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Stockholm Syndrome

From: Raymond Macon <maconr~at~speakeasy.net>
Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:02:47 -0500
To: "Jules Verne Forum" <jvf~at~gilead.org.il>

Fellow Vernians,

 

I'm sure this has been discussed before, if not in this forum then elsewhere
but I want to raise the question for discussion. Is it possible that
Professor Aronnax fell victim to the Stockholm Syndrome while aboard the
Nautilus? The Stockholm Syndrome is defined in Wikipedia as "an apparently
paradoxical <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox> psychological
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychology> phenomenon in which hostages
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hostage> express empathy
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empathy> and have positive feelings towards
their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them." I would
definitely be interested in others' thoughts about this.

 

If Professor Aronnax was in the throes of the syndrome, how did this come
about? Aronnax and his friends eventually do escape thus breaking his ties
to Captain Nemo, but there certainly was a relationship between the two that
is worth analysis. Jules Verne was a master storyteller who wove different
elements into his tales, psychology being one of them. Captain Nemo has
been described by some as the prototype of the "mad scientist" who later
became a staple of fiction and later film. I'm sure many have wondered
about the way the three captives endured their imprisonment, each in his own
way. The relationship between Aronnax and Nemo, however, has always
fascinated me. Thanks in advance for your comments and remarks.

 

Raymond
Received on Wed 25 Apr 2012 - 00:03:23 IDT

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