways will use these events for their benefit.  

Quotation #1

1. ‘It was very evident that Lincoln Island was at such a distance from every country or island that it would be too hazardous to attempt to reach one in a frail boat.’ (Narrator)

The first half of Mysterious Island was what I would call a ‘realization period’. This was a time when the characters were learning more and more and realizing what their situation was. The quotation marked a turning point in this part of the story as the castaways finally discovered that they in fact were in danger of being stuck on this island forever. Before they had hope, but now it settled in; they would have to survive on their own. We experience it a lot in our lives, just on a smaller scale. It’s hard to compare that to something like a child not finding his/her parents in the last spot he/she saw them, but the panic that both persons experience is very similar.

The castaways reacted quite coolly, however, with a sort of acceptance, as if it was supposed to happen, which I felt like many chapters before. In many cases, it is much easier to create a negative plot change, and a pattern of many negative plot changes followed by a gradual increase in positive events and ultimately a ‘happy ending’ is prevalent in most works of literature.

Map & Reflection

After realizing how much of the novel was devoted to the description of Lincoln Island, it would have been a crime to not create a map to help visualize what and where the book was happening. I had lots of trouble to understand what the island ultimately looked like, and without an accurate knowledge of the geography of Lincoln Island, I was often left perplexed as to what was going on and didn’t fully realize the situations. Unfortunately my book did not include a map, which would have been exponentially useful; something I wish publishers would add in future copies.
What are highlighted in different colours are events and places on Lincoln Island that had the greatest importance to the plot. In order of appearance:

Bright Green- Location of the Chimneys, the castaway’s first dwelling on Lincoln Island. The chimneys served as an extremely useful welcoming spot, but eventually proved to be uninhabitable.

Yellow-Green- Location of Jacamar Wood, the single-most important forest to the castaways. This forest was the first visited by the characters, and gave them the tools to survive, as well as being extremely abundant in game.

Red- Location of Granite House, the permanent dwelling of the settlers. Harding was a genius to create a house in the middle of a cliff, thereby giving the settlers a place to be at ease, as it was very secure from intruders and nature, excluding a singular plundering by a group of orangutans.

Purple- Route of Expedition to the Serpentine Peninsula. This expedition completed the castaway’s survey of the island, and now held the knowledge of knowing the exact geography of Lincoln Island, as well as routes for efficient transportation.

Orange- Scene of the Battle between Lincoln Settlers and Pirates. After the discovery of the lead bullet, the castaway’s prepared for the arrival of people, good or bad. They found out it was bad company, and outnumbered and outgunned they managed to defeat the pirates, although a few escaped onto the island to cause havoc for the settlers (and to continue the plot and hold the reader’s attention). This battle also laid the basis for more mysterious events to happen, which solidified the castaway’s belief that it was not God behind the events but a being on the island.

Blue- Location of Dakkar Grotto, or Captain Nemo’s Crypt. This location was the scene in which the secret behind Lincoln Island was revealed, where the sub-plot of the whole story which had kept everything flowing had ended in the most intricate way possible.

Second Section - Dystopian Environment Analysis

An utopia is the utmost desirable place to be in. There are no flaws and everything is just the way one would imagine a perfect world. Because it is a perfect world.

Then there are dystopias. The exact opposites of a utopia. Everything is going wrong in this dysfunctional society. Broken, Evil, Terrible are just some of the adjectives to describe them. This is what many people think our world will become in the future.
But what do these terrible places have to do with four men and their canine friend stuck on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? Lincoln Island is a direct dystopia, in that it is just simply an undesirable place to be in; a small, uninhabited isle in the middle of nowhere. Most fictional dystopias have a deep controversy behind them, a certain dark problem like a tyrannical ruler or a lack of understanding. But Lincoln Island is nothing, and while the band of castaways manage to survive, and meet most of their basic needs, it's still far from the pleasures of the Industrialized America of which they were thrown away from.
Speaking of which, shows a message which most of us are familiar with, "Don't take what you have for granted."
How their lives went from being prisoners of the Confederates to prisoners of nature, where they were forced to survive with nothing but themselves. It shows how one day a businessman maybe doing great business, the next day stocks are crashing and he is bankrupt. How one day an athlete is performing way-above standard, the next day a career-ending injury befalls him/her. It all happens oh so suddenly, and Jules Verne touches up on these aspects of life.
One thing I noticed about the book was the way in which Verne portrayed the freed black slave Neb, who stayed with his master even after he was freed. This style of writing, portraying black slaves as wise, loyal and    thankful people, was very common in the pre-Black Rights Movement era. It almost seems as if Verne wanted to portray slaves as people who liked being servants, a very ignorant view in my opinion.
Whether that is true or not cannot be found, as Verne has long been 6 feet under. However, not all the hidden messages are negative. One more important aspect that he is trying to show is something that is too often absent in our separated, jealous world, and that is teamwork and co-operation. This was a fitting message to put in the book in Verne's time; America was on the rise as a global power, but for it to truly succeed it needed the whole American populace to work for mutual good. Jules Verne was trying to point out how important it is to anybody's success. His characters were essentially role models for the ideal American citizen; loyal, intelligent, resourceful and eager.
I think Verne did a great job in pointing out some of society's inadequacies, and how important it is to resolve those inadequacies. As it is commonly said, the moral of the story is without the ability to look past one's differences and without teamwork there will be no success.

Blog Assignment - First Section

      The Mysterious Island      Jules Verne     1864

    The Mysterious Island is one of Verne's most famous books. Multiple movie remakes have been made, including an upcoming blockbuster directed by Brad Peyton. It's the story of four resourceful men united by desperation to escape from the prisons of the besieged Confederate town of Richmond. After stealing the hot-air balloon stationed in the town, they are blown by a ferocious wind into the depths of the Pacific Ocean, where as unrealistically as flying ten-thousand kilometres in a balloon, they wind up stranded on a strange island. They heartily make a new life and prosper, all the while discovering new secrets about the "Mysterious Island".

    The book is filled with those classical Victorian Era phrases, that give it an antique feel. Much of the first pages of the book is devoted to the geographical analysis of the island and the immense detail that Verne gives can be somewhat overwhelming at times. But in time, when the fairly long setup period ends, the mysteries unravel and the plot that Verne creates is astounding, and the frantic conclusion brings and end to the deep story.
    Jules Verne put into the book an incredible knowledge of mathematics and the natural sciences. Every member of the castaways was skilled or knowledgeable in one thing or another. As was said in the book, "There could not be a group of men more able to survive on this island." The characters themselves are examples of the ideal patriotic American. They are loyal and never lose confidence, especially with Captain Cyrus Harding, the engineer that was indispensable to their survival. However, a mysterious benevolent being is present throughout the book, which saves the little band of castaways in a way no human can. Whether it was the saving of Top, the dog who was almost killed from a dugong, to the killing of the vicious pirates who attacked the island. I found this somewhat unreal, as it felt like the characters were cheating their way out. While this might've been the style of writing employed by European authors back then, I feel that that this turns it from a fiction novel into a fantasy.
     Despite that, I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a spirited adventure. As with many good books, when it ended, there was a sudden sadness; the good times employed in the completion of the book were gone.