Coralie Casimir
A.P English
Mr. George
September 10, 2009
Note

Honor

Honor, in the society Edmond lived in, was the most important thing to people. A family’s honor a lot times was more important then a human life. Honor seemed to come with a good family reputation and most importantly with money. Money was an important aspect of ones honor. Anyone with a great amount of money could easily emerge into society as an honorable and respectful man.

Protecting Ones Honor

• One family that displayed how much honor is important to them was the Morrel family. Monsieur Morrel was willing to commit suicide rather to taint his reputation.

He said to his son, “When I am dead you will raise your head and say ‘I am the son of him who killed himself because, for the first in his life, he was unable to keep his word’” (Dumas 185).

He was doing this to salvage what was left of his name. He would much rather die as a respectable man.

• Madame de Villefort, who was killing her husband’s family so she could get an inheritance for her son. She knew without money to her son’s name he would be nothing. She ended up killing and herself when Villefort uncovered her plot. Villefort’s name was jeopardy and also he was a judge so he asked he wife to kill herself so everything could be resolved. Nevertheless did he expect her to also kill her son’s life also.
“’The poisoner shall go to the scaffold whoever she may be… she was cautious enough to keep for herself a few drops of the deadliest poison’” (560).
“Since it was for my son’s sake that I became a criminal. A good mother never leaves her son!” (565

• Monsieur de Morcerf also took his own life when he lost is honor and his family at the same time. He was alone and his reputation was blemished which met he had nothing to left to live for so he took his life.
“At very moment when the wheels of the cab passed under the arched gate, a report was heard, and dark smoke issued through the glass if the bedroom window” (487).

• Albert de Morcerf felt like it was his duty to defend his father’s when he was stripped of his honor.
“‘I understand your perfidies and make you realize that I will avenge” (464).
* On the other hand Albert is a more honorable individual than his father. He apologize to the Count when learn that his father was the one at fault in the matter.