"Hero: A man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds." (page 410 of The Random House Dictionary Concise Edition, 1983. New York, NY.) Edmond Dantés, the main character of The Count of Monte Cristo written by Alexander Dumas, was a self-centered man with only thoughts of revenge on his mind and no traits that any hero would display at any point of his tumultuous life. Edmond Dantés, originating from a costal city in Italy, was arrested; later to escape to revenge his enemies. Edmond changed many lives in the course of his life; some benefited from his power, others suffered. Dantés went from neutral, to hopeless, to revengeful, and back to neutral in the course of his life.

As a young man, Edmond's life was improving with his marriage to Mercades and becoming captain of a ship, the Pharaon. The reader finds that Edmond...