How a Story Shaped History
- Chiquikay
- Feb 12, 2016
- 3 min read
Insights on: The Count of Monte Cristo
How it affected the History of the Philippines
P.I. 100 Class under Sir Jonathan.
March 3,2015
A French author named Alexander Dumas played a great role in the life and works of Jose Rizal through his famous novel; The Count of Monte Cristo. This novel was said to be Rizal’s favorite during his youth and by some means molded his perspective. The story took place in France and revolved around the life of Edmond Dantes, a young man who had been a victim of society’s tricks and was seeking for justice and thirsting for revenge.
The story of Edmond Dantes somehow depicted Jose Rizal’s life in many ways. First, Society; In the Philippine setting, it was the Spanish government who ruled and acted unjust treatment and inequitable justice to whoever opposes their system. Jose Rizal experienced such treatment when he fought for the rights of his countrymen which resulted to his imprisonment. While in Edmond Dantes’ story, it was a selfish French prosecutor that tied him up to prison just to protect his own father. Both Rizal and Dantes experienced a one-sided judgment. Next, Education; in the period of Spanish colonization in the Philippinines, the natives were not allowed to study any helpful education to keep their eyes closed from reality. Luckily, Jose Rizal was in good fate because he belonged to a family that could afford a good education. Dantes, on the otherhand, had no formal education at all. However, he was also lucky to meet the priest in Château d'If who taught him everything that he needed to know. Rizal and Dantes’ educational background molded them to be wiser and showed them a completely different way of looking through society. Another thing is religion, Rizal’s family has always been a follower of Roman Catholic but Rizal’s perception of religion changed especially when he knew the hidden motive of the Spaniards. While Dantes was also a strong believer of God but his faith faded when he suffered too much in jail and doubted the existence of God. Next is love. This is the only part wherein Rizal and Dantes’ life story might not match. Dantes was known to be a loving and loyal man to his one and only love, Mercedes who was also his fiancee. In contrary, Jose Rizal had many women in his life; Different lovers from various parts of the world.
These can be just some of the reasons why Jose Rizal liked the novel so much. He had so many relevant life stories that are found in Dantes’ life. Because of Rizal’s love of the novel, he himself wrote his own; the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. The El Filibusterismo is often compared to The Count of Monte Cristo because they have similar plotline and themes: A simple man, who was a victim of injustice, betrayal and abuse of the society, who then found treasures, became rich and had his sweet revenge.
The vital aspect of both stories are that they represented factual historical background with themes that are also common and relevant to the public such as hope, justice, vengeance, mercy, romance, loyalty, betrayal and selfishness. Rizal incorporated this theme maybe because aside from entertainment purposes, his works served as a tool of communication and eye-openers of the native Filipinos. It was not just a tale; it was a narrative about the truth of the Philippine civilization during the Spanish regime. The novels affected the people’s view of national identity, religion, and the government’s issues of abuse, corruption, and discrimination which later on became an inspiration and the start of the Philippine Revolution.
Therefore, The Count of Monte Cristo did not just influence Jose Rizal; it influenced a larger scope, it influenced the whole country. It shaped a huge part of the Philippine history.
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