Chapter 15: Number 34 and Number 27
During his first six years in prison, Dantès initially
turns to God, immersing himself in prayer. As he contemplates his
bad luck, his despair increasingly turns to wrath. Dantès does not
yet know that envious men are responsible for his unfortunate imprisonment.
He is so sick with grief and hopelessness that he finally decides
to kill himself by means of starvation. Just when he feels that
he is about to die, however, he hears a scratching sound coming
from the other side of his cell.
When the jailer comes to give him his dinner, Dantès cleverly places
his dish in a spot where the jailer will be sure to step on it.
The dish shatters and the jailer leaves the entire pot for Dantès.
Dantès is thus able to use the handle of the pot to begin scraping
at the wall from his side. After hours of scraping he hears the
voice of his neighbor. Later, they break through, and his neighbor
emerges through the hole in the wall.
Chapter 16: A Learned Italian
Dantès’s neighbor tells him that his name is Abbé Faria
and that he has been imprisoned for his political beliefs, as he
is an agitator for a unified Italy. Dantès realizes that Abbé Faria
is the mad priest that the jailer once mentioned. Dantès is overjoyed
to have a companion. The abbé is less happy to see Dantès, however,
as he had mistakenly believed he had been digging a tunnel to freedom.
Chapter 17: In the Abbé’s Cell
[I]t has installed a new passion in your
heart—that of vengeance.
(See Important Quotations Explained)
Faria, rather than being insane, proves to be
a brilliant and resourceful man. He has managed to fashion paper,
ink, pens, a knife, a needle, a lamp, and various other necessities
while imprisoned, and has used these to write a political treatise
and dig the fifty-foot tunnel that connects his cell to Dantès’s.
When Dantès tells Faria his life story, Faria quickly discerns that
Dantès has been framed by Danglars and Fernand. Faria is aware of
the connection between Villefort and Noirtier, so he is able to
explain that part of the mystery. Stunned by the discovery, Dantès
turns his thoughts toward revenge.
Over the course of the next two years, the well-educated
abbé teaches Dantès everything he knows. Dantès has a wonderful
memory and a quick mind, and he is able to advance quickly in the
study of mathematics, philosophy, history, and several languages.
Faria develops another plot to escape, and the two men plan meticulously.
Days before they are going to put the plan into action, however,
Faria suffers a fit. His right arm and leg become paralyzed, leaving
him unable to attempt escape. Dantès declares that he will not leave
either, swearing to remain with Faria so long as the old man lives.
Chapter 18: The Treasure
The next day, Faria begins to talk about a hidden treasure,
and Dantès becomes worried, thinking that his friend is insane after
all. Faria convinces Dantès that the treasure truly exists by telling
him the story behind it. The treasure once belonged to the Spada
family, the wealthiest family in Italy. In the fifteenth century,
Caesar Spada hid the treasure on the uninhabited island of Monte
Cristo, hoping to keep it out of the hands of a murderous, thieving
pope. Due to a mishap, however, the location of the treasure remained
a secret even from the family.
