Entry Five: Conclusions

   No more settings painted of a turbulent ocean. No more love triangles. No more elaborate plans of revenge. No more treasure hunting. Yes, indeed, the adventures of Monte Cristo are over. It's been quite the literary journey since the beginning of this novel and now it is time for a period of reflection.
   Lets start with the fate of one of Dantes' original betrayers, Danglars. As you may recall, Danglars was one of the jealous shipmates pining for Dantes' position as captain. Once Dantes has assumed the role of Monte Cristo and begins doling out punishments and rewards, Danglars is definitely not on his 'nice' list. However, Dumas provides the reader with a moment to breath as Dantes spares Danglars from a gruesome fate of starvation in his last moments. It was definitely extremely relieving to see a man given the opportunity to live.
   Within the topic of punishment and reward, looking at the novel as a whole one realizes how fitting all of the fates Dantes orchestrates truly are. Villefort, the man who originally imprisoned him, is driven mad. In this action Dantes takes away the mind that once allowed the man to enforce the law so cruelly. Ferdinand is then made heartbroken when his family and wife are taken away, just as he took Dantes beloved Mercedes away from him. Danglars only motivation was money, and in removing all of his material possessions Dantes hits him where it hurts the most. However, Danglars is really done the least amount of harm because it could be argued that a man can not reverse sorrow, nor his loss of sanity, yet he can regain his wealth. In all of these punishments, Dantes acted almost as a supreme being who did what was best in every situation.
   Something that was quite alarming at the end was Ferdinand's suicide. After losing all those that he loves he feels that he has simultaneously lost all the hope he once possessed in the world. Hope is above all the virtue Dantes values the most, so when a man becomes without it Dantes himself no longer sees a reason for that man to live. By expressing these feelings in the novel it made it seem as though Dantes was not guilty at all in his actions of making a man take his own life. Although he is depicted as a supernatural being, he is not literally one, and I felt as though this was not only selfish but terrifying. Dantes was capable of horrific things all along despite the fact that he was portrayed as the books protagonist. It is difficult, if not impossible, to imagine the hero of a story without any conscious at all whatsoever. 
   Something wonderful to see bloom was the final love story between Dantes and Haydee. After losing Mercedes to Ferdinand, finding the treasure, and taking on the identity of Monte Cristo, Dantes became disconnected from the world and all normal human interaction. It could be said that his only purpose was to give out revenge and reward, bypassing any type of genuine love. When Haydee expresses her true love for him he is reconnected to the world he has been missing for so long. After some of the more frightening actions Dantes has committed, it is nice to see that he is still human and capable of loving another individual in return.

  Overall, Monte Cristo was a fantastic read, filled with love and adventure (as all good Romanticism novels should be). Dumas takes those brave enough on a journey that's sure to make participants walk away with ideas about love, loss, revenge and how everything falls into place for a reason. It may get a little slow towards the middle, but the underlying message sings out strong by the end. Everything falls into place for a reason, and no matter how much good or bad you've done, you cannot change the course of fate.