Camille Alexandre Dumas fils (1824-1895) was th

Dumas fils states that he is "quite simply convinced" of the principles that, for women whose education has not taught them moral values, "God almost always opens two ways which lead thither, the ways of sorrow and love" (24). In that statement, he very subtly undermines the generally stated belief that the ways of vice in life are the road to eternal damnation in the life after. Dumas fils is stating that women such as Marguerite, whose limited social position resulted in a limited moral education, can in fact still attain heaven. However, they have chosen a means that is very difficult, and they should be pitied and forgiven rather than vilified for their choice.

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woman in the exhumation of Marguerite's body: "The eyes were nothing but two holes, the lips had disappeared, vanished, and the white teeth were tightly set. The black hair, long and dry, was pressed tightly about the forehead" (51). Through this description of the dead and decomposing Marguerite, Dumas fils illustrates two things: all will return to dust, and, although she lived her life based on her beauty, Marguerite was not beautiful in the end. In the end, she was proven to be mere flesh and bone. Dumas fils' strategy of placing all condemnation of herself in Marguerite's own mouth, while serving to invoke sympathy for Marguerite, also serves to denounce the profession she has chosen. However, Dumas fils continually shows that Marguerite is not beyond redemption; she still retains emotions and desires that she shares with members of bourgeois society, and thus she is deserving of pity and compassion: I gave myself to you sooner than I ever did to any man, I swear to you, and do you know why? Because when you saw me spitting blood you took my hand; because you wept; because you are the only human being who has ever pitied me (142). Marguerite is aware of the lack of morality she must observe to perform successful
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1585
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)