The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas is an adventure and historical fiction novel that encompasses forgiveness, power, and vengeance. The story follows the adventure of Edmond Dantès, who dedicated the rest of his life to getting vengeance on the men who crossed him. Critics Justin Kaplan and Bryan Aubrey both explain their views on Dumas’ work, in great detail. Kaplan, in Treasure and Vengeance, speaks of his own life, and connects it with Dumas’ work. Aubrey, in his critical essay, on the other hand analyzes Dumas’ piece strictly based upon Edmond’s morality. In Treasure and Vengeance, Justin Kaplan speaks about The Count of Monte Cristo in the highest regard. After a brief back story on himself, he quickly transitions into connecting it with the book itself. Kaplan claims that “in a singular sense, [Edmond’s] motive was disinterested: not the means to anything else and with no purpose other than its own fulfillment” (Kaplan). This is a key aspect in Kaplan’s criticism. He adds that his “revenge, driven by the festering sense of injustice” is what drives Edmond throughout the story (Kaplan). The whole story revolves around Dantès’ dire need to get revenge on Fernand, as well as others who have crossed him. In fact, the Count himself says that “for all evils there are two remedies - time and silence” (Dumas 523). His sole mission is to retaliate against Mondego, who was the cause of his wrongful conviction. He intends to get his revenge for his own needs
A theme in The Crucible is that a society ruled by theocracy and status based on religion is bound to fall apart. Salem 's strict adherence to the Christian shurch is evident in everything the citizens do. They use measures of a person 's knowledge and adherence to the religion as a means of judging their character and also their status in society. They believe "God [was] provoked so grandly by such a petty cause" (121), which is why the "jails are packed" (121). If the citizen did anything to make God angry, they were punished. This is why the judges were so relentless and naïve in putting the accused women to trial and convicting them. They believed "the law, based upon the Bible, and the Bible, writ by the Almighty God,
When it comes to one’s dreams and aspirations, it’s commonly agreed on that following your dreams is something that most people should strive to do. After all, how would one stay motivated if they didn’t have anything to work towards? Yet, in some cases, having too much determination to accomplish your goals can end up having a negative effect. In any case, nothing handles this idea quite like Alexandre Dumas’ novel, The Count of Monte Cristo. In the novel, a young sailor named Edmond Dantes is framed by three men that all want something that Edmond holds. One of these men is the up and coming prosecutor, Villefort, who has Dantes imprisoned for life. These unjust actions bestowed upon Edmond begin his thirst for revenge, and eventually, he finds his revenge quite well. Unfortunately, Edmond ends up destroying innocent lives and the last part of his innocence in the process of getting that aforementioned vengeance. The only other thing that Edmond gets other than his revenge is the knowledge that having the undying determination to see your dreams come to fruition can be quite disastrous to yourself and others.
A common theme in many great works of literature is that of forgiveness. Through studying some of these classics, we can learn the lesson that forgiving others, lets you to let go of hate and anger, and to draw nearer to God; this helps people to be happier and to obtain peace, even in terrible circumstances. First, in Left to Tell, Immaculée was able to find comfort and peace, when she found it in her heart to forgive. Second, in Blood Brothers, Elias found comfort and strength in the understanding that Christ loves and forgives all. Third, in Les Miserables, we see the results of being selfless and choosing to forgive. In this essay, we will examine this fundamental theme in the books Left to Tell by Immaculée Ilibagiza, Blood Brothers by Elias Chacour, and Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.
