Literary Analysis Essay: Count of Monte Cristo

Introduction

The Significance of Literary Devices in "The Count of Monte Cristo"

The novel is awash with many literal devices. The devices help greatly in ensuring that there is a creation of depth in the novel particularly in increasing comprehension of the plot. Similes, symbolism, and imagery further help in putting on various situations as shown in the novel. The different characters are well placed in the story and helped in the development of the various themes through the stylistic devices. Various important events are laid out in the story, which mostly centers on the treatment of Dantes the eventual development of hunger and hatred. The literal devices further affect the mood and tone of the novel. The issue of romance and hatred are among the major themes in the story is evident by the various interactions in the plot. Dantes has various stylistic devices, which are going to be dealt with in the paper. It is thus important to note on the importance of literal devices in helping build the story and further brining clarity between the different characters and thus providing a vivid observation into the interrelations that exist to determine the various actions and consequences that are created in the story by the author.

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The Role of Literal Devices in Developing Themes and Characters

The count of Monte Christo presents a great literal text associated with revenge particularly through the issue or romance and hatred where people suffer loss and aim for retaliation. Dantes in the novel is the protagonist while Villefort, Fernand, and Danglers are the antagonists. The issues associated with the different conflicts that arise in the text, in this case, bring about hatred. The first thing is the loss that happens to Monte Christo where he loses most of what he has particularly his relationships and love at the same time after his arrest. Hatred is greatly shown by Monte Christo in the way that he plots to revenge. The theme of hatred is further shown in the way that the Count brings out the proverb where he implies that he who wants another person to be hurt "will himself suffer misfortune" (Dumas 491). While the author uses various stylistic devices like metaphors, imagery, allusion, details, symbolism among many others to show the various instances of romance and hatred that were part of his life. One of the most dominant symbolism is that of the companionship existing between Dantes and abbe. Abbe symbolizes a father figure in Dante's life. He helps Dantes prepare to live in the outside world even though he had just come from it. In this case, he is taught how to deal with the various issues in life both men try to gain freedom through a tunnel, which symbolizes a pathway to freedom. Though he is reaching out for freedom, he is still not at liberty in himself. As such, he comes out prison, but he is still full of hatred and thus bound by it. The use of metaphors is greatly rife in the book. For example, the imprisonment that separated him from his normal life means descending to Hades or his lowest.

Hatred and Revenge

The author further uses irony in dealing with the various issues, particularly where there is something that the audience knows but not the author. The irony is further shown by the contrast in the character of the people in the book. Irony brings out hatred in the count particularly in bringing out the theme of hatred. Hatred is brought about by the irony where Monte Cristo contributes to the loss of most things that he had lost to some of the characters particularly those who are his enemies. Furthermore, Dantes refers to Villefort as being "more than just," adding to the irony. Irony appears in the way that he thought that they would "tell him that he was free" (Dumas 44). Imagery helps in showing the different circumstances of Dantes particularly through his imprisonment and his former status. His wealth is described as "magnificent and "splendid" while the cell he inhabited was seen as dark and desolate (129). The darkness, in this case, represents the position that Dantes are in the prison where he is hiding from the truth. As such in the imagery, the hatred prevalent in the story is shown greatly in the loss he has passed through. Imagery is further used in the way that the author looks at the storm "gigantic eagle" beating "the two horizons with its wings" (Dumas 66). Referring to the meeting with Faria the author notes, "He crept with great agility out of the whole he just made," where he foreshadows the escape of Dantes (Dumas 54). Furthermore, the situational irony happens when Faria dies so that Dantes can escape from prison. Through the irony of the story, the irony in the story one can get an understanding of the behaviors of the other characters. As such, they may be doing a various thing though they mean the opposite in their actions. Hatred is thus fueled by the change of circumstances that occur in the life of Dante which is shown by the author through the theme of conflict. He harbors hatred for his enemies and aims to be even with them should he escape from prison. The conflict and thus the cause of hatred is that between Danglars, Mondego and the Dante. The author thus uses irony and conflict in showing various events that lead Dantes to escape from prison and purse his revenge particularly about the hatred he has for his enemies. Conflict is further fanned by the hatred developed at the start of the story. Conflict, in this case, helps build hatred in the main character who is Dantes.

Symbolism and Imagery

Similes are further used in dealing with the lost love and further alluding to the romance that existed in the life of Dantes. In showing the love that existed, the author uses the reaction of Dante where he felt that "he was the culprit and her his judge." Hatred is greatly summed up in the way that images are used particularly where Dante notes, "it is not a man's lot to attain happiness so easily" (Dumas 17). The theme of romance is greatly highlighted in the novel particularly through the interactions of Dantes and Mercedes. However, the romance is short-lived when Dantes is imprisoned. The theme or romance is coupled with rivalry in the story through the different affections from different suitors. Personification is further used in the book mainly regarding anger where abstract words are given human characteristics for example, "Hatred is blind, and anger is deaf" (Dumas 35). It shows to the extent to which Dantes has been affected by his quest for revenge. The extent of his hatred is further shown by the words, "to recompense and punish" (Dumas 49). Envy and jealousy change his Dantes situation whereby he turns into a bitter man. The theme of hatred is further heightened by Dantes when he says that he only bestows "true hatred on certain people" (63). Various allusions are used in the Count of Monte Cristo to show further the extent to which some of the characters are affected by hatred. Brutus, in this case, is used in showing the wrongful treatment meted on Dantes particularly in being bullied by people who were envious of his success (9). Moreover, Queen Mab is used as an allusion also to refer to history particularly about what the main character is passing through regarding losing his fiance to another manner together with being imprisoned when he was supposed to be enjoying his life particularly after getting the positon of captaincy. The allusion is further used to bring into the context the timing of the story. For example, Dantes has a letter that nobody knows its contents though it was directed to Napoleon. As such form the allusion to the rise of Napoleon can be linked to the letter. The allusion further shows the victory of the leader though it is not revealed to Dantes who is imprisoned for it. As such, he passes through difficulties to arrive at victory. Dantes hatred is further guided by his quest for justice where on the wall of his prison cube is written, "God will give me justice," which is an aphorism. Furthermore, the use of simile further shows the plunging Dantes "like an arrow" (Dumas 79). As such though he is plunging into the ocean, he is also diving deep into hatred since he has lost most of the valuable things in his life.

Conclusion

Therefore, romance is brought about in the story with various characters together with the use of different literary devices. Such devices as seen above help in adding stress and depth to the story while at the same time depicting the various characters in the plot. The author makes great use of the stylistic devices to further create pictures and even help the reader either be affectionate towards are against some of the characters. The imagery and symbolism together with other stylistic devices further help in defining the different circumstances the characters are passing through and even the flow of the story. Throughout the story, the theme of hatred is evident together with that of romance. At the onset, it is romance while at the ending it is revenge in partly romance. Though there is much hatred propagated mostly by the antagonists the protagonists discover that hatred and punishing others is not rights and seeks to redeem himself. Through the different interactions in the story particularly the three characters who are Fernand, Villefort, and Danglars the enmity starts and is spread to others due to the Dantes new position as captain. Therefore the story brings about an interplay of factors that help create various themes that further built the plot. Therefore even though the three characters have wronged Dantes he ends up revenging and discovering that the has done much wrong in the process. As such the Count of Monte Cristo presents a story ending in tragedy and salvation in the process of leaving revenge which in this case is the punishment of evildoers who are the antagonists by the protagonist.

References

Dumas, Alexandre. The Count of Monte Cristo: Vol. V of V. Place of publication not identified: Aegypan Press, 2000. Print.