Nothing says it better than this:"Fool that I am...that I did not tear out my heart the day I resolved to revenge myself."
The Count of Monte Cristo features a man who gives way to bitterness and hatred, holds the greatest grudge ever known to mankind, and eventually loses himself in revenge. Everything he was before, all of his innocence is now gone, not necessarily because of his misfortune, but because he chose to give it all up and become someone else--he chose to be hateful.
"Hatred is blind; rage carries you away; and he who pours out vengeance runs the risk of tasting a bitter draught."
This proves to be painfully true for the man who was once Edmond Dantes. In his bitterness, in his insistence to hold a grudge and get revenge on those who wronged him, he loses himself. He acts the part of God, doling out mercy and justice as he sees fit. He loses his chance at the happiness that was once available to him.
Do you think that this novel successfully teaches a moral, or do you think that novels should teach morals in general? It would be interesting to see how you tie a closer formal analysis into the themes of morality.
ReplyDeleteI think the novel does teach a moral. As a romantic myself, the whole time I was rooting for him to get back together again with Mercedes. But he never does, because in the end he chose hatred over happiness. I think for my formal analysis I will tie in some themes of morality, particularly with the question was it right for him to do what he did?
DeleteI love you worded this "he chose to be hateful," I think this aspect of agency is such a big part of the book and in Dantes. Do you think he realizes this? For a lot of the book, he tries to justify what he is doing, stating he's just following God's will, but other times he seems to contradict that and state that he actively chose this path. I think when he first met Villieford as the Count, he told him he was tempted by Satan to get all the power to be providence, and that he'll probably lose his soul.
ReplyDeleteAgency is huge in this book! In fact, that's one of the things I've been thinking about lately, is exploring that idea. To me I wonder if the Abbe Faria essentially "gave" Dantes agency. He taught him everything, helped him figure out who was responsible for his imprisonment, gave him the treasure of Monte Cristo, and essentially gave his life for Dantes, for it was through the death of Faria that Dantes was able to escape. Back to your comment, I think he did know that he chose that. In the end, during the scene in the garden with Mercedes, he seems to admit that he was wrong. When Villefort's wife kills herself and their son, the Count realizes his revenge has gone too far. And in the end, when it is all over, he seems to have nothing left to live for. Sure, he has Haydee, a young girl several decades his junior who has some strange Electra-complex type relationship with him. And as he sails off into the sunset he seems empty, devoid of meaning. The "Edmond Dantes" part of him is dead. The way I read it, he has nothing left.
DeleteFirst, thank you for choosing the Jim Caviezel movie stills, because Mr Caviezel is a perfect Edmond Dantes. Second, I agree with Annalee in saying that I love you said "he chose to be hateful." Dantes could have given up his agency and let God be the final judge, but he chose to carry out his own will (by acting in revenge). Second, is the novel teaching us a moral in that you lose more when you act on revenge and hate? Or is it teaching us a moral in that you have nothing to lose, and everything to gain? I'm also excited to see how you tie this into religious themes like agency, because I had never considered that before.
ReplyDeleteI personally believe that the novel teaches that you lose more when you act on revenge and hate. In the end of the novel, the Count finally realizes that he went too far. "since the death of little Edward a great change had taken place in Monte Cristo. Having reached the summit of his vengeance by a long and tortuous path, he saw an abyss of doubt yawning before him." He realized he had gone too far, and he realized that he had lost a great deal. Even Mercedes lamented the death of Edmond Dantes, the man she would always pine for who was now forever gone.
Delete