Monte Cristo Unjust

In clarifying the blatantly subjective nature of the term "Justice," it is easy to determine that the Count of Monte Cristo was unjust in his actions. He may have been acting out of a personal sense of justice, but was selfish and short-sighted enough to injure people on whom he did not intend to wreak revenge. His sense of justice, was not, contrary to what the term itself implied, just. The fates of, and events surrounding, Caderousse, Benedetto, Albert, and Danglars all support the charge that the Count of Monte Cristo acted unjustly.

The first step in determining whether or not the Count acted in a fair manner is to define "Just." The Oxford English Dictionary's definition of Just is as follows:
"Based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair." Typically what is morally right and fair is decided by society, and is thus subject to change. One
Though in 1789 the revolutionaries introduced atheism, most of the French people were Catholic. Despite the fact that the church had lost some of its former power, many devout Catholics continued to attend church, while others worshipped independently. There was an ingrained attitude of loyalty for the king, and a prodigiously strong sense of honor. A gentleman's sense of honor was almost sacred- even a trifling insult could mean hostile behavior or even a duel. These were the standards and morals by which men lived in the time of the Count of Monte Cristo.

One of the most important morals of the Catholic Church at this time was a complete trust of God, and a belief that everything was in God's hands. "It is God's will and not man's doing!" said M. Morrel, a merchant who had just heard that his ship had sunk. Another ruined man who finds his wife and son dead exclaims "It is the will of God!" And so the fate of man, and accordingly vengeance, was left to