Question

Detective Fix tried hard but could not fix the charge of robbery on Fogg. Explain the statement from the point of view of Fix.

Answer 1

Detective Fix is a tenacious and determined inspector, who suspects Phileas Fogg of robbing the Bank of England. His suspicions are confirmed when a drawing of the robber bears a close resemblance to Fogg. However, Fix cannot arrest Fogg without a warrant. At the same time, he does not want Fogg to get away and thus follows him around the world on his travels, all the while waiting for the warrant to arrive. Even though Fix is sometimes identified as the ‘antagonist’ of the novel, his desire to catch Fogg is not motivated by enmity. Instead, Fix’s motivation is primarily professional. He deems it his duty to catch the robber and bring him to justice. However, it is also true that Fix desires the reward and the fame that awaits the detective who catches the robber. He succeeds in placing numerous obstacles in Fogg’s path and does so without Fogg ever realizing his true motives. Though it is easy for the reader to detest Fix for delaying and disrupting Fogg’s plans, his motive is somewhat justified as Fogg’s innocence is never truly confirmed until the end of the novel and thus, the reader, too remains suspicious of him. Fix is noble in his mission to catch a criminal, but also wavers from his morals when he tries to manipulate Passepartout. He is also focused and resilient as he leaves no stone unturned to achieve his goal. Though bound by duty, he is also objective in his view of Fogg as he begins to admire him through the course of their journey together and even begins to doubt whether or not Fogg is guilty. Even so, he continues to make efforts to arrest Fogg. Eventually, his efforts are rewarded as the warrant arrives in time for him to arrest Fogg at Liverpool. This completely throws off Fogg’s plans and ruins his chances of reaching the Reform Club in time. Though joyous at first, Fix soon realizes he has made a mistake when news of the actual robber being caught reaches him. This discovery leaves him feeling guilty and ashamed as is seen from his speechlessness when he releases Fogg and admits to him that he has made a mistake. When Fogg punches him in anger, Fix does not retaliate but instead accepts the beating as an indication of having deserved it. Thus, even though Fix travels the world in order to catch Fogg, places several obstacles in Fogg’s path, goes against his instincts of believing Fogg’s innocence, manipulates Passepartout and diligently performs his duty, all of which results in Fogg’s arrest, he ultimately fails in fixing the charge of robbery on Fogg.