The Count of Monte Cristo
Devotion in Motion and the Melody of Fidelity: How Loyalty Plays a Part in The Count of Monte Cristo
Noah
Mr. Alig
English I, Period 4
03/01/12
We live in a world where fidelity and commitment are hard to come by. Every day we see sleazy politicians lying to our faces on television, and the media twisting people’s words for the sake of entertainment. Mimicking our world, in The Count of Monte Cristo you can scarcely go a page without someone backstabbing someone else or some clandestine scheme coming to fruition. Despite this plethora of perfidy, loyalty does have a place in The Count of Monte Cristo. In this novel, Alexandre Dumas demonstrates his remarkable knack for balancing deceit with faithfulness in a world of retribution and influence. Hence, loyalty plays a dynamic role in Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo. Maximilien’s secret meeting with Valentine in the garden the day before she is supposed to be married to Franz illustrates a vivid occurrence of loyalty. When Valentine is hurrying away from their meeting, the true depths of Maximilien’s feelings are revealed: “[He] listened until the sound of her footsteps had died away, looking up and thanking God for allowing him to be loved so strongly” (241). One way loyalty is shown in a physical sense is how Maximilien doesn’t want to be tangibly separated from Valentine. Every waking moment he spends not in Valentine’s presence brings the fear that they will not be together forever. A second way that loyalty is shown is in Maximilien and Valentine’s emotional love for each other. Maximilien vows to kill himself if he and Valentine are not able to share in their love, or if Valentine is forced to pretend to love another man. A final way that loyalty is shown is how Maximilien knows that Valentine would be unhappy with another man and thus feels it is his moral duty to ensure their unity. In his powerful loyalty and devotion to Valentine, Maximilien will
Noah
Mr. Alig
English I, Period 4
03/01/12
We live in a world where fidelity and commitment are hard to come by. Every day we see sleazy politicians lying to our faces on television, and the media twisting people’s words for the sake of entertainment. Mimicking our world, in The Count of Monte Cristo you can scarcely go a page without someone backstabbing someone else or some clandestine scheme coming to fruition. Despite this plethora of perfidy, loyalty does have a place in The Count of Monte Cristo. In this novel, Alexandre Dumas demonstrates his remarkable knack for balancing deceit with faithfulness in a world of retribution and influence. Hence, loyalty plays a dynamic role in Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo. Maximilien’s secret meeting with Valentine in the garden the day before she is supposed to be married to Franz illustrates a vivid occurrence of loyalty. When Valentine is hurrying away from their meeting, the true depths of Maximilien’s feelings are revealed: “[He] listened until the sound of her footsteps had died away, looking up and thanking God for allowing him to be loved so strongly” (241). One way loyalty is shown in a physical sense is how Maximilien doesn’t want to be tangibly separated from Valentine. Every waking moment he spends not in Valentine’s presence brings the fear that they will not be together forever. A second way that loyalty is shown is in Maximilien and Valentine’s emotional love for each other. Maximilien vows to kill himself if he and Valentine are not able to share in their love, or if Valentine is forced to pretend to love another man. A final way that loyalty is shown is how Maximilien knows that Valentine would be unhappy with another man and thus feels it is his moral duty to ensure their unity. In his powerful loyalty and devotion to Valentine, Maximilien will