Edmond Dantes was a young sailor who just recieved a position as captain, after taking over when his captain died in the middle of a trip. He was also looking foward to marrying his beautiful fiancee, Mercedes. On his betrothal day, he is arrested and put into the ... on an island, where no one has ever escaped. He doesn't know why he is arrested, and later finds that it is the result of four men who conspired against him. These men were Fernand Mondego, Danglars, Caderousse, and Villefort. They hated him for all different reasons. Fernand was jealous ... of Mercedes' love for Dantes. Dangla...

• Word Count: 380
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

Thesis: Alexander Dumas, in his book The Count of Monte Cristo, argues that great happiness can only be achieved by suffering greatly; and if you suffer you will be paid back with happiness. Because the Count has suffered so much in the past and worked hard, he was a lot happier than he would have been if ... he didn't suffer; and he started believing in a God. For example, in the book, the Count says, "Only a man who has felt ultimate despair is capable of feeling ultimate bliss,"(441). This seems to indicate that because he has known ultimate despair, he knows ultimate happiness. Another ....

• Word Count: 521
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... 73) Only a person who has been very miserable can experience the wonder of being very happy. Alexander Dumas conveys this kind of feeling in his novel, The Count of Monte Cristo, in many of the characters. There is a big contrast between two types of characters in the novel. The cruel characters tend to be the ones who are ... unhappy and dislike their life, not because of the way they are, but because of what they don't ... novel are content with what they have and live life to the fullest in that. Dumas shows how many things can bring about this feeling of unhappiness. First of all, ...

• Word Count: 903
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School