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The Count of Monte Cristo takes place in France, during the end of the Napoleonic Era, which lasted from 1979 to 1821. This was a dangerous time in France, because the Royalists and Bonapartists were constantly fighting to determine who would control the country. Most of the book takes place in Paris and Marseilles, which are situated in France, and in Rome, Italy. However, a portion of the book is set in the Chateau DIf, where Edmond Dantes spends fourteen years of his life imprisoned for treason.
The mood of the story is dark and brooding. The novel is meant to be read by intelligent people, and requires a fair amount of thought to be used in order to understand the novel. The mood remains dark and somewhat mysterious throughout, giving it a strange attraction to many people. The conflicts in this story are man vs. man, because Dantes returns after fourteen years to take his revenge out on the four men who sent him to prison. He uses a seemingly unlimited amount of money in doing this, because he was told the location of a great treasure while he was in prison, and claimed it for himself.
He goes after the men, Fernand Mondego, Monsieur Danglars, Caderousse, and Villefort, the judge who sentenced him to prison in the horrible Chateau DIf. Another conflict in the book is man vs. society. Dantes, who eventually goes by the title, The Count of Monte Cristo, has to live with himself after he sees what true pain and suffering he brought to the men whose lives he destroyed.
He is mortified after seeing the destruction of Villefort, which is ended by Villefort's wife taking her own life at the request of her husband. Dantes had to face himself and account to himself for all the hurt that he had caused these men. He eventually sails away and is never heard from again, not physically alone, but mentally anguished over his actions. The theme of the book was love and revenge. Dantes loved his fianc, Mercedes, and so did Fernand Mondego, her cousin. Out of lust for her, Fernand set Dantes up for many long years of prison just so Dantes and Mercedes could not marry, he then took her for his bride.
When Dantes got out of prison, he returned to his love, Mercedes, but was rejected after she discovered what terrible things he had done in order to enact his revenge. Revenge is another main theme in this novel. Dantes entire purpose in life after escaping from prison was to get his revenge on his enemies. After doing so, he discovered that in achieving his revenge, he had extinguished any chance for getting his love back, so he actually defeated himself.
The point-of-view used was third person. The story was told as if an observer was recounting the events giving the reader a fairly clear picture of the events unfolding. This type of point-of-view was very helpful and the best possible view which the book could have been written in, making it easier to understand than it would have been otherwise. Figurative language was used extensively in The Count of Monte Cristo, and added to the total picture. The language used allowed the reader to picture the events in his or her head, with little difficulty. Similes and metaphors were an integral part of the book, giving it depth and making it more entertaining.
The use of foreshadowing set the stage for the tragic events, which would unfold on Dantes. Mondego and Danglars are talking near the place where Dantes and Mercedes are reunited at the beginning of the book after Dantes has been at sea a long time. Mondego and Danglars begin plotting ways to remove Dantes from Mercedes life, without incriminating themselves to others. The conversation between the two men casts a gloomy outlook for Dantes future. Symbolism is a major part of The Count of Monte Cristo, and is used at length in the book. Dumas, the author, intended for it to be this way.
He used Dantes, as well as Villefort, Danglars, Mondego, and Caderrouse to represent men, all of who had their time of glory, and all of who also suffered. Dumas tried to show that the same is true for everyone. Dantes is living a successful life until others bring about his time of misfortune. He eventually overcomes it, however, and exceeds his previous prosperity. The four enemies of Dantes all are prosperous men until he brings about their destruction.
None of the four overcome their fall, and all eventually end up poor and alone. This is the point the author is trying to make. All people have good periods and bad periods in each of their lives, how they deal with those periods shows the type of person they are, and how the remainder of their lives will be lived. The author uses little visual imagery in the novel, instead forcing the readers imagination to soar. The little imagery he uses is to paint a mood of a feeling the reader should have about a particular person, place, or thing. Dumas does not use imagery to describe something, only briefly telling the physical characteristics of the thing, and allowing the reader to picture it as he or she wishes.
The entire plot of the book is ironic. A man is ruined by jealous enemies. He returns fourteen years later, to take out his revenge on these men. After destroying their lives, which is ironic, because they had tried to destroy his, he finds that the very actions he took to allow himself the opportunity to be with the woman he loves, only drives her away. The authors style is narrative.
He tells the story, in a fascinating and engaging way, but still only tells the story. The style used contributes to the book, making it more mysterious, since the reader cannot tell the thoughts of the characters, and cannot tell the outcome of each event. This was a very interesting book. I enjoyed it immensely because of the thought required to keep up with the language and plot. A largely negative point, however, deals with the many different names people had in the story.
This made the book harder to follow, and forced the reader to look back in order to find who had done a particular thing, and what their other name was. The book as a whole was very good, and engrossing to the point that the reader has a hard time putting the book down after starting. The Count of Monte Cristo is truly a classic and will be enjoyed for years by generations to come. Bibliography:
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