Count of Monte Cristo notes: Honor

Nathaniel Burns-Sarno
Advanced Placement English 11/Mr.George
September 11, 2009
The Count of Monte Cristo Notes
Honor in Suicide and Albert’s
“’Hear me, Maximilian,’ said his father. ‘Suppose I was a soldier like you, and ordered to carry a certain redoubt, and you knew I must be killed in the assault, would you not say to me as you said just now, ‘Go, father, for you are dishonored by delay, and death is preferable to shame!’” (The Fifth of September)
This quote is spoken by Morrel while he is still planning suicide, for he believes it is better to be dead than to live in dishonor. The interesting thing about Morrel’s situation is that his “honor” is partly to blame for the position that he is in. Since his honor prevented him from not paying his workers as they had requested, it forced him into an even deeper debt. Also, his honor is the very reason that he contemplates suicide. His honorable behavior can be admired, but it is clear that it can also be harmful in certain situations.
“He darted to his bedroom to see once more all he had loved in the world; but the hackney-coach drove on without the head of either Mercedes or her son appearing at the window to take a last look at the house or the deserted father or husband. And at that very moment when the wheels of the coach crossed the gateway a report was heard, and a thick smoke escaped through one of the panes of the window, which was broken by the explosion.”(Dumas The Suicide)
This passage implies that upon seeing his wife and son leave never to return, Fernand committed suicide. It was the last straw for Fernand after he had received so much misfortune in a short amount of time. Recent revealing of Fernand’s actions(such as his deserting on the eve of the battle of Waterloo, his serving as a spy to the French army in Spain, and his betrayal of Ali Pacha) had turned him into a public disgrace. So much so that his own wife and child depart in order to sever any ties that they had with him. Fernand had suffered so many dishonors that his suicide could be seen as in act of ending his life in order to hang on to what little honor he had remaining.
“’Sir,’ said Albert, at first with tremulous voice, but which gradually became firmer, ‘I reproach you with exposing the conduct of M. de Morcerf in Epirus; for, guilty as I knew he was, I thought you had no right to punish him; but I have since learned that you have that right. It is not Fernand Mondego’s treachery towards Ali Pacha which induces me so readily to excuse you, but the treachery of the fisherman Fernand towards you, and the almost unheard-of miseries which were its consequences; and I say, and proclaim it publicly, that you were justified in revenging yourself on my father, and I, his son, thank you for not using greater severity.’”(The Meeting)
This passage is significant because it shows the transition of Albert focusing on the honor of his father to focusing on his own honor. Before Albert spoke these words, he seemed intent on gaining his revenge on Dantes for dishonoring his father. However, after realizing that Fernand deserved his fate(if not a worse one), Albert does the honorable thing and apologizes to Dantes for having considered him the one at fault. Albert did not actually have to apologize. He could have much more easily dropped his anger towards Dantes and gone on with his life without a single glance back. However, he found honor to be so important that he felt it necessary to clear his name and repent for his actions. This is one of the few instances in the Count of Monte Cristo in which having a large feeling of honor lead to something favorable.