Cast into the dreary cells of the Château d'If due to the selfish schemes of his enemies, Edmond Dantes remerges fifteen years later to wreak havoc on the lives of those who wronged him in an elaborate ruse of vengeance. Citing the limits of human justice under the law, Dantes takes it upon himself to deliver Providence to his enemies, yet realizes that his version of justice is, too, limited and flawed.
Society's concept of justice is inherently imperfect and highly susceptible to corruption and the ulterior motives of those in power. As a court prosecutor, Villefort commands significant power over the law, which he hypocritically uses and bends for his own agenda and ambitions. He ignores injustices like the murder of Bertuccio's brother and Dante's unjust imprisonment simply because the two cases are politically inconvenient for him. Bertuccio's brother is a Bonapartist, while Dante's letter was sent to Noirtier, Villefort's father, and could endanger his career. Danglars and Fernand's scheme could not have worked without the independent intervention of Villefort, sentencing Dante to life in prison to protect his own power. Those with power can easily escape the consequences of their misdeeds, utilizing their authority to dismiss investigations and keep their scandals hidden forever. For example, Villefort ambitiously tries to hide his father's responsibility for killing a royalist general Baron d'Epinay in a duel by attempting to wed his daughter to Franz d'Epinay, the general's son. Although witnesses like Bertuccio can provide testimony against these individuals, they are ultimately powerless in court, requiring someone influential like Monte Cristo to dig out and successfully expose their sins. There exists the false assumption that those of high status are pure of character, and claims that would besmirch their honor would be disregarded for the most part. The allegations against Morcerf about the Yanina affair are first disregarded to not encroach on his honor, and Beauchamp suspends evidence regarding the affair to protect Albert. Even when the intricately covered-up schemes of his influential enemies are dug out, Dantes finds the punishment too lenient; while his enemies had wreaked years of torture and insanity onto him, their worst punishment would be a few seconds of pain before death. Since the legal system does not appropriately punish evil, Dantes takes it upon himself to enforce punishment on those he deems guilty.
Remerging in society with unfathomable riches and power, Monte Cristo embarks on his path of serving his enemies with retributive justice. He believes himself to be justified in taking such endeavors; after all, his enemies had wronged him yet were enjoying lavish lives in Parisian society. The corrupt judicial system plaguing society had failed him once; Monte Cristo could not possibly rely on a system catering to the selfish agendas of those in power to deliver true justice. Using the same judicial system that imprisoned him and rewarded his enemies to redress his wrongs is complete idiocy. More likely than not, the court would send him back to prison as he was an escaped convict instead of investigating his claims if Monte Cristo tried to prove his identity to condemn his enemies. In this respect, no higher power existed to regulate justice, and Monte Cristo took the place of divine Providence to reward and punish those he deemed fit. While Monte Cristo is justified in his pursuit of justice, he has no right to assume the name of a forgiving God. What his elaborate plan of revenge brought forth is not perfect justice, as Monte Cristo had not only cut down the guilty but also the innocent, committing injustices of his own. Albert did not deserve to suffer due to the crimes of his father, yet Monte Cristo was prepared to cut him down as a pawn to shatter Morcerf's heart, which would also bring Mercedes much pain. Monte Cristo's plan against Morcerf leaves the innocent Mercedes impoverished and disgraced due to her husband's sins. By destroying Morcerf, Monte Cristo inadvertently robs Mercedes of their happiness and leaves Albert a broken man, with his beliefs, status, friends, and life entirely dissipated. In addition, he encourages Madame Villefort to start a spree of murders to guarantee that her son Eduoard receives inheritance, leading to the deaths of countless innocents, including Eduoard. Furthermore, the Count's original plan sentences Valentine to death, leading to poor Maximillian taking his own life as well. Witnessing the gruesome sight resulting from his revenge, Monte Cristo begins to doubt whether he has done more harm than good. He has no right to deprive so many innocent individuals of their livelihoods in his quest to destroy his enemies, but that only exemplar the limited and inherently partial form of justice that Monte Cristo, a human, can deliver. His actions can possibly foster an endless cycle of vengeance, as Monte Cristo has committed multiple injustices during his own pursuit of revenge that could result in several attempts of retribution upon him. After surmounting the summit of vengeance, Monte Cristo realizes that he is ultimately not some vessel of divine Providence or some god capable of dictating others' lives and fates.
In a society devoid of justice, without Monte Cristo's influence, perhaps no justice could have ever been served. Hidden behind layers upon layers of lies and further injustices, the crimes of Danglars, Fernand, and Villefort would have never been brought to the light of day. Consequently, those who suffer due to Dantes' enemies' misdeeds would continue to suffer in the dark and never be avenged. For years, Haydee would endure mistreatment and abuse as a nameless slave, trapped in a cell until an early, tragic death. While the sole descendant of the betrayed Ali Pasha rots in injustice, unable to expose the terrible scheme that led to the downfall of her family, the traitor triumphantly returns to France to assume riches, power, and a lovely wife. Mercedes and Albert would never learn the truth behind Fernand's rise to power and live unhappy lives, especially Albert, who would be married off for his father's gain. The greedy Caderousse is allowed to roam free, committing more injustices to pursue riches in a never-unending cycle of unsatisfaction. Similarly, Benedetto is also allowed to remain a threat to society and would never learn the truth about his origin. As a corrupt court prosecutor with unchecked levels of power, Villefort would be able to abuse his power to cover up his attempted infanticide and sentence countless innocent people to their deaths for his own gain. If not thwarted by Monte Cristo, Madame Villefort's murder spree, primarily self-motivated, would continue, reaping even more lives, including those of Valentine and Maximillian. Furthermore, Danglar's predatory business practices would also never be put to an end. The detrimental possibilities resulting from Monte Cristo's forgiveness are a vital indicator of an even more vile society. If Dantes had decided not to seek revenge, perhaps the world he lived in would have been plagued with even more injustices.
Monte Cristo's decision to pursue revenge has resulted in both misfortunes and justice. The life of a child and other innocent people is far too great of a sacrifice for vengeance, but should Monte Cristo forgive and stand idle as a twisted society renders him broken a man, with all that he loved forcibly taken away from him, a society that punishes the good and rewards the wicked? In the 18th century France, justice was an illusory concept wielded by the powerful as an excuse to hide their corrupt misdeeds. As a human, Monte Cristo's attempt to serve justice upon his enemies is fundamentally limited and flawed, his sword of justice cutting down countless innocents along with the guilty. Nevertheless, it is the closest to achieving justice in an otherwise dreary, wicked world.
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