To Wait and Hope by Lorelai

To Wait and Hope by Lorelai - October 2023 Scholarship Essay

I have read a wide variety of books, both through school and personal reading. Out of all of these books, The Count of Monte Cristo has impacted me the most. Through its style, characters, and message, The Count of Monte Cristo has brought light onto certain aspects of my current life, bringing joy into reading classical books.
To begin with, The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas, follows the story of Edmund Dantes and his path of revenge after being wrongfully imprisoned. Since this is a book originally written both in French and in 1844. I had read a translation of the book, though still translated as if it was written in the 19th century. It took me a few weeks to get through the book, having to figure out what was being said within each sentence. Rather than giving up when I was getting frustrated, I was determined to finish it. As I was reading the last few chapters, I began to enjoy the story being told, especially when it came to the three words: “wait and hope.” After enjoying this book, I was overcome with the desire to read more classical books, something that I had been previously putting off. I’ve read through Frankenstein, Pride and Prejudice, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Time Machine, and The War of the Worlds with joy, rather than just for school or someone else’s request. Due to this, I wish that I had read this book earlier, allowing me to have more time that I could have read these under a lens of enjoyment.
The Count of Monte Cristo also made me look at characters in a way that I previously didn’t. As I was reading the book, I was initially classifying characters as either black or white, good or bad. While getting further into the book, light was shed on the why and how of situations and showed characters are more than that. The main character, Edmund Dantes, faces a multitude of situations, which changes his perspective and choices. He started as a happy young man, about to be married, and was changed into a shell of who he was. Reading through as this all happened, and as he began to choose the good rather than the revengeful options, was amazing. With this, I started looking at other characters, as well as people I know, and saw them for even more. While I was willing to help anyone before, reading The Count of Monte Cristo led me to help everyone and everything, even if it was someone I didn’t like.
The message of The Count of Monte Cristo is that anyone can overcome something with determination, and that revenge may not be the best decision. Before reading the book, I would get stuck on something and give up, as I found it difficult. While Edmund Dantes is fictional, reading about someone overcoming the bad and striving in the environment gave me hope. If a fictional character could do it, I could too. This helped me throughout 10th grade, where every assignment seemed harder than the last. I wanted to take the easy way and didn’t necessarily want to do it, but I pushed through each assignment and gave it my best shot. The other message, that revenge is not the best decision, wasn’t something I dealt with previously, but that I now keep in mind for the future. Doing something in a moment of anger won't help me, instead, it would be harmful to me and others.
In the end, multiple books have impacted me throughout my reading, with The Count of Monte Cristo impacting the most. The style of writing brought more joy to reading classical books, the characters showed me that other characters and people are more than what they seem, and the messages helped to influence my view of the world. I never know what book will do this to me next, but all I can do is wait and hope.