Extended Essays 2021

Conclusion

Upon examination, there is evidence suggesting that Dumas’ and Lynch’s use of Judeo-Christian tropes in their novels The Count of Monte Cristo and The Lies of Locke Lamora justify and legitimize the protagonists’ violent acts. Furthermore, through this, the readers are positioned to support these characters to the extent that they feel ‘guiltless pleasure’ when they commit violence. The authors’ positioning of the protagonists as God-like and the resulting feelings of the reader have been analyzed through the use of tropes such as names, rebirth and renaissance, and dialogue, although, the third point of dialogue counters Dantès relationship to/as God, as his elixir is deemed fraudulent. However, this only occurs during the final chapters of the novel, as a result not significantly impacting Dantès representation throughout the text. Nevertheless, Dumas’ rejection of Dantès’ God-like representation causes the extent to which he uses Judeo- Christian tropes to convey this point to decrease somewhat. In The Lies of Locke Lamora Lynch does not reject this representation. Therefore, one can assume that he utilizes Judeo-Christianity to the utmost extent to position Lamora as God-like. In conclusion, both Dumas in The Count of Monte Christo and Lynch in The Lies of Locke Lamora use Judeo-Christian tropes effectively and consistently, to establish their protagonists as God-like, thus justifying their vengeful and violent actions to the reader.

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