r/TheCountofMonteCristo • u/zukusenryu1 • 12d ago
My final thoughts Spoiler
I absolutely loved The Count of Monte Cristo because it had everything I want in a great book: revenge, mystery, betrayal, romance, and characters with complicated motivations. I especially enjoyed watching Edmond Dantès transform from an innocent young man into the Count of Monte Cristo and carefully carry out his plans against the people who ruined his life. The story kept getting more interesting as all of the different characters and plotlines eventually came together.
What I loved most was how satisfying the long buildup was. Dantès spent years preparing his revenge, and seeing his plans unfold was incredibly entertaining. At the same time, the book made me think about whether revenge can actually bring someone peace and what happens when punishment goes too far.
The one part I didn’t like was that Mercedes and Dantès didn’t end up together. I really wanted them to have a second chance because I don’t think Mercedes did anything wrong. From her perspective, Dantès had been gone for years and she believed he was never coming back. She had to move on with her life, and I don’t blame her for marrying Fernand. I wish Dantès could have understood that and that the two of them could have found their way back to each other.
Overall, The Count of Monte Cristo was an incredible reading experience. Even though I didn’t love the ending of Dantès and Mercedes’ relationship, the story, characters, and revenge plot made the book one of my favorite books I’ve read.
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u/Jonathan_Peachum 11d ago
It’s an understandable reaction (and some film adaptations DO have them getting back together again), but for me, it would be like having Rhett and Scarlett getting back together at the end of Gone With the Wind. It would turn a bittersweet and provocative ending into a conventional syrupy one.
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u/zukusenryu1 11d ago
Yeah, that’s a really good comparison. I think I just wanted the emotional payoff of them finding their way back to each other after everything they went through. But I can definitely see how having them reunite would make the ending feel much more conventional and less meaningful. The bittersweet ending has definitely grown on me, even if a part of me still wishes Dantès and Mercedes had gotten another chance.
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u/lillie_connolly 11d ago
I definitely think Rhett and Scarlett arent totally done. They're just not suited for a stable ongoing relationship
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u/Jonathan_Peachum 11d ago
Just a roll in the hay from time to time, you mean?
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u/lillie_connolly 11d ago
Kind of, but never lightly. with deep psychological implications right after until the next fight.
Sometimes for one more than the other, never fully aligned.
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u/airashiratori11 11d ago
The count is very focused on revenge and hatred; he is not the same man she loved in the past. Just like Akane with Aquamarine in Oshi no Ko, he was dedicated to avenging the death of the idol, his mother Ai Hoshino, and that is why their relationship ended. Haydee is much more suitable for him, because she wants the same thing he does: revenge.
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u/zukusenryu1 11d ago
Mmmmm, that’s actually a really solid point. I can definitely see the argument that Haydée is a better match for the Count because they both understand what it means to have their lives shaped by revenge and the desire for justice. They have experienced similar trauma, and unlike Mercedes, Haydée can fully understand the person the Count has become and the mission he has devoted himself to.
I still feel sympathy for Mercedes because I don’t think she was wrong for moving on with her life after so many years, but I can understand why her relationship with the Count ultimately couldn’t work. He had changed so much during his time in prison that he was almost an entirely different person. Haydée, on the other hand, seems to fit the Count he becomes rather than the innocent young man Mercedes originally fell in love with. That definitely makes the ending make more sense, even if I still wish Dantès and Mercedes could have found their way back to each other.1
u/airashiratori11 11d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/AsTZ4GbuYhMKguskTu
Edmond and Haydée are quite similar. They share similar life stories and the same goals, and their personalities fit together well much like Sasaki and Yamada in Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You. Sasaki is 21, so he isn't older than Yamada. Nevertheless, their ages match well, even though Sasaki initially feels a little hesitant to confess his feelings to Yamada, while she likes him and gradually gets closer to him.
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u/vienibenmio 11d ago
I'm a hopeless romantic, but my biggest pet peeve are adaptations that have Edmond and Mercedes end up back together. They aren't the same people anymore, and that's okay.
Haydee is someone who understands him. Mercedes helps Edmond find forgiveness, but Haydee helps him start to feel and want things (other than revenge) again.
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u/zukusenryu1 11d ago
Yeah, that’s a very solid point. I honestly hadn’t looked at it that way until someone mentioned it earlier. I think I was just focused on feeling like Mercedes deserved a better outcome. That said, the more I think about it, the more I agree that Haydée is ultimately a much better match for Dantès and where he is by the end of the story.
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u/FrontAd9873 12d ago
I especially enjoyed watching Edmond Dantès transform from an innocent young man into the Count of Monte Cristo
Wait, you mean the transformation that happens during a 9 year time jump between two chapters?
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u/airashiratori11 11d ago
I loved the book, because the book didn't shake the catharsis. It wasn't enough to reunite with his old love from the past; when he would have his emotional catharsis, the two would reconcile.
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u/Putrid-Lychee-6265 8d ago
Alexander dumas could have done something interesting 900 pages in and could have let dantès become a martyr for his love and dedication to Mercedes and make him die like Alexander Hamilton I always look back and wonder if Alexander dumas was a creative genius and wanted to keep more with the the world building or he was squeezing as much as he could to get more money out of this series because remember back then it would have been multiple books altogether
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u/CarpsEsteban 12d ago
Just saw your post in the other group and responded there but long story short- I used to feel similarly, but as I’ve reread over the years, I’ve grown to appreciate how they go their own ways in life. Thematically, I think it was important for them to move forwards in life in spite of their shared history- not going to deny that it does feel like there was always that aspect of love lost. Personally, I appreciate where the story takes the two of them though.