Scott Charles Strikes Through: The Count of Monte Cristo Ch. I-X

With this my journey through The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas begins. The following encompasses all of the knowledge I possessed about the plot of this book before I began:

• It's rather lengthy
• The Simpsons parody, "The Count of Monte Fatso," was hilarious
• Or at least it was hilarious when I saw it however many years ago
• I cannot find this clip on youtube or hulu
• It's V's favorite film (from V for Vendetta)
• This clip, on the other hand, is readily findable.
• I’m aware of the basic plot regarding the main character being betrayed, imprisoned, escaping, and then obtaining vengeance. 

With this series of posts, I'm trying to figure out how big of a chunk of the post each post should cover. My gut feeling is to do ten chapters per post, which would result in 12 posts. This might change as the blog continues.

I am reading from the Penguin Classics edition of the book, primarily because of the good things I have heard about the translation. 

Also, fair warning, this post will contain spoilers for the first ten chapters.

So... Let's do it!

The Count of Monte Cristo Chapters I-X

From the very beginning, this book is addicting. It has a great sense of adventure to it as tensions build and the world surrounding the main characters grows. I can say pretty confidently that, unless this book takes some bizarre turn,  I am going to be a pretty big fan of it. The characters, especially Villefort are engaging in a way that I was not expecting. The book also has a historical angle that I really appreciate. 


The story seems to begin where most stories would end. Edmond Dantés has returned from a long and difficult journey abroad and is finally able to marry Mercédès. Due to the death of captain Leclère, he is likely to become the next captain. All Edmond has to do is deliver a letter, and all outstanding duties would be resolved. Everything is going well. But that's the thing about life, even after all conflicts are resolved, life continues. And it is with a feeling of resolution that this book begins. 

It also starts by defining Edmond as a sort of romanticist amongst a world of realists. When discussing his Captain's death, he points out how strange it is for Leclère to have fought "the war against the English for ten years – only to die at last, like anyone else, in his bed" (8). A detail that threw me off  was the "melancholy smile" that Edmond says this with, signifying his amusement at the irony. But the comment itself shows that he is concerned with the nature of one's death. This is in direct contrast to the ship owner's utilitarian response: "We are all mortal. The old must give way to the young or else there would be no progress or promotion. As long as you can assure me that the cargo..."

 When reading classics, I like seeing the connections to fiction being produced today. The main two things that came to mind both happen to be written by Alan Moore. Despite not being quite there yet in the book, I can see where connections to V for Vendetta will come in. In that film/graphic novel, after escaping the facility in which he is becoming experimented upon, V, who has had his identity removed, recreates himself to deliver vengeance. Based on what I know about Monte Cristo, the two characters seem to be linked. IIRC, The Count of Monte Cristo (we will begin abbreviating to CoMC) was not referenced in the V for Vendetta graphic novel, but the same connection applies.

A reference more relevant to the section at hand is Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's Batman: The Killing Joke. This comic is one of the most important stories about the Joker. The depiction of the Joker in this book heavily influenced all that followed, including those in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman and The Dark Knight. There is not a specific reference to CoMC, but there is definitely a connection. 

With the intention of avoiding spoilers, the Joker's goal in this comic is to make Jim Gordon go insane in order to prove to Batman that the difference between sanity and insanity only is one bad day.

In the Chateau D'If, after a day of being arrested at his betrothal, betrayed by Villefort, and imprisoned, the narrator declares that "Dantés was very close to madness" (83). It is a thin connection, but it does display the precariousness of happiness.

This sentiment is communicated by Villefort when he exclaims, "On what slender threads do life and fortune hang!" (72). Dantés even displays a similar sentiment himself at his betrothal: "I cannot think  that man is meant to find happiness so easily! Happiness is like one of those places on an enchanted island, its gates guarded by dragons. One must fight to gain it; and, in truth, I do not know what I have done to deserve the good fortune of becoming Mercédès' husband" (42).  

Not only does that quote once more display Dantés romanticism, it also cleverly foreshadows his imprisonment on an island where he will presumably begin his struggle to get back his happiness. Furthermore, the idea of a pursuit for happiness (quote from John Locke and the title of a Will Smith film), is one that seems appealing. But what I think the real battle is, and what this book is more concerned with so far, is maintaining happiness.

Villefort is a great foil for Edmond. They both are getting betrothed and are both just about to receive great happiness. And Villefort is self aware enough to  realize that he could very easily be in Edmond's shoes. I don't know if Villefort is the central antagonist to the book, but he is an antagonist that is very aware that he is doing something wrong. The guilt he almost immediately feels about his decision his surprising. He is aware that he is punishing Dantés to save his own skin and maintaining his happiness. 
  
The entire plot against Dantés also reveals the pure precariousness of  happiness. All it takes is a single letter, turned in anonymously, suggesting connections between Edmond and Napoleon. The plot itself reminded me a lot of Othello. The relationship between Fernand and Danglers is very similar to that of Roderigo and Iago. Except, Danglers is not quite as inexplicably malevolent as Iago is. They are motivated similarly. Iago, at least starts out by being angry that Othello promoted Cassio instead of him. Danglers is angered at Dantés' promotion to Captain. Both see their counterparts as arrogant and undeserving of their happiness. But where Iago seems purely and limitlessly evil, to Danglers "everything in this world was subtraction or multiplication,  and a numeral  was much dearer than a man, when it was a numeral  that would increase the total" (88). The plot also reminds me of the biblical story of Joseph (aka Joseph and the Technicolor Dream coat (I never understood the title to that musical. It's not like the coat is what gives him the ability to interpret dreams)).

With all of that said, CoMC is pretty good so far.  Despite its darkness, it has a touch of levity to it that makes it addicting. Overall, I would definitely recommend reading it. Hopefully, this was somewhat enjoyable. Feel free to comment below without spoilers.

Thanks for reading,
Scott-Charles