It’s a wonderful book, and definitely deserves it’s status as a classic. But it was dense and intricate and long, and wasn’t a book to be sped through. This tome is meant to be savored, and savor it I did. The Count of Monte Cristo is without a doubt the best tale of vengeance I’ve ever read.
This is a story of an Übermensch/Byronic hero and the grandfather of all revenge and psychological thriller novels.
The Count of Monte Cristo is one of the most mysterious characters I’ve ever encountered. He’s richer than Midas, no one knows anything about his past, including his name, and he takes Paris completely by storm when he appears on the scene. He is both an avenging angel and an angel of mercy. As he ingratiates himself into three important families on the Parisian scene, we get to know these families and watch as their lives fall apart around them.
Those little details that I thought were pointless? They really mattered. As I started nearing the end and seeing how all of these small details were coming back into play, I was completely stunned by complex the plot was. Every single tiny aspect of this book, all of the things that I thought weren’t necessary were totally necessary. I was blown away by how everything came together in the end.
And I really liked that Alexandre Dumas didn’t make the count and Fernand have a duel like Paris and Menelaus in the iliad by Homer because of Mercedes. The count is a more meticulous and calculating man than Menelaus. And much less having transformed Edmond into a copy of Menelaus who fights to recover Mercedes as Menelaus fought to recover Helen in the iliad. Not everyone is willing to fight for a past relationship like Menelaus did.
And even if The Count recovered Mercedes like Menelaus did with Helen, there would be emotional scars on him because of her marriage to Fernand just like Menelaus had because of Paris. and Menelaus used drugs because of this. Attempting to renew the relationship would only bring pain to the count.
Mortal wounds have a peculiarity: they hide but do not heal; always painful, always ready to bleed when touched, they remain alive and open in the heart.
However, I’m glad Edmond hasn’t completely degenerated. He was about to do it, he was almost convinced that he had God on his side, or even worse, that he was God and could freely dispose of the lives of others, but he stopped before falling into the abyss.
Don’t get me wrong, those idiots, who did what we know, deserved everything (can I say it was too easy for Danglars?), but I’m glad that at some point the Count decided to stop, because in the end it was up to him as a person, because at a certain point we have to let go, because at a certain point we have to realize that life also has more to give us, and we can still be happy, despite everything. And Edmond deserves all this happiness.
And Haydee was the one who offered the count the hope of new happiness.
Haydee was much better, she has a similar background and so she can understand the count better and won’t hurt him because of painful memories like it was with Mercedes. His marriage to Fernand would only bring painful memories and thoughts to him.
“All human wisdom is contained in these two words – Wait and Hope.
**In 2024 there will be two adaptations of the book. It will be a French film with Pierre Niney and an 8-episode miniseries with Sam Claflin.**
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by Pandora_box_Hesiod