les misarable

8/15/2019 Les Misarable

1/5

LES MISERABLES: BOOK SUMMARY

KEY LITERARY ELEMENTS

SETTINGFrance in the 1800's during the period of the Restoration. The major action is in Paris, but some episodes take place inneighboring to ns.

CHARACTER LIST

Major Characters

Jean ValjeanThe e!"con#ict ho had been imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread. Primar$ protagonist.

Monsiegneur BienvenuThe bene#olent priest of the first book hose generosit$ and self sacrifice changes %aljean.

CosetteThe child of Fantine hom %aljean raises as his granddaughter.

JavertThe inspector of police ho&s lifelong ambition is to put %aljean back behind bars.

Mariusollege student and idealist ho falls in lo#e ith osette.

M. Gillenormand(randfather of )arius. Representati#e of the old bourgeois.

ThenardierThe paragon of e#il both in character and in representation of other negati#e forces.

Minor Characters

Fantineosette&s mother. *as osette during a relationship ith a college student ho lea#es her ithout marr$ing her or

pro#iding for the child. Fantine is forced to lea#e osette ith someone ho ill supposedl$ take care of her hile Fantineorks for her support.

M. Fauchelevant+n old gardener hom %aljean rescues hen a cart falls on him. ater helps pro#ide a place of refuge for %aljean and

osette.

Eponine-aughter to Thenardier.

Enjolrasollege student"primar$ leader of the insurrection. *is mistress is France.

Gavrocheon of Thenardier.

Felix Tholomyes !istolier Fameuil Blachevilletudents

Champmathieu+nother con#ict ho is captured and belie#ed to be %aljean.

"ister "implice "ister #erpetueThe nuns ho take care of Fantine.

Colonel George #ontmercy)arius& father.


2/5

LES MISERABLES: FREE BOOK SUMMARY !LOT SYNO!SIS

CONFLICTThe no#el contains multiple conflicts and subplots. The major conflict threaded through the book is bet een %aljean and/a#ert. %aljean has ser#ed his time and earned release from prison, but it is release ith a $ello passport"meaninge#er$ here he goes, e#er$one from emplo$ers to landlords ill kno that he is an e!"con. This makes him suspect e#en

hen he is innocent of an$ rong doing. /a#ert sees the la as an ans er for e#er$thing, and no e!ception should bemade regardless of ho small the crime.

The situation is complicated hen %aljean takes upon himself the care of osette, as he feels responsible for the death ofher mother. ith osette, %aljean learns to lo#e and the bitterness of the $ears of injustice melt a a$. *e thinks ofhimself as a con#ict and makes no e!cuses his onl$ reason for hiding and a#oiding /a#ert is to protect osette and hisfatherl$ relationship ith her.

+dditional minor conflicts occur bet een )arius and his (randfather, bet een )arius and %aljean, and bet een %aljeanand Thenardier.

SHORT SUMMARY "S#no$sis%The major plot in#ol#es /ean %aljean ho is released from prison, and through the kindness of Father )$riel, becomes ane man. *e gets a ne name #ia association ith )$riel and his ob#ious kindness and generosit$ to others andgraduall$ builds a successful and prosperous life for himself ith a reno#ation of the jet" ork industr$ in )ontreuil"surmer. 2ne of his emplo$ees is"although unkno n to him"fired b$ the head mistress because of an illegitimate bab$.Fantine goes from one occupation to another, finall$ becoming a prostitute.

+ minor incident takes place in the streets, and Fantine is arrested b$ /a#ert. %aljean, ho has become kno n as )a$or)adeleine, forces /a#ert to release her and takes her into his o n house hen he hears her stor$. Fantine is in e!tremel$poor health, ho e#er, and dies ithout e#er seeing her child again, e#en though %aljean had promised to get the child.

)ean hile, another man has been arrested and mistakenl$ identified as %aljean. %aljean appears in court, re#ealing thetruth and losing both his business and his position in )ontreuil"sur"mer. +lthough he is arrested, he breaks out longenough to hide his fortune. *e spends additional time in prison, orking aboard a ship. 3#entuall$ he escapes again andretrie#es osette from the e#il Thenardiers hom Fantine had trusted to take care of the child.

Then begins 10 $ears of hiding, mo#ing from place to place, al a$s sta$ing just ahead of /a#ert. e#en or eight happ$$ears are spend in a con#ent here %aljean orks ith the gardener and osette attends a girls& school.

Feeling that osette must ha#e opportunit$ to e!perience all of life, the$ lea#e the con#ent hen she is about 14. %aljeanis nearl$ betra$ed and recaptured due to the insidious if some hat un itting deeds of the Thenardiers.

hile %aljean is continuousl$ on the lookout for people ho might ha#e guessed his identit$ and makes their home

al a$s in out of the a$ places, osette becomes a are of her o n femininit$ and beaut$. he and )arius spot eachother and fall in lo#e.

