The Count of Monte Cristo
a book review
By Courtney Rumala, 10th grade, March 30, 2004

The Count of Monte Cristo is a novel by Alexandre Dumas. This novel serves as a framework for the movie The Count of Monte Cristo, directed by Kevin Reynolds.

In both the novel and the movie, Edmond Dantes is the main character. At the young age of nineteen, he is about to become the captain of a ship named the Pharaon. To make his life even better, he is engaged to a beautiful young girl named Mercedes. Obviously, this guy’s life couldn’t get any better, and jealous men, including his best friend Fernand, work against him, framing him for a crime he didn’t commit (assisting Napoleon to escape his exile).

He is imprisoned at the Chateau D’If for fourteen years where he meets a priest named Abbe Faria, who educates Dantes in many different areas. When Dantes finally escapes, he uses the priest’s teachings and treasure to play the role of the Count of Monte Cristo. He uses this role to take vengeance on his enemies and to make them suffer the way he did.

In the novel, Dantes is a “believer,” but his anger and desire for revenge blind him. He sees himself a God’s “angel of justice,” and when he finds the priest’s treasure, he views it as a gift from God. When he assumes the role of the Count of Monte Cristo, he tells his victims that the punishment he gives is of God who rewards the good and punishes the evil. You see, he feels he has earned his power over life and death by his suffering. He carries out his vengeful task without remorse, which later leads to the death of Edouard.

In the end, Dantes realizes and confesses that his blinding revenge led him to do his sinful actions. In a letter to his trusted friend Maximilien, he writes: “Tell the angel who will watch over your life to pray now and then for a man who, like Satan, believed himself for an instant to be equal to God, but who realized in all humility that supreme power and wisdom are in the hands of God alone.”

In contrast to the novel, the movie portrays Dantes as a Christian who turns his back on his faith when he endures great suffering. When Dantes thinks he can’t take anymore, he attempts suicide. He is saved when he comes in contact with a carving on the wall reading: “God will give me justice” (carving also occurs in the movie). For the next several years, Dantes carves out this saying until it is deeply pierced into the rock wall. His carving motivates him to keep his faith in God and to stay alive. However, before long, he loses his will to live. By the time Dantes comes in contact with the priest, Abbe Faria, he is angry at God and fervishly craving for vengeance. The priest can see God’s workmanship, where Dantes doesn’t, and tells him maybe revenge has served God’s purpose of keeping him alive. The priest also sees Dantes’ passionate vengeance and warns him that judgment belongs to God. Dantes does not take heed to this warning and says that he does not believe in God.

From then on, Dantes quenches his need for revenge, without mercy, until a meeting with his previous fiancée, Mercedes. During this meeting, Mercedes tells Dantes that love can heal all wounds and God has offered them a new beginning. However, Dantes continues his vengeance and finally returns to God after his vengeance is complete. In the end, Mercedes and Dantes have a son, and he swears to God that he will use his gifts for good.

In conclusion, the novel had more precise detail, especially the way it portrays Dantes faith. You see, at the end of the novel, Dantes realizes his fault and surrenders to God. In the movie, Dantes does realize his fault and returns to God. However, he does as he pleases until he gets what he wants. It is then that he finally goes back to God. To me, Dantes’ attitude demonstrates that he could go to God and could leave Him as he pleased without any problems. I don’t think the producers of the movie meant to send this message, but it did catch my eye. Overall, the novel and movie are great, and I would recommend them to anybody.

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