The Count of Monte Cristo
by Alexandre Dumas
Rating: 4/5 stars
In the The Count of Monte Cristo, author Alexandre Dumas portrays the themes revenge and vengeance along with those who are powerful and powerless. In terms of imagery, I found this novel to be very descriptive and one of the best that I have read. It vividly described settings and characters in the book, so it was easy to visualize where and how each character was. However plot wise, there was a lot of conflict going on throughout the novel. Many people had their own ideas of revenge and I often found this confusing because it overlapped with each other. I believe the author should have focused one on plot for revenge instead of overlapping multiple storylines at once. In the story, Dante plotted to get revenge on three guys, Danglars, the Count of Mocerf, and Fernand. He caused each one of them to feel pain in their own individual ways to pay for falsely accusing him of treason and imprisoning him for ten years. This is the aspect of the plot I found confusing because there was so much going on at once. There was also a trace of love in the book, which helped add some drama and body to the novel. I enjoyed reading about the feelings the count had towards Haydee and how Maximilian treated Valentine, even in his state of despair and anguish. Overall, The Count of Monte Cristo was a book of revenge where characters attempted to set things right through the use of power. Love played a key role when it came to the sacrifices made, like how the count gave power and wealth to his love Haydee and stepped down from nobility, which helped captivate me even more. I would recommend this novel to those who enjoy reading revenge themed books with a trace of love and drama.
The Elixir
Through the use of symbolism, I found the book to be very enticing and captivating. The use of imagery and symbols really helped fit the somewhat confusing plot together like jig-saw pieces in a puzzle. One of the main symbols in the book was the powerful elixir. The elixir's use in the story gives off the message of Dantes's power over other people, and how much better Dante thought he was that others around him (arrogance and pride). In addition, even the the Count of Monte Cristo has an elixir. Using this, he attempts to show his supernatural power over all other people, but is horribly mistaken when his plan doesn't work, showing that no power is supreme and has its limitations.