Examples Of Greed In The Count Of Monte Cristo

The Inhumanity of Greed Greed has influenced human behavior for thousands of years. It is perfectly natural to covet objects or to pine for a promotion. Almost everyone wishes they were wealthier or owned a nicer house. Society has learned to accept these forms of greed because they are a common thread throughout civilization. But, on occasion, greed can transform and twist people into inhumane monsters. In The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas depicts this transformation taking place in the character of Danglars. The story begins with young, highly-ambitious Danglars as a ship’s accountant. He complains to the ship’s owner about Dantes, the first-mate, in an attempt to advance himself. Danglars also writes a letter that accuses Dantes of being a

For example, Dumas introduces Danglars as a man whose only objective is being promoted. Danglars is described as “a man of twenty-five or twenty-six with a rather melancholy face, obsequious to his superiors and arrogant to his subordinates. He was as much disliked by the crew as Edmond Dantes was liked by them” (Dumas 3). Clearly, Danglars is so caught up in his quest for power that he relishes it and lords over people beneath him. This is depicted by Dumas when he says that Danglars was “arrogant to his subordinates.” Arrogance implies that Danglars considers himself superior and is proud of his position. When the passage says “obsequious to his superiors,” it exhibits how Danglars is always striving to improve his position by flattering those higher-ranked than himself. However, when Dumas writes that he was “disliked by the crew,” it exemplifies that Danglars is blinded by greed. He is so obsessed with obtaining more power that he disregards anything, including the feelings of others, that is not directly related to his greed. An additional example is after Danglars tries to make the shipowner dislike Dantes and Dumas writes, “Let us leave Danglars, possessed by the demon of hatred and