Category Archives: The Great American Reader

The Great American Reader: The Count of Monte Cristo – Belief

15 Tuesday Jan 2019

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Dantes has escaped the prison at Chateau D’if! He has accomplished no small feat and during a storm no less. After joining a new crew, he eventually steers their ship to his destination. His prison mate Faria has left Dantes with the secrets to find the treasure. Now he has to find the right cave.

The island at first appears to have no more caves. Dantes considers how the landscape could have changed over time. He ponders if rocks could have sealed the entryway. Finally, he even accepts it may never have existed and he has fallen into a false belief. Yet even in his despair and acceptance of that possibility, he continues thinking of the chance that the desired treasure may exist. That leads him to the ultimate discovery. He uses a new approach to see if whoever hid the treasure created a false barrier to the entrance. This proving true, Dantes at lasts breaks through and discovers gold and jewels aplenty.

The crisis of belief Dantes experiences resembles the human struggle to maintain faith. Sometimes we know the truth and have heard the story telling us how to find our treasure or destination or purpose. Yet we doubt what we know. We wonder if a mistake has been made; maybe those treasures aren’t intended for us. Maybe they never existed at all. Dantes knows others make fun of his friend Faria’s stories of treasure; they consider him mad. Dantes eventually wonders if they have the right perspective. We do the same when others scoff at our goals or values. Yet the treasure does exist. It may seem crazy or counterintuitive, but the continued belief and persistence to keep figuring out the next step and taking it makes it possible to discover. Remember that God holds true to His promises no matter what anyone else says.

The Great American Reader: Harry Potter

12 Saturday Jan 2019

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The Harry Potter series has a top spot on PBS’s The Great American Read list, and some fellow Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club members have decided to read the entire series over the course of the year. That gives me an opportunity to keep a slow, steady pace to dive deeper into J.K. Rowling’s stories and characters, especially since this is not the first time I’ve read them. I have started Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone this weekend and already see points of interest. This series has so many angles and resources to see.

Grab a broomstick (or catch the Hogwarts Express train) and follow me to Hogwarts castle as Harry realizes the truth behind “yer a wizard” and attends the School of Magic for the first time. Harry figures out his identity, and the story keeps the wizarding world at stake through an epic battle of good versus evil. Follow along for a coming of age story for the ages.

Thoughtful Thursday: Prison Mates in The Count of Monte Cristo

10 Thursday Jan 2019

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In The Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantes eventually discovers he has a neighbor in a nearby cell. The dungeon has left him darkness and pulled his hope into despair. Yet not long before fulfilling his idea to starve himself, he hears a tapping sound that renews his hope. That day he eats again. Then he also starts chipping at his own wall, slowly making a passage to connect to his neighbor’s. Knowing he doesn’t suffer alone gives him hope and strength to move forward.

Once the prisoners succeed with their adjoining tunnel, they meet. Instantly, their hopes improve. Faria even literally steps into the sliver of light shining through the small window in Dantes’ cell as Dantes casts his first glance upon his new friend. As they learn they can trust each other, they begin to make plans. Faria shares his plethora of history and language knowledge. Eventually, they renew their efforts to escape their prison.

People often compare the darkness of mental illness as a pit, and people often feel stuck in what seems like a prison not unlike the one where Dantes and Faria find themselves. Yet when they join each other, their hope renews. They don’t bring the misunderstanding, accusations or judgment their guards have cast on them unhelpfully but bring company. The simple presence gives the possibility of trust. Outside the pages, we often forget to begin with this step when someone we love falls into the pit. Joining the friend shows they don’t suffer alone and serves as a starting point for giving them a safe place to share their struggles as Dantes and Faria share their backgrounds with each other as a way to form understanding. Then, sharing knowledge and support, we can work together to find a way back into the light.

