Dumas did an excellent job of writing The Count of Monte Cristo with its coverage of themes, along with the suspense and action throughout the story. The main protagonist, Dantes, had a wonderful life; an excellent job position and the girl of his dreams, what more could a man wish for? However, due to the jealousy of others, all this happiness was taken away from him and he suffered. After countless years of captivity, he was able to escape and gain a large amount of wealth which would later fund his quest for revenge on those who took everything away from him. Along with suspense of what Dantes would do, there is the presence of love between the characters that drastically impact the story.
Throughout the story the main theme is revenge. Due to the jealousy and pride of his “friends,” Dantes was imprisoned for many years. After his escape and gaining his great wealth, Dantes learns the truth of the plot against him and he seeks vengeance out of anger and hate. Using the pseudonym, Count of Monte Cristo, and his vast riches, he quickly gained favor in the eyes of his enemies Danglars, Morcerf, and Villefort. However, his form of revenge was not actual murder, but rather manipulated their families and their past to turn against them. This caused great interest in how all his actions of manipulation would gain him his goal of revenge.
Although Dantes’ main goal was to get revenge on the men that ruined his life, he did show a heart of love and compassion to others. This is ultimately seen when Mercedes, the girl he loved and was to be marry, pleaded for her son’s life and Dantes agrees to spare him. Although so many years had passed, and she married one of the men that ruined him, he still loved her and spared her son. Another character that he loved was Haydee. Although his original purpose of buying her was to use her as a testimony against Morcerf, their relationship was great and she was greatly dedicated to him. Finally, Dantes supported Maximilian in his quest to marry Valentine. He executes this elaborate plot throughout his revenge to ensure that they would be together and be able to start a life that he was meant to have but was robbed of.
Personally, I greatly enjoyed reading this book and recommend this to anyone that enjoys sitting down and reading a book full of suspense and plot twists. At first I thought that The Count of Monte Cristo would be a dull love story that would end with everyone happy. However, with the theme of revenge and the use of the power of wealth, I quickly grew interested in the reading. The balance of how love mixed with the desire for revenge created so many plot twists that at times it was difficult to stop reading. However, the length was a bit long, with the abridge version only being a little over 400 pages. Yet I think that this amount of pages was necessary in order to provide a clear image and plot in the readers mind. Along with the great storyline that entertained the reader, this book taught life lessons that could apply to everyone. The main lesson was that revenge through your own power is not going to provide all satisfaction. There is a risk that someone innocent would get caught in your actions and thus changing your acts of “justice” into something that would cause more strife toward you and a greater burden on yourself. Instead of seeking revenge, it’s better to trust in God to bring the wrong to justice.
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