Student Question
How does the text prove that Mr. Fogg was not greedy?
Quick answer:
The text demonstrates that Mr. Fogg is not greedy by highlighting his modest lifestyle despite his wealth and his indifference to the monetary value of the wager he accepts. He undertakes the journey around the world for the challenge, not the prize. Even when he believes he has lost the wager and is nearly broke, he generously gives his remaining money to Passepartout and Detective Fix, illustrating his lack of greed.
Phileas Fogg is a very wealthy man, yet he leads a relatively modest lifestyle. For him, money is simply a means to an end, something that gives him the opportunity to indulge his eccentric hobbies. The wager he accepts at the Reform Club—to travel round the world in eighty days—is for a substantial sum: £20,000, roughly $3 million in today's money. However, the money does not interest Phineas in the slightest; it is the challenge that matters.
When Fogg returns home, he mistakenly believes that he has arrived late and has therefore lost the bet. The best part of £20,000—half his fortune—has been spent on the trip. But despite being financially embarrassed, Fogg gives what little money he has left to Passepartout and Detective Fix. We should bear in mind that the other half of Fogg's fortune was held in an escrow account to pay off the wager in the event that he lost. Because Fogg thinks he lost, he is also under the impression that he is virtually broke. His generous donation to Passepartout and Fix proves conclusively that he is not by any means a greedy man.
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