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Ishaan Joshi

Mrs. Arndorfer

GT ILA 4-5 Period

18 March 2019

The Count of Monte Cristo, undoubtedly one of the most unique and dynamic characters

in The Count of Monte Cristo, displays many ideal traits that make him an appealing

character. One of these characteristics include his extensive intelligence and sensibility,

along with his creativity. I was able to connect with the Count by reading about his many

philosophical ideas and plans, as the immense creativity and originality required to

formulate these plans is something I possess, allowing me to look deeper into and just enjoy

the Count’s unorthodox yet effective methods. The Count’s philosophical views on the

elements of life gave me some new perspectives on these ideas, and this incited some

introspective moments where I engaged in small debates with myself to truly understand the

contrast between the Count’s logic and other possible ideas. The Count’s assiduous

personality is also something that I admire about him. Furthermore, the Count’s intelligence

makes him a respected member of the society, and I was able to connect with that.

However, with that respect he received from others, the Count also expresses arrogance and

narcissism towards others, which is a quality that didn’t appeal to me. The Count’s overuse

of power and hurtfulness towards others is also an atrocious characteristic.

The main thing that I learned from The Count is perseverance. The Count is an extremely
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persevering person, going to great lengths to get what he wants, and this is an essential

quality in an ideal person. The things that The Count achieved through perseverance was a

real eye-opener for me, and I learned how vital it is to be persevering. Overall, each

characteristic and action of the count provided an essential life lesson, but perseverance was

a recurring and massive one.

The overarching theme of the story is vengeance, and The Count plays a preeminent role in

conveying that theme, as the whole idea of vengeance is based on his desire to punish

Danglars, Fernand, Caderousse and Villefort for his unjust imprisonment. When the Count

comes to power, he stops at nothing to complete that vengeance that he contains over the

lot. The whole story iterates the process that The Count takes in order to get his vengeance,

and therefore, The Count plays an essential role in conveying the theme of vengeance.