 

The Great American Reader: The Count of Monte Cristo – Lies

08 Tuesday Jan 2019

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As the story continues in Chapters VIII-XII of The Count of Monte Cristo continues, the web of lies landing Dantes in prison grows. Villefort rushes to meet King Louis XVIII in Paris, where he describes the Bonapartist plot. He learns that the police hunt for his father, but keeps his family ties a secret. We already know from the first set of chapters that he has burned the evidence of his father’s identity and that he did that at the expense of putting Danters in prison.

Villefort lies to hide his own guilt, and it resembles the biblical account in Genesis 39 where Potiphar’s wife claims that Joseph attempted to seduce her rather than face the rejection of Joseph not responding to her advances. Joseph also ends up in jail due to false accusations. Unfortunately, these people care more about their comfort and status (both have high esteem in court) than how their wrongdoing might affect someone else. Both Villefort and Potiphar know their actions lead to imprisonment yet withhold the truth. This serves as a good reminder that the commandment to not lie exists for good reason. Many people convince themselves a white lie or lie of omission doesn’t hold the potential to harm or isn’t considered a lie, but that involves believing a lie. The language of lies still creates a world, in these cases one where the falsely accused get confined by the lies of others.

In Joseph’s biblical story, his imprisonment ultimately proves fruitful as he gets delivered from his cell and witnesses God’s hand in it. Perhaps Dantes ultimately find a similar twist to his fate where what others intend for bad turns out as good in the end. Maybe he will provide for those who harmed him like Joseph did for his brothers who left him and led to his enslavement in Egypt. However, a main theme in this story revolves around revenge. Perhaps Dantes doesn’t overcome his pride and hurt the way Joseph does.

 

 

The Great American Reader: Introduction to The Count of Monte Cristo

06 Sunday Jan 2019

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The classic The Count of Monte Cristo gives us an adventurous revenge tale that has stood the test of time. Entertaining since its 1844-45 release, this story holds themes and plots of intrigue that still interests readers today. It even has inspiration from a true crime, a topic that has boomed into its own nonfiction category recently. The actual book resembles a brick in its physical dimensions, but so far it reads simply enough.

First, the story begins in Marseille, France near a Notre Dame de la Garde port in 1815. Young Edmond Dantes leads the ship Pharaon to Fort Saint-Jean as its first mate, and he has the promise of becoming captain due to Captain Leclere’s death during the voyage. At somewhere between 18-20, Dantes already holds a lot of hope for a satisfying life with the prospect of becoming a captain so young and marrying a beautiful woman.

Dantes couldn’t fill a 1,000+ page book if those details unfolded so easily though. Danglars, the supercargo slightly older than Dantes and generally less well liked, greets ship owner Morrell with a story about Dantes that contradicts the one Morrell heard from Dantes. This only marks the beginning of the words Danglars spins to paint a negative portrait of Dantes. He later demonstrates how a pen and words can hold as much as and more danger than a sword or pistol.

Sweet reunions abound when Dantes visits his father and then his fiancé Mercedes to arrange their marriage. However, Mercedes accepting Dantes stings Fernand because he wants to marry his cousin Mercedes. Upon leaving, he accepts the invitation to join Danglars and Caderousse as they plot a downfall for Dantes. This leads to an interruption at the betrothal party that ends with men arresting Dantes. In a parallel scene, we see the judge Villefort leave his own betrothal party to oversee Dantes in court. The lies continue to thicken as Villefort sees the letter allegedly condemning Dantes reveals a secret about himself. So he sends Dantes to a cell at Chateau D’If.

 

These first seven chapters set up a story of secrets and deceit. The players who play a key role in Dantes’s arrest cater to their selfish ambition and jealousy despite the harm they cause. Now I wonder to what lengths Villefort will go to keep his secret and therefore maintain his position in society and how far Danglars will go to get his desired status on the ship as well as how deep his dislike for Dantes goes and why. Of course the story continues with Dantes going to jail, so I wonder how he will handle imprisonment. I know a revenge plot and treasure adventure has yet to unfold.