Summary of Chapter Seven: “Which once more demonstrates the uselessness of passports as aids to detectives”
Fix tries to get the British Consul involved in watching for Fogg. The Consul says that Fogg does not need to have his passport stamped nor does he need a visa for Bombay. Fix is sure he will come to the office and asks that the Consul not give him a stamp. The Consul says he must if the passport is legitimate. He refuses to delay Fogg until the arrest warrant arrives. When the Consul meets Fogg, he is satisfied he looks honest and stamps the passport.
Fogg goes back to the ship and makes notes in a notebook about the time and date of each departure and arrival. He has spent six and a half days on the journey so far. His notebook tells expected arrival times and actual arrival times. He has listed the main stops—Paris, Brindisi, Suez, Bombay, Calcutta, Singapore, Hong Kong, Yokohama, San Francisco, New York, London. So far, he is on time, neither behind nor in advance.
Commentary on Chapter Seven
At this point, the suspense is greater for the reader and Fix than for Fogg and Passepartout, who see no danger in going to the Consul’s office. The reader knows that Fix is trying to get Fogg delayed, but Fogg’s honest appearance as a gentleman makes the Consul let him go. The Consul tells Fix that despite Fogg’s similarity to the description of the criminal, there is nothing out of order. He thus prods Fix into further investigation of Fogg, and he decides to do it through the servant, Passepartout.
Meanwhile, we see Fogg calculating the journey very carefully through schedules--time gained or lost. He does not even look at the countries he is passing through. He lets Passepartout do the looking for him. Once again, Fogg is shown to be somewhat cold and calculating. He is curious only about his experiment and wager. Suez as a wonder of the world does not interest him outside of its utility for his quest.
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