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CHAPTER 13: The Iceberg

The travel became more and more difficult. The Nautilus became trapped in the ice. They reached the polar ice cap. Captain Nemo asks Aronnax what he thinks of the present situation, Aronnax responds that he thinks they are caught. Nemo says Aronnax only sees jagged and obstacles. He say that the Nautilus will free itself and go farther. Nemo tells Aronnax he plans to pass under the ice cap. At night the vessel descends below the ice. Conseil and Aronnax can barely sleep. The next day the Nautilus is free.

CHAPTER 14: The South Pole

Captain Nemo is the first one to step on the land. He becomes impatient when the sun will not rise. The men return to the ship when snow begins to fall. Conseil and Aronnax return to the land another day without Land or Nemo. The next day the men excluding Land, return to the land. This is the last day the sun will be available for the next six months. They make all of observations. They could be certain reached the South Pole. After a long description of many other such discoveries, Nemo placed a black flag with a golden N on the land.

CHAPTER 15: Accident or Incident

While they leaving the South Pole, Aronnax is awakened by confusion on board. The ship was turned on its side and motionless. When they finally found Captain Nemo he told them that by accident the ship had run aground. An iceberg slid under the ship. They were emptying the pumps of the vessel to try to free it. They spent a night trying to free the Nautilus. When it seemed they were free, there was another collision. It seemed they were trapped.

CHAPTER 16: Want of Air

In the chapter 16, Captain Nemo tells the men that there are two ways of dying in their present situation. They are being crushed or being asphyxiated. They have generous provisions so that the foods are not an issue. Nemo’s strategy is to send his divers to cut through the iceberg at its least thick point. Aronnax notices the danger of the collapsing on them if the hole is dug through.
The captain decides to boil water from the jets of the Nautilus. The men begin to grow tired, suffering from oxygen deprivation. The Nautilus becomes free. The plan worked.

CHAPTER 17: From Cape Horn to the Amazon

As soon as the Nautilus be in the surfaced, the men rushed to the platform. They make deep breath of air. Aronnax thanked the other for saving him. When Land said he was simple arithmetic, that Aronnax’s life was worth more than theirs. Aronnax said this was not true. The men Start talking of leaving, think of how they might escape. Aronnax spends his days studying and reading. One day Conseil lifted a dangerous torpedo fish and became paralyzed for a few moments. That evening they ate the fish out of revenge.

CHAPTER 18: The Poulps

They sail off the American coast they consider how they might leave the vessel. They are not sure that it is possible. Aronnax has noticed a change in Nemo. He seems to be avoiding him. Nemo no longer visits Aronnax in the saloon. Aronnax does not think it is a good idea to ask Nemo about their freedom, because he is certain Nemo has no intentions of restoring it. Aronnax is also ready to return to the surface. He feels that he has enough information for a complete book.

CHAPTER 19: The Gulf Stream

As the ship travels north in the Gulf Stream, the men look for an opportunity for escape. The weather turns very bad to sail in a small boat. Ned Land tells Aronnax that they were in his shores. He would talk with the captain. He fears they will head to the North Pole and repeat the incident at the South Pole. Aronnax offers to talk with the captain himself. Aronnax goes to the captains room. Captain Nemo shows Aronnax the manuscript he is writing. He tells him it contains the secrets of his life and his discoveries in the sea. The plan is for the last man living on the ship, so the secrets will not die. He tells the captain that he and his companions will take the manuscript and keep it a secret. Aronnax asks the captain if he ever think to free them. The captain says that he who enters the Nautilus must remain there.

CHAPTER 20: From Latitude 47° 24’ Longitude 17° 28’

Aronnax and Land wondered if the Nautilus would enter the English Channel. Captain Nemo appeared again. Captain Nemo told Aronnax the story of how the ship sunk bravely in battle. The ship was called the Avenger.

CHAPTER 21: A Hecatomb

Ned Land suggests that if the ship comes within one mile, they should throw themselves into the sea. Nemo has been using the Nautilus for revenge. When Aronnax sees Land, he tells them that they must escape. They wait for night fall. Nemo remains on the platform all night. When the chance comes for the men to escape, the Nautilus begins to descend below the sea again. They lose their chance. Aronnax watches Nemo walk into his room.

CHAPTER 22: The last Words of Captain Nemo

Aronnax understands now that Nemo has obviously endured some terrible tragedy, Aronnax does not think there is any way to justify his actions. Aronnax finds Conseil and Land. The lights come back on and the men realize they are heading north to the Artic Sea. One day in the early morning while Aronnax had fallen into a heavy sleep, Land wakes him, saying they will escape that night. They are twenty miles off the coast of a land. They decided that they will escape, event they will be risk death. That evening, Aronnax tries to remember all the treasures in Nemo’s museum because they might be disappear with Nemo one day on the bottom of the sea. Aronnax hears Nemo playing sad music with the organ. When the time to leave, Aronnax tries to cross the saloon as quietly as possible. Nemo gets up from the organ releasing a deep sigh. He sobs and murmur the words “Almighty God! enough! enough!” Aronnax runs from the room still undetected. Aronnax realizes that they are off the Norwegian coast.

CHAPTER 23: Conclusion

Aronnax does not know how he escaped. He woke up in a fisherman's hut, on the Loffoden Isles. The journey was less than ten months and covered 20,000 leagues in the submarine tour of the world. Aronnax is now waiting in Norway for a steamboat to take him home to France. While he waits, he is revising his manuscript of his adventures under the sea. He hopes the captain still survive and that the hatred in his heart will subside. Aronnax ends his narrative by saying that he and Captain Nemo may now affirmatively answer the verse in Ecclesiastes "That which is far off and exceeding deep, who can find it our?".