"The thunderbolt without the reverberations of thunder would frighten man but little, though the danger lies in the lightning, not in the noise." - Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Jules Verne
This quote can be quite confusing, but the basic meaning is that "without thunder, men wouldn't be afraid of lightning, even though lightning is dangerous and thunder is not". The quote is in reference to silent weapons having no effect against some men surrounding the Nautilus.
The comparison of manmade arms to natural phenomena amplifies the genre of science fiction and themes of the interaction between man and the earth. In this case we see the triumph of the natural world over men's efforts - not only is the fear of thunder shown to be illogical, but men's own deadly weapons are not able to generate alarm in the same way.
In addition to being thematically useful, Verne uses this quote to develop the characterisation of Captain Nemo:
There is unease and tension onboard the Nautilus, and so our narrator goes to speak with Captain Nemo. Nemo is doing algebra, a very emotionless and logical subject, and fitting to this activity he expresses no worry. He ensures the Nautilus' safety in a simplified dialogue exchange, which only highlights the matter-of-fact attitude of the Captain (Aronnax even reads him as "sarcastic").
"I am disturbing you," said I, for courtesy's sake.
"That is true, M. Aronnax," replied the Captain; "but I think you have serious reasons for wishing to see me?"
"Very grave ones; the natives are surrounding us in their canoes, and in a few minutes we shall certainly be attacked by many hundreds of savages."
"Ah!" said Captain Nemo quietly, "they are come with their canoes?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well, sir, we must close the hatches."
"Exactly, and I came to say to you——"
"Nothing can be more simple," said Captain Nemo. And, pressing an electric button, he transmitted an order to the ship's crew.
Verne exposes the folly of the human instinct of fear, and then immediately follows with Nemo's subversive attitude. In this way, we are encouraged to compare the two concepts, coming to the idea of Nemo as the thunderbolt*.
Nemo is a mysterious character. Our narrator wonders at his real identity, "Nemo" being a pseudonym**, and this builds our anticipation, as we expect that by the end of the book all will be revealed. However, this revelation never comes.
Nemo is open about hiding himself, often telling those onboard the Nautilus how he loves the sea because it allows him to stay away from human society. He opens the mind of our characters through his scientific and philosophic insights - this is his "noise". Like the thunder, it is harmless, and although it doesn't necessarily scare the men onboard the Nautilus it does make him an object of fascination.
Soon we discover the dangerous side to Nemo, as, contrary to his harmless noise, he has a keen obsession with revenge. One deadly strike, the sinking of a warship out of vengeance, ends the extent of our knowledge of the Captain. He is now seen by Aronnax as "superhuman", much like a thunderbolt.
We, and our narrator, are left to wonder about Nemo's true identity, as well as his capabilities for violence, as the novel ends with a string of unanswered questions. What is he without his noise, his scientific mind, his philosophy? What is the lightning without the thunder?"May hatred be appeased in that savage heart! May the contemplation of so many wonders extinguish for ever the spirit of vengeance! May the judge disappear, and the philosopher continue the peaceful exploration of the sea!"
*Indeed, this chapter is titled "Captain Nemo's Thunderbolt".
**nemo means "no one" in Latin.
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