Quote 5
“[U]ntil
the day when God will deign to reveal the future to man, all human
wisdom is contained in these two words,—‘Wait and hope.’”
This remark also appears in the final
letter Monte Cristo leaves for Maximilian in Chapter 117.
These words represent Monte Cristo’s final renunciation of his project
of vengeance. Until now, he has considered himself God’s agent on
earth, attempting to carry out the retribution that he believes
God has appointed him to oversee. He has effectively placed himself
on a par with God, unwilling to allow his mortal limits to prevent
him from doling out divine justice. Yet doubt over Monte Cristo’s
capacity and right to act as God’s agent has been building steadily
ever since Edward’s unjust death and has finally resulted in a complete
disavowal of the mission Monte Cristo has just completed. Here,
Monte Cristo acknowledges that God is the only one who can act as
Providence, the only force that can hand out people’s fates. Humans,
rather than taking God’s task into their own hands, ought to simply
“[w]ait and hope” that God does indeed eventually reward the good
and punish the bad.