Edmond Dantès, the main character of The Count of Monte Cristo, is an innocent and unsuspecting young man who is thrown in jail by those who were jealous of him. Once Edmond escaped, he changed his identity to the Count of Monte Cristo, and plotted a harsh revenge against his enemies. At the beginning, he said “Happiness is like one of those palaces in fairy tales whose gates guarded by dragons: we must fight in order to conquer it.” (Dantes 18) He thinks that his marriage with Mercédès is too good to be true, according to his statement. As it turned out, it was, and he was put in prison for fourteen years, and it was fifteen years before he saw her again. The only thing Edmond sought after he escaped from jail was revenge. So he took
When Fernand first betrays Edmond in The Count of Monte Cristo, his main motive is jealousy. This is blatantly stated when, upon being asked by Edmond why he is selling him out, he replies: “Because you’re the son of a clerk, and I’m not supposed to want to be you!” Edmond, who up until this point in the story had thought that they were best friends, is shocked by his betrayal and vows revenge on Fernand. This theme of jealousy is also present in The Cask of Amontillado with Montresor, the protagonist. Montresor’s jealousy however, is much more subtle. This is only hinted at when he tells Fortunato “You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as I once was.” (Poe, 6) as he implies that he envies the prestige that Fortunato possesses; Montresor was once a great man, Fortunato still is, and he is jealous. That is not to say that Edmond, the protagonist in The Count of Monte Cristo, is not also driven by jealousy as he spends a good deal of time conflicted about his feelings towards his ex-fiance, extremely upset by the discovery that Fernand ended up marrying her. This revelation adds a whole other layer to the betrayal that Edmond is feeling as well, knowing that the love of his life married the friend that basically sent him to prison for a decade. The betrayal in The Cask of Amontillado comes not from Fortunato's part, but Montresor’s. Fortunato is completely oblivious to the fact that he has done Montresor any wrong or that
The question starts in chapter 11. Peter encounters an astonishing disclosure that God is putting forth "the repentance that leads to life” (Acts 11:18) to Gentiles without obliging them to become Jews first. Be that as it may, when he goes to Jerusalem in the company of some uncircumcised (Gentile) men, some of the Christians there whine that he is abusing Jewish law (Acts 11:1-2).
As Edmond Dantes loses his dignity, he takes a new role as Count of Monte Cristo and other personas that was only a secret to himself and the audience, which is a form of dramatic irony. After Dantes escaped from prison, he goes to Monsieur Marseilles and tells him that he was “the head clerk of the firm of Thomson and French,”(Dumas 111) whose role he uses to buy an investment. Here he disguises himself as the head clerk of the firm of Thompson and French to prevent others from knowing, which is dramatic irony since the audience knows something that the characters in the novel don’t. Not only were his personas a form of dramatic irony, but incidents that occured after Edmond’s imprisonment were also a type of dramatic irony. Noirtier had hidden the fact that he “killed [Frank’s father]”(Dumas 310) from Franz, which is a form of dramatic irony since the audience knew about it. Through this fact, the reader can view Noirtier as very dangerous individual but also as a protective grandparent since he hid this fact from Valentine to protect her. Later, Caderousse and Andrea plans a robbery that will take place in the Count of Monte Cristo’s house, but this robbery didn’t stay a secret for long. The Count of Monte Cristo was given a letter that warned him of an upcoming robbery, and the Count inferred that “they want to kill me,”(Dumas 330) which led him to be prepared. Dumas uses dramatic irony here because it leads the Count to be prepared without Caderousse knowing, which
These leaps of faith allow him to make life-altering decisions for everyone involved. “Social scientists interpret these leaps of faith either as escape from rationality or simply a different level of rationality” (Sherman 1). The Count had a brutal life as Edmond Dantès; he had an extensive imprisonment, lost his love to his enemy, and was framed by people he believed to be his friends. The vengeance that Dantès seeks when he escapes the Château d’ If can be viewed as an escape from reality. Rather than accept what he has lost, Dantès wants to ruin his enemies’ lives; he refuses to continue life and deal with the pain. To escape from reality he uses his newly acquired wealth to buy himself a new title and a new life: all in the name of revenge. When Dantès becomes the Count and begins to plot his revenge he takes on a God-like image. His immense wealth and manners leave the Parisians awestruck. They have faith in him because he appears to be knowledgeable and well traveled. It is easy to hold someone with such impressive qualities to the standard of a godly figure. The Count takes on a father-like relationship with many of the young men in the novel such as Maximilien and Albert. God is also viewed as a fatherly figure, bringing support and comfort to his “children.” ‘The God-creator whom believers call father, Freud writes, ‘really is the father, with all the magnificence in which he once appeared to the
