If one views Dantes as a man who embodies a kind of Divine Retribution and acts according to the principles of justice, the novel appears in an entirely different light. One is willing to accept Dantes' actions, even if they do appear to be extreme (and murderous) at times. However, one is placated by Dantes' ability to show mercy to Danglars.

On the other hand, if one chooses to read the novel as Marinetti describes it -- as an attempt to illustrate modern man's reach for omniscience and power -- one may see it as a Romantic dream. In this sense, Dantes becomes a man fashioned after the principles of Rousseau, the French philosopher who wrote of accepting oneself on Nature's own terms. Rousseau did not accept the principal of original sin and thus did not accept the idea that man was fallen in nature. Viewed from this standpoint, Dantes...
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