Monsieur Le Compte

So it only took me a matter of 4 years to 'finish' this book. Four years ago, I came upon this book and in a spat of respect for authors I decided to read it. It is The Count of Monte Cristo (unabridged). I just never got around to finishing it, so I restarted it about a year ago and now I am done!
Speaking of done, on the last page they provide a 'Reading Group Guide'. When I first saw this page I thought to myself, "Great, I bet if I was in an AP class, these are the questions they'd make me answer." I don't do English AP. Or didn't...Anyways I also think that if a teacher has to use the assigned novel itself to get questions for their students to answer, then that teacher needs to re-evaluate themselves and how much effort they are putting into their job.

That being said, I shall now make fun of them.

1) Discuss th idea of revenge as it plays out in the novel: as plot device, theme, subject, motivation. How is revenge related to justice? Is Edmund Dantes justified in his actions?

This is one of those questions where, of course, they are fishing for an answer. I.E. *imagine a trudging voice* No, Edmund was NOOOOT justified in revenge. Revenge is bad. Justice is for the government...wait a second...wasn't it the governments fault that Edmund wanted revenge in the first place? Huh...

2) How does Edmund Dantes's long incarceration change him?

Really, this question asks, "How does involuntary solitude, starvation, and injust imprisonment for 10-ish years change you?"

3) Do you think the island of Monte Cristo serves a symbolic function in the novel? If so, in what way?

This question makes me wonder...do we give author's more credit for being symbolic than they originally tried to be?

4) How does the novel's historical context-Dumas places the story at the close of the Napoleonic dynasty-inform and affect the work? Is your sense of history changed or enriched as a result?

I want to make fun of the part in between the dashes. In case you missed THE WHOLE REASON FOR A PLOT LINE IN THIS BOOK the person who made this question made sure you were aware that Napoleon was involved in this book in some way!

5) Discuss the punishments meted out to various characters:Count de Morcerf, Danglars, Villefort. Are they appropriate or in any sense symbollic?

I did notice that they were 'punished' in three very different ways...it was as if the Count did to them what he considered they had done to him...like someone who was seeking the most poignant kind of revenge or something like that...

6)Lorenzo Carcaterra writes, "Edmund Dantes is a part of us all." Discuss, as a reader, your relationship and response to Dumas's famous protagonist.

The only way I relate is that if I found a mass fortune, I would use it in the way that brought me the most happiness. That happiness would not included most of what Monsieur Dantes did though...

7) The Count of Monte Cristo is unquestionably one of the most entertaining and timeless novels ever written and is also often described as one of the greatest. Do you agree?

This question is what causes people to make this.