Edmond is imprisoned wrongfully and wasts away in prison and when i say waste away i mean it was the medieval ara so it wasn't a good place to be and it was amazing that he didn't die while he was there. Once he was released however he claimed his riches and went to his castle, it is here when he begins planning his revenge on the three men who got him locked up. He made the decision to use their greatest vice or most favorite thing for his revenge so that the impact cuts deep. So if the man was greedy then he would use his greed as part of his revenge.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, one can see the unjust subjugation and imprisonment of Edmond Dantes for a crime he did not commit. While imprisoned for just over a decade, he becomes skilled
1. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:5-6, ESV) James calls upon the people of God to pray for wisdom. But not to just pray for wisdom, but to do so in faith. James calls the unfaithful man “double-minded” as he is still has not fully trusted in Christ. James also condemns the Jews for praying only for their passions. The world James is fighting against is that of superiority-complexes and careless living. “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.” (James 5:13, ESV) Christ is the solution to the problem. It is our duty to ask him in time of need and praise him in times of joy.
Book Two is trying to emphasize three important points that God wants us to understand. First, Book two wants individuals to know that God wants all men to be saved and for all men to believe in him and now and understand that God is real. Secound, important point that is made in this passage is individuals need to not have doubt in God only knowledge and belief in God and in the choices that he makes. Also, individuals need to not be selfish and only look out for themselves but these individusasl need to follow Gods wants and needs that he has for us. Third, important aspect of this passage is individuals need to not judge God and the choices he makes for us. Individuals need to trust in God’s decisions and most importantly have faith in God because God makes choices for a reason. We may not understand why he makes the choices he makes for us but sometimes God makes certain things happen in order to lead us down a different path that we ourselves did not think of but God knows it is a good choice for us.
Fernand and Danglars talk about how to get rid of Edmond so the send a false police report about him.Edmond gets arrested and is sent to Chateau d’if for life for being accused of being a Bonapartist spy. Edmond escapes from jail with the help of Abbe Faria. He travels to Monte Cristo to claim the treasure. He returns to Marseilles in disguise as the Count of Monte Cristo and other alias. He tells people that Edmond Dantès is “dead”. Albert and Franz meet the Count. Franz gets a ransom note saying that Albert has been kidnapped and The Count saves Albert from Luis Vampa (who was his friend). The Count encounters Danglars about buy his prized horses from him. The horses escape and terrorized Madame Villefort and Edward her son. The Count saves them by having his slave lasso them. The Count invites them to his party and reveals that there was a murder at his house where Danglars used to live. Villefort’s mother and father in laws were killed. Valentine’s grandfather has a stroke and doctors said he was poisoned. He narrowed down that she poisoned him when she bought his
Alexandre Dumas’s novels and in particular The Three Musketeers are so great for his ability to mix fact with fiction. As a historical novel, The Three Musketeers bases its story around some major characters and events of 17th century, French history. Cardinal Richelieu, Anne of Austria, and other important characters really lived and acted the way they do in the novel. In fact, the historical basis of Dumas's story extends all the way to his initial idea for the novel, even to the Musketeers and d’Artagnan themselves.(history 1)
After Hester is released from prison Hawthorne leaves us wondering if her choice to stay in Boston was even a choice she could make. Chapter five opens with Hester coming into the light and leaving the cell in which she had been punished in for so long. However, once she is out, she decides to stay in Massachusetts, in the same community which has shamed her for so long. Hawthorne describes the decision when he writes, “it may seem marvelous, that this woman should still call that place her home… But there is a fatality… which almost invariably compels human beings to linger … the spot where some great and marked event has given the color to their lifetime” (71). In this quote Hawthorne is not only speaking of Hester, he is speaking of