Quote:
Originally Posted by Catlady
Aouda was an underdeveloped character, but I was OK with that. I thought the description of her as seeming "European" simply indicated that she and the men were part of the same cultural framework and therefore shared the same sensibilities; she fit in, so we didn't need to deal with culture shock.
What's wrong with her being a secondary character to the men in an adventure story written in the 19th century? Her rescue lets us see Fogg as principled and heroic, when to that point he's been quite a prig. She could easily have been left in Hong Kong, as she served little purpose in the story till she was needed again for the plot at the end, but so what? Most of the men in the story are marginal as well, there only to provide obstacles or assistance as needed to advance the story.
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I wasn't going to bring this up, but making Aouda seem "European" just normalizes her so that it is not viewed as more of a mixed-race relationship when Fogg marries her. I don't think it was a short cut to ignoring the culture shock. But that is just my opinion, and I am not positing that it was definitely Verne's intent.
As to your second comment - there is nothing "wrong" with Aouda's position in the story, I was just explaining that it took away from my enjoyment. It bothered me enough to distract me, so it felt worthy of comment in the disicussion.