Extended Essays 2021

Main Body: Violence in The Count of Monte Cristo and The Lies of Locke Lamora

Part 1: Symbolic Representation of Names

Use and manipulation of names are central to understanding how Dumas and Lynch use Judeo- Christina tropes to encourage violence. Like the God of the Old Testament, the protagonists assume names depending on the role necessary for their Machiavellian schemes, thereby giving a cloak of legitimacy to their schemes. In The Count of Monte Cristo , Dantès assumes his birth name Edmond Dantès. However, as the novel progresses, he changes his name based on function and what is necessary for his schemes as the Agent of Providence, doing God’s work on earth. These names include Abbé Busoni, The Count of Monte Cristo , and Lord Wilmore. In The Lies of Locke Lamora , the protagonist, Lamora, like Dantès, changes his name for his Machiavellian schemes. His most common tropes are Locke Lamora, Lukas Fehrwight, and The Thorn of Camorr. The names change and with it, personalities also change. By presenting a connection between the characters and the God of the Old Testament, as vengeful or avenging, the authors establish a favorable reader bias towards each protagonist, consequently, allowing for the readers’ id to not be suppressed when acts of violence are carried out by the protagonists. This in turn allows the readers to feel ‘guiltless pleasure’ in these acts of violence. Their protagonists are seen to be committing acts of violence for the greater good and thus their actions are given a moral quality.

In the first text, Dantès is presented as a god. He changes his name at various points in the narrative, notably including Abbé Busoni, The Count of Monte Cristo , and Lord Wilmore. Each name has a separate role in his Machiavellian schemes where he acts as the Agent of

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