Commander Farragut

Commander Farragut, the captain of the American frigate Abraham Lincoln, is the driving force behind the initial hunt for the mysterious sea monster that has captured the world's imagination. A man of absolute conviction and unwavering purpose, he embodies the martial determination that the novel's opening chapters require, and his actions directly precipitate the encounter that brings Professor Aronnax, Conseil, and Ned Land into the orbit of Captain Nemo and the Nautilus.

Identity and Command

Commander Farragut is introduced as a "good seaman, worthy of the frigate he commanded," a man so completely identified with his ship that "his ship and he were one. He was its very soul" . His belief in the monster is absolute, described as a faith akin to that of "certain pious women who believe in the leviathan from the Book of Job—out of faith, not reason" . This conviction is not a passive belief but a personal crusade; he has "vowed to rid the seas of it" and is portrayed as a "Knight of Rhodes, a latter‑day Sir Dieudonné of Gozo, on his way to fight an encounter with the dragon devastating the island" . His leadership style is one of total commitment, and he expects the same from his crew, offering a reward of $2,000.00 to the first man to sight the animal .

The Pursuit and the Encounter

Farragut's command is marked by an aggressive, relentless pursuit. He drives the Abraham Lincoln at full steam across the Pacific, and when the monster is finally sighted, he engages it with a tactical mind. Initially cautious in the dark, he declares, "I don't know what kind of fearsome creature I'm up against, and I don't want my frigate running foolish risks in all this darkness" . However, his caution gives way to a furious determination to match the creature's speed. When the Nautilus outpaces his ship, he orders the engines charged to a dangerous ten atmospheres, a command Aronnax describes as a "typical American order" fit for a Mississippi paddle‑wheeler race . When even this fails, he resorts to cannon fire, and when the shells bounce off the Nautilus's hull, he famously vows, "I'll chase that animal till my frigate explodes!" . This single-minded obsession defines his character and drives the narrative toward its climax.

The Collision and Aftermath

Farragut's relentless pursuit culminates in a direct collision with the Nautilus. The monster rams the Abraham Lincoln, smashing its propeller and rudder, and throwing Aronnax overboard . This event effectively ends Farragut's role in the story, as the frigate is left crippled and unable to continue the chase. The commander's final, implied fate is one of failure; his ship, the best in the American navy, is defeated by the very object of its hunt. His character serves as a foil to Captain Nemo, representing the conventional, surface‑world naval power that is utterly outmatched by the technological and philosophical independence of the Nautilus. Farragut's unwavering belief in the monster and his aggressive tactics are the catalyst that forces the protagonists into the underwater world, making him a crucial, if ultimately absent, figure in the novel's structure.