The Count Of Monte Cristo and the lost boys...
Last week, I finished reading the French Classic, Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo. It's an intricately plotted tale of triumphing over adversity. The hero is Edmond Dantes, a young sailor who is unjustly framed for a crime and sent to languish in the impregnable prison Chateau d'If. After 14 years he manages to make his escape, uncovers a huge fortune, and remerges in France as the enigmatic and charming Count of Monte Cristo. There's lots about the story and attitudes of the characters that are of their time, but Edmond's resilience and mastery over his fate still resonate today.
There's been a lot of hand-wringing about young boys, social media, and the need for positive role models to teach them to be kind and sensitive. Growing up, I was a pretty sensitive boy myself, with an eclectic mix of passions: Marvel Superheroes, 2000AD comics, Indiana Jones, but also Fame the TV series, stage musicals, and Prince. It wasn't typical 'bloke' stuff, but I would still have found the idea of authority approved role models completely off-putting.
What sparked my imagination as a kid were stories of heroism, mastery, resilience, independence, and the discipline to stand up for what's right. If as a kid, I'd have faced something as disruptive, chaotic, unsettling and out of control as the pandemic, I'd have turned to stories about heroes who could rise above challenges and take charge of their own destiny.