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Aouda
View on Wikipedia| Aouda | |
|---|---|
| Jules Verne character | |
Aouda by Alphonse de Neuville &
Léon Benett (1873) | |
| First appearance | Around the World in Eighty Days (1872) |
| Created by | Jules Verne |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Title | Princess |
| Spouse | Old Rajah of Bundelkhand (deceased) Phileas Fogg |
| Nationality | Indian; British |
Aouda (औद / Auda), a character in Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne, is an Indian princess accompanied by Phileas Fogg and Passepartout. The daughter of a Bombay Parsi merchant, she was married against her will to the old raja of Bundelkhand. At the death of her husband, she is about to be sacrificed by her husband's relatives and other people of their society as a sati on her husband's funeral pyre.[1] Upon learning the circumstances of the sati and how this is all against Aouda's will, Fogg and company intervene and rescue her.
At first, Fogg attempts simply to deliver her to relatives along the way on his trip. However, when that proves impossible, she is their permanent companion who becomes more and more attracted to the intriguing and noble Fogg as she shares in the adventures. When they finally reach Britain and appear to have arrived too late to meet the deadline, Aouda fears that she ruined Fogg by causing him delays in his journey, although he firmly denies she was a problem. Now in love with the gentleman and also wishing to help him in his impoverishment, Aouda proposes to Fogg, and he joyously accepts.
As it turns out, this gesture by Aouda saves the day for them all for it prompts Passepartout to discover that by traveling east, they inadvertently arrived in London a day early and now have just enough time to sprint to the Reform Club to win the wager. The company set off for the club and arrive just in time.
Afterward, Aouda offers to end the engagement since the original motivation has been removed. However, Fogg, deeply in love and grateful for all Aouda is and has done for him, will not hear of it and they are happily married with Passepartout having the honor of giving her away at the wedding.
Adaptations
[edit]In the novel, Aouda changes out of her traditional sari for a typical European dress provided by Fogg. However, to emphasise the concept of the character as an Indian princess, most adaptations have her keeping her sari at least until the company completes the challenge.[2] In addition, modern adaptations establish that she accompanies Fogg and Passepartout in the final sprint to the Reform Club when it is discovered there is still time to win the wager.
The popular Spanish-Japanese animated adaptation, Around the World with Willy Fog, compromises on this detail by having Fog invite Aouda, here named "Romy", to change out of the dark-coloured funeral sari she was forced to wear for her sati and into a lighter-coloured one which she wears for remainder of the voyage. In the sequel series, Willy Fog 2, Romy eventually dons a European dress that mirrors her old dress' color-scheme although she keeps her Tilaka mark.
Casting
[edit]Aouda was played by:
- Shirley MacLaine in the 1956 film adaptation of Around the World in Eighty Days
- Arlene McQuade in the "Have Gun, Will Travel" episode "Fogg Bound"
- Julia Nickson in the 1989 three-part TV mini-series.
- Shivaani Ghai in the 2021 series.
- In the 2004 Disney live action film, Aouda is replaced by Monique La Roche, a French would-be impressionist (played by Cécile de France).
References
[edit]- ^ "Around the World in Eighty Days: Chapter 13". The Literature Network. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
- ^ Variety Staff (Oct 24, 1956). "Around the World in 80 Days". Retrieved Sep 3, 2024.
Aouda
View on GrokipediaRole in the Novel
Background and Introduction
Aouda is a principal female character in Jules Verne's adventure novel Around the World in Eighty Days, published in 1872. She is portrayed as a young Parsee woman, the orphaned daughter of a wealthy merchant from Bombay, India. Following her father's death, Aouda is forced into marriage with the aging rajah of Bundelkhand, a union arranged to preserve her social status within traditional Indian customs.[4][1][5] Upon the rajah's death, Aouda faces immolation through the ritual of suttee, a historical Hindu practice involving the self-immolation of widows on their husband's funeral pyre, which had been outlawed by British colonial authorities in 1829 but persisted in fictionalized remote contexts. Verne introduces her in Chapter XII during the protagonists' train journey through India, where Phileas Fogg, his valet Passepartout, and British officer Sir Francis Cromarty learn of her impending sacrifice at a temple in Pillaji. Disguised and intervening boldly, they rescue her from fanatical priests enforcing the rite, highlighting themes of imperial intervention against perceived barbarism.[1][5][6] Educated in an English-style school in Bombay, Aouda possesses a fair complexion, graceful demeanor, and proficiency in European manners, rendering her culturally hybrid and adaptable to Western society. This background enables her subsequent companionship with Fogg's expedition, as she joins them en route to Hong Kong, grateful for her deliverance and devoid of familial ties in India. Her introduction underscores Verne's portrayal of British India's colonial dynamics, where legal reforms clashed with entrenched traditions.[1][5]Plot Involvement
Aouda is introduced in the novel during Phileas Fogg's traversal of India by railway and elephant, specifically in Chapter 12, when Fogg, his valet Jean Passepartout, and the pursuing detective Fix arrive near the town of Pillaji. There, they encounter preparations for a suttee ceremony, in which Aouda—a 20-year-old Parsee widow of the recently deceased Rajah Oberi—faces ritual immolation on her husband's pyre, a practice condemned by British authorities but persisting in remote areas. Fogg, observing her distress and learning from a Parsee merchant named Fodjour that she had been raised with European influences and opposed the sacrifice, resolves to intervene despite the risk to his schedule.[9] The rescue unfolds in Chapter 13: with Fodjour's assistance and local fakirs drugged via smoke, Passepartout disguises himself as the rajah's corpse to interrupt the procession at the Pagoda of Pillaji. Fogg and companions abduct Aouda amid the confusion, fleeing on horseback before priests can pursue effectively. This daring operation delays Fogg's itinerary by several hours, necessitating the purchase and use of an elephant for rapid transit to Allahabad to rejoin the railway, underscoring the plot's emphasis on improvisation against cultural obstacles. Aouda, grateful and possessing modest wealth from her late husband, joins the group, initially bound for Hong Kong to seek a relative, as returning to Bombay risks reprisal from vengeful priests.[10] From Hong Kong onward, where no relative materializes, Aouda continues as a companion through the Pacific crossing on the Tankadere and Carnatic, the transcontinental rail in the United States (interrupted by Sioux attacks and sled travel), and the final Atlantic steamer to Liverpool. Her role remains largely supportive, providing quiet resolve amid adversities like Passepartout's kidnapping in India or the group's detention by American authorities, though she voices concern for Fogg's impassive demeanor. In America, she witnesses the Mormon settlement in Utah and the buffalo hunt, adapting without complaint to the journey's hardships.[11] Upon reaching London on December 21, 1872—believed by Fogg to mark the expiration of his 80-day wager—Aouda's affection culminates in Chapter 35. Distraught over Fogg's apparent loss and isolation, she confides in Passepartout and proposes marriage, asking if he would accept her as his wife. Fogg consents, scheduling the ceremony for December 25. This exchange occurs amid the group's oversight of the International Date Line's effect—traveling eastward had effectively granted an extra day, rendering their arrival the 79th day. Passepartout, prompted by Fix's earlier observation, informs Fogg, enabling him to reach the Reform Club by 8:45 p.m. on the true 80th day and claim the £20,000 prize. Aouda's emotional initiative thus bridges the plot's adventurous wager with its romantic resolution, leading to her marriage to Fogg and settlement in London.[12]
