How Does 'Journey To The Center Of The Earth' End?

The ending of 'Journey to the Center of the Earth' is a thrilling mix of discovery and escape. After descending through volcanic tubes and encountering prehistoric creatures, the trio—Professor Lidenbrock, Axel, and Hans—find themselves in a vast underground ocean. They build a raft and sail across this mysterious world, eventually witnessing a battle between sea monsters. Their journey takes a dramatic turn when they get caught in a volcanic eruption that propels them back to the surface through a geyser in Stromboli, Italy. The sudden return to daylight feels surreal after months underground. They bring back incredible knowledge, though Axel notes how little physical evidence remains—just their memories and a few notes. It’s a classic Verne ending: science triumphs, but nature keeps its deepest secrets.

Verne’s masterpiece wraps up with a spectacular sequence that blends scientific curiosity with sheer survival instinct. The group’s underground odyssey culminates in a cataclysmic eruption, but let’s rewind a bit. Before their explosive exit, they explore a subterranean world teeming with Jurassic-era flora and fauna, including giant mushrooms and extinct marine reptiles. The professor’s obsession with reaching the center nearly gets them all killed multiple times, but Hans’ steady guidance and Axel’s growing courage keep them alive.

Their makeshift raft drifts onto a shore where they discover giant humanoid fossils, hinting at civilizations lost to time. This moment is haunting—Verne subtly suggests that humanity’s dominance is fleeting. The eruption sequence is pure adrenaline; the raft gets sucked into a magma chamber, then shot upward like a cork. Waking up on Stromboli’s slopes feels like a rebirth. The professor immediately starts planning another expedition, while Axel just wants to marry his sweetheart, Grauben. Verne leaves us wondering: was it all real, or a hallucination? The lack of concrete proof gnaws at the scientific mind, making the ending deliciously ambiguous.

For readers who enjoy this mix of adventure and existential doubt, I’d recommend checking out 'The Lost World' by Arthur Conan Doyle. It plays with similar themes but adds a sharper edge of colonialism and exploitation.

What struck me about the ending is how it mirrors the characters’ transformations. Axel, initially terrified of the journey, becomes its most poetic chronicler. The final chapters show him marveling at the underground sky’s electrical phenomena—a far cry from the guy who fainted at the start. Hans, the stoic guide, saves them repeatedly but gets no fanfare; his quiet competence contrasts with the professor’s bombastic theories.

The escape itself is chaotic. The raft surfs a lava wave like some prehistoric surfer, and Verne’s description of the ‘vertical hurricane’ still gives me chills. When they surface, the contrast between the subterranean wonders and mundane Italy is jarring. The professor’s immediate urge to publish feels true to his character, but Axel’s focus on Grauben adds heart. Their shared trauma bonds them, yet each interprets it differently: as validation, as romance, as just another job.

If you liked this blend of hard science and human drama, try 'At the Mountains of Madness' by Lovecraft. It’s darker but shares that awe of ancient, hidden worlds.