Count of Monte Cristo Paper

Scott Pero
AP English 11
July 14, 2009
How is the text an intellectual quandary of man assuming God’s role?

Edmond Almighty
The concept of a god—an immortal being with the ability to control the very world we live in—has vexed humanity since the dawn of time. Gods have been man’s way of describing their world, from the changing of the seasons to why volcanoes erupt. God, in the singular sense, is even more intricate and all-powerful. God is our one true judge, and deals out punishment as He sees fit. Imagine having the power to destroy the entire universe in one second and create an entirely new one the next. In the movie Bruce Almighty, Bruce, a down on his luck News Reporter, thinks God isn’t doing His job right, and God gives him a chance of doing it better. What ensues, however, is Bruce realizing that being God is not so great. A literary counterpart of Bruce is Edmond Dantès, the protagonist of the book The Count of Monte Cristo. Dantès was a sailor who was aiming to be captain of the ship, the Pharaon, and who was betrothed to the love of his life, Mercédès. All that Edmond held dear was mercilessly taken from him when others, jealous of his success, plotted against him. This resulted in Edmond’s fourteen year imprisonment and his fiancée marrying another man. Swearing his vengeance as an act of God, Edmond escapes. The author, Alexandre Dumas, wrote the text as a quandary, or a “how-to guide”, on assuming God’s role. He writes that man should not, and he uses Edmond as a prime example as to the reasons why not. Like Bruce, Edmond tried to assume God’s role and dole out proper punishment. As Dumas exemplifies in Edmond, Men cannot assume God’s role because they let personal feelings cloud their resolve, they cannot control the outcome, and they chance submitting themselves to vengeance.

One reason that humans, especially Edmond, cannot even begin to understand the role of God is the particularly human trait of emotion. Man is governed by his emotions; they control everything that we do. Do we not reward those we love and attack those we hate, regardless of what is truly right? Edmond, under his alias The Count of Monte Cristo, acts in the same manner. His plan for revenge is seemingly fool-proof, nigh unbeatable. Little by little, he, either directly or indirectly, steals away everything his enemies hold dear, just as they did to him. Edmond’s scheme continues without a hitch, until Mercédès intervenes.

Having destroyed the reputation of the man who married Mercédès in Edmond’s stead, Fernand Mondego, his son, Albert, challenges the Count to a duel. Albert intends to make him pay for brutally tearing down his father. Edmond accepts, and heads home to prepare. He is met by Mercédès, who pleads to Edmond to spare her son’s life. Baffled as to how Mercédès knew his true name, Edmond reveals to her why he must take his revenge. Albert was simply an anomaly in Edmond’s scheme, and he plans to kill him in the duel so that his workings may proceed unhindered. Mercédès begs Edmond to stop, to let her son live, and Edmond’s feelings get the best of him: “Mercédès said these words with such infinite sadness and in such tones of despair that they wrung a sob from the Count’s throat. The lion was tamed, the avenger was overcome! ‘What do you ask of me?’ [Edmond] said, “Your son’s life? Well, then, he shall live!’” (Alexandre Dumas, 472). Edmond’s love for Mercédès still lingered, and because of this, he could not resist her. Because of his emotions, Edmond’s plans were ruined. Because Albert shall live, Edmond must die. There can be only one winner of the duel, and the penalty for losing is death. If he hadn’t given in to Mercédès, his scheme would proceed as planned. Edmond could control neither his emotions nor the outcomes of obeying those emotions.

Unlike man, God is omnipotent. Every power, both fathomable and unfathomable, is allowed to Him. He controls everything, from the stimuli around us to the effects our actions cause. By assuming God’s role as an agent of Providence, Edmond believes he can do just that. Having given Madame de Villefort, the wife of Edmond’s enemy Monsieur de Villefort, an elixir of brucine, a substance that acts as a medicine in small doses but a poison in high, Mme de Villefort uses the brucine to poison the members of her family so that Edward, her son, may inherit the family fortune. She is discovered, and M. de Villefort bids her to kill herself with her own poison, or she will be arrested and publicly displayed as a murderer. Not only does she kill herself, but the innocent Edward de Villefort as well: “Monte Cristo turned pale at the frightful sight. Realizing that he had passed beyond the bounds of vengeance, he felt he could no longer say: ‘God is for me and with me’” (567). Edmond never wanted someone as innocent as Edward to be murdered on his account, but now that one has, he begins to doubt the true nature of his plans. Edward had nothing against Edmond, and yet he had gotten caught in the crossfire, a casualty of the war Edmond waged. Man cannot control the outcomes of their actions, a side effect of trying to play God, and the end results are far from satisfactory.

Just because one exacts vengeance, does not mean that in the end, it is what they wanted. As Dumas portrays in Edmond, trying to play God does not mean everything will work out in the end. By the end of the book, Edmond’s revenge is complete; his enemies received their just desserts: Fernand Mondego had his reputation ruined, Monsieur de Villefort’s family was murdered, and Baron Danglars, a key conspirator in Edmond’s imprisonment, was robbed of both his and his bank’s finances, but at what cost? He lost what he cherished from the start. After meeting Mercédès at his house in Marseilles, they speak and Mercédès says she is not worthy of Edmond’s kind words. Edmond rebukes her, attributing his actions to the will of God and saying, “‘I taught my arm to slay, my yes to behold suffering, my lips to smile at the most terrifying sights.[…] I made myself into a vindictive, treacherous, wicked man.[…] I have reached my goal: woe to those I encountered on my way!’” (577). In the process of securing his dreams into fruition, he admits that he has turned himself into a monster, the utter antithesis of the man he was before. Mercédès then responds, “‘Enough, Edmond, enough,’ said Mercédès. ‘Now bid me farewell, Edmond. We must part’” (577). Not only has Edmond lost himself to revenge, but he has lost his one true love, Mercédès. In the end, he cared more about revenge than he cared about her. Is vengeance really worth eradicating both you and your love in the process? As Dumas writes, using Edmond as an example, it is the price to pay for acting as God.

Alexandre Dumas wrote The Count of Monte Cristo as an example of humans trying to attain a godly level in their retribution. Dumas warns man of such a mistake by using Edmond Dantès as the perfect example. Feelings clouded Edmond’s vision to stray him off track. Edmond had his limits and could not change what was out of his control. Everyone Edmond held dear, including himself, was lost. Edmond changed because of all this, but like Bruce of Bruce Almighty, he realizes the error of his ways, writing: “‘[…] all human wisdom is contained in these words: Wait and hope!’” (590). It is not man’s place to assume God’s Role. Instead it is man’s role to “wait and hope” for God. In the words of Bruce Almighty: “And that’s the way the cookie crumbles for Edmond Dantès.”