Three Musketeers

            
             Secrecy is an important part of the storytelling process. The author must know when to reveal something and when to let the suspense build. In Alexandre Dumas" Novel The Three Musketeers, there are many secrets kept from the characters and the reader. The three central characters take on assumed names, each for their own reasons, but only one Athos, has a secret and not to keep a reputation. In fact the only character Dumas tells us completely about is d"Artagnan the hero and only known life of the group. Perhaps the biggest mystery is the identity of Milady who is of unknown origins until the end of the book when things are explained and justice is served for the many faces of Milady. These secrets tie in together in unexpected ways that leave the reader surprised but satisfied with the way the story concludes. .
             For the three musketeers, two of their assumed names don't affect them. Their actions show their character, and so a name would be superfluous to those already given. The character of Porthos is vain and arrogant, and Arramis is pious and amorous. Athos, the third musketeer keeps a secret that binds the whole book together; the identity of Milady and her crimes. .
             Athos" secret intrigues from the first because he and d"Artagnan become so close, and yet d"Artagnan knows nothing of his friend's past. The reader is told nothing of Athos" past except he is definitely a nobleman because of his mannerisms. In the middle of the book when he and d"Artagnan get drunk, Athos tells a cryptic story of a man who (he wants to stress even in his drunkard state is not him) marries a woman who turns out to have a fleur-de-lis, the French brand for a criminal. The man, at this point we know it's Athos, hangs the woman and that is thought to be the end. Athos choice to tell this secret at this point in the story reveals his comfort with d"Artagnan and the growth of their friendship. Athos" story also serves as a teaching aid.