Essays on literary works - 2024

What Does It Mean to Live by a Code of Honor? (Based on Alexandre Dumas' “The Three Musketeers” and Jules Verne's “Children of Captain Grant”)

My favorite adventure novels are Alexandre Dumas' "The Three Musketeers" and Jules Verne's "Children of Captain Grant." It's clear that the main characters in these stories live by a strict code of honor.

In Jules Verne's novel, the members of the expedition searching for the missing Captain Grant support each other until the very end. They never abandon their friends in trouble and are always ready to help anyone in their "team." The resourceful and clever Robert rescues his friends from cannibalistic natives. Major MacNabbs exposes the treacherous Ayrton who plotted to destroy the entire crew of the yacht "Duncan." The eccentric but brave and loyal Paganel supports his friends as best he can, doing everything to ensure that the search for Captain Grant is successful.

The heroes of Dumas' "The Three Musketeers" live by the motto "all for one, and one for all." This means that in all their adventures, troubles, and joys, they are always together, ready to come to each other's aid. The four musketeers fight to the end, defending the good name of the Queen of France, the honor of their homeland, and their own dignity. Neither fear of enemies, nor great wealth, nor power can break them.

That's why, I think, Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and d'Artagnan emerge victorious in the end, passing all their trials with honor. The adventures of the heroes of "Children of Captain Grant" also end well. I believe that their adherence to a code of honor — following their hearts and consciences — helped them.

These heroes never abandoned their friends in trouble, protected the weak, and stood on the side of good and justice. This is precisely what Dumas and Verne's novels teach us: to always stand on the side of honor.