Victorians! discussion

For the dicussion of Chapters 46-55 in The Count of Monte Cristo. Please be aware if you have not finished these chapters there may be spoilers here.

One of the things which I really liked was seeing the parallel of the two different diamonds, and how they diamond had affected the lives of the Morrel's and Caderousse in such different ways, and what this reflects about those individuals and how Dantes "gift" was a blessing for the good, and a curse upon the evil.

In the example of Caderousse becasue of his greed, when he did have the opportunity to sell his diamond, he was only made unhappy about the fact that he was not offered as much money as he wanted, and his greed led him to misery in spite of the fact that the fortune it could have brought him (even if it is true the jeweler was paying less than the diamonds full worth) would have done much to rise him to a better position. He did was not grateful for what he was given but envious of what he was being denied which led him to partake in a heinous crime so that in the end he ended up depraved of what little did have.

While in the case of the Morrel's in spite of the great worth of tie diamond they were given, and the fact that they themselves did not have much wealth, they preserved the diamond for its sentimental value to them, and they were able to find true happiness with each other and they benefited from the truth worth of the diamond and it truly means for them, how it had bettered thier lives without thier having desires for the riches it could bring.

Caderousse is an interesting character. Up to this point, he doesn't seem outright evil (i.e., directly participating), but he doesn't do anything to prevent others from committing evil. I think Caderousse is a weak-willed individual, and he does a poor job in choosing his partners.

Kyle wrote: "Caderousse is an interesting character. Up to this point, he doesn't seem outright evil (i.e., directly participating), but he doesn't do anything to prevent others from committing evil. I think ..."

Yes that is true, he is not evil in the way of Danglers or Villefort. But he is victim of his own greed and his own weakness and so he does not lift his hand to stop others from committing acts of evil, especially when their own actions might turn around to be of benefit to him in some way.

He is horrified by the thought of what his wife plans to do, but he does not warn the poor victim and does nothing to stop her, because he will prosper from it, and yet at the same time convince himself that he was innocent because he is not the one who acted.

Perhaps this is the reason in which Dantes is willing to try and give him a chance to redeem himself instead of outright plotting against him as he does with the others, he allows Caderousse to be the cause of his own ruin, while presenting him with the opportunity to in fact better himself and become a new man.

Dantes in this section seems to be increasingly presented as an almost all-seeing chess-player, in my view. The final chapter under discussion is an interesting example of this is the final chapter, where he seems to be playing Major Cavalcanti like some doomed fish. Although my initial reaction is 'What's all this about?' it only serves to illustrate my growing opinion that Dumas is setting Dantes out like this.
What gives me this opinion is the expanding number of ailiases; the way Dantes seems to be at least one step ahead of everyone else in the story; the careful plotting to the one vengeful end. There are a few examples in this section. One is Caderousse and the diamond. To me, he has presented the diamond to Caderousse and his wife in the certainty that it will lead to their destruction.
Another example is the affair of the grey horses where he seizes an opportunity to draw his net tighter around one of his characters.
Although I'm daunted by the length to come (as I logged in today I gazed briefly but longingly on a group dedicted to 'The Novella'!) I am still impelled by a sense of intrigue. What will the Count do next? Where is all this talk of poisons taking us?

Stephen wrote: "Dantes in this section seems to be increasingly presented as an almost all-seeing chess-player, in my view. The final chapter under discussion is an interesting example of this is the final chapter..."

One of the things I really liked which goes along with that master chess player idea is the way in which he has managed to surround himself with people who have been wronged by his enemies. I was quite surprised when the story of the mysterious Haydee was reveled.

I am also taken by what seems to be his rather elaborate scheme for revenge, it seems to me that way he is going about things suggests he truly does have a purpose that is more than simple revenge. For he could have just come back and killed each of them, but rather it truly seems as if more than revenge he is acting to actually right the wrongs that have been done.

Yes it's like a jigsaw puzzle at the moment - some parts have come together, some parts not......a balance before a denouement, maybe. A tangled web, indeed

Kyle wrote: "Caderousse is an interesting character. Up to this point, he doesn't seem outright evil (i.e., directly participating), but he doesn't do anything to prevent others from committing evil. I think ..."

I agree!