Are you into Zen Budhism? You're talking about everyone being at peace with themselves, except of course, Milady, and I was just wondering. I can just see our musketeers meditating and chanting their famous mantra, all for one, one for all. Of course, if our musketeers were into Zen instead of Catholicism, they wouldn't get so hung up on their emotions and mysogynistic ravings and delusions of superiority. But you're right about the whole honor thing, even if they were Budhist, because you know, samurais are into it, too!<br>The bit about Alphas and Deltas is very interesting and I think it holds some truth for some people, but you can't really know what the lower orders were thinking because this book was written from the point of view and for the upper classes. But even a driven or incredibly talented peasant would not be able to move up in the world, so to speak, because of the restrictions of social class. True, it's not really important how the lackeys think or feel, that Grimaud "fears his master like fire" or Planchet thinks D'Artagnan is the greatest thing since sliced bread. In fact, it's amazing that Dumas would even give the lackeys much of a personality or dialogue. What results are these lackeys with one-dimensional characters whose personalities are just really an extension of their masters. These aren't real people. Even lower class people have their own identities or personalities. Whereas your musketeers are given in-depth studies throughout the book and their personalities are revealed on many levels. As to Athos, he is very phlegmatic and dignified, no denying that, but I still think his treatment of Grimaud is a little unreasonable. It's not like Grimaud can just throw up his arms and quit. He doesn't really have a choice. It's either keep the crappy job or starve. He can't get a higher paying job like a doctor or lawyer because he was never allowed the education. He can't suddenly learn fencing and join the musketeers himself because he's not a noble. These people didn't have a lot of avenues and they took what they got because they had to. What they thought about it no one really knows because maybe they didn't pause often to think about their lot when they were merely trying to survive. It's ironic how it was proper and expected for nobles to have a child-like lack of emotional control and for their servants to endure all with an enormously god-like amount of patience. And yet, who were the masters? Who suppposedly ruled in this society? Comparing the two, who really was the stronger? Who truly was dependent on who? It's all relative. But then, history does not lie.