)arius is a college student ho has been raised b$ his grandfather after the old man had diso ned his son"in"la forsupporting 5apoleon. )arius disco#ers the truth about his father shortl$ after his death and enmit$ de#elops bet eenhimself and his grandfather. ith little income, )arius in unable to marr$ osette and pre#ent %aljean from taking hera a$ again, and his grandfather refuses to gi#e consent for a marriage to someone he assumes is beneath him.

6n Paris, politics, ork issues, and #arious unsatisfactor$ conditions are graduall$ bringing a faction of orkers andcollege students to the point of re#olt. +n insurrection takes place )arius joins in hoping to die since he ill not be ableto ha#e osette. %aljean joins the insurrection because he belie#es he is losing osette&s lo#e and because, although hehates him bitterl$, he intends to tr$ to protect )arius for osette.

hen the barricades are finall$ o#ertaken, %aljean rescues )arius and escapes through the cit$ se ers. )arius isunconscious and does not kno ho rescued him. hen his health returns, he insists once again on marr$ing osette,and this time the grandfather relents. 2ld ounds are at least partiall$ healed. +s /a#ert is also dead, it ould seem that

osette, %aljean, )arius and his grandfather could all form one happ$ famil$. osette and )arius marr$, but %aljeanre#eals the truth of himself to )arius ho graduall$ banishes him from e#en seeing osette.

The Thenardiers are a continuous nuisance and occasionall$ a real threat throughout the book, but in spite ofThenardier&s intention to bring harm to %aljean, he actuall$ re#eals the truth of %aljean&s histor$ to )arius.

%aljean dies in the end, but it is ith contentment after a jo$ful reunion ith osette. *e is content to kno that osetteand )arius ha#e 7forgi#en him, although it seems as though %aljean himself is the one ho has the right to be on theforgi#ing end of things.


3/5

O&ERALL ANALYSIS

CHARACTER ANALYSIS

Cosette+lthough a pi#otal character, osette is almost static and flat. he is innocent throughout, passi#e ith respect to the

men in her life, and obedient to a fault e#en hen such subser#ience makes her unhapp$. The brief moments of self"a areness occur hen she first reali9es that she is prett$ and hen she meets )arius in her garden.

3#en then, she is po erless to do an$thing other than hat %aljean ants. *er passi#it$ is transferred to )arius oncethe$ are married. he is the doll, the saint of blind goodness and purit$, the inderella ho cannot function ithout herprince. The narrator simpl$ presents her, allo ing the other characters to fa n o#er her. *e offers less editorial commentabout her than an$ of the other major characters. *er saintliness is entirel$ the perceptions of others.

Eponine3ponine is the opposite of osette in man$ a$s, but the contrast is ironic. 3ponine is the legitimate daughter of theThenardiers hile osette as born out of edlock, the offspring of a nai#e, lo#e"sick girl and a pla$bo$ t$pe student. :et3ponine is submerged in the criminal element and onl$ escapes dro ning in it through her o n high spirits and courageborn of necessit$. osette has almost an$thing she could ant hile 3ponine has nothing, and the one thing 3ponine does

ant ;)arius< can ne#er be hers. 3ponine is the daughter of a kno n criminal, hile osette is being foster"fathered b$ asecret one.

osette&s innocence and purit$ is the result of a #er$ sheltered life, of a lack of e!posure to an$thing that might be a

negati#e influence on her. 3ponine has an understanding of human nature far be$ond her $ears, and is not afraid to fightfor hat she ants. he kno s ho to manipulate people and situations to her o n ends, $et she does so ithout malice.

he is the same age as osette, but she acts much older. 6n realit$, she is a child herself, star#ing for a touch of humanit$and maintaining her o n dignit$ in the face of o#er helming odds.

Gavrocheittle (a#roche re#eals *ugo&s soft spot of the neglected aifs of Paris. ike his sister, he is immersed in the criminal

element of Paris, but hile he uses it to his o n ends for sur#i#al, he is untainted b$ it. *e is a bundle of spunk, ofcourage, and has a no"nonsense #ie of right and rong. *e ill steal from other thie#es, but his #andalism is oftencommitted to the benefit of others in need. *e is =uick to do fa#ors and just as =uick to make sure he is in the middle ofall the action. *e is in#enti#e, =uick thinking, independent and non judgemental. 6n short, he is the most lo#ablecharacter of the no#el.

ThenardierThenardier is the epitome of e#il. + continuous bane to %aljean, he is also the chief representati#e of the orst elementsof French societ$. *e is the product of la s that turn misdemeanors into major f elonies, the outcome of a societ$ herethe honest poor can barel$ sur#i#e. *is o n lack of character leads him into a life of crime here his st$le of li#ing ise#en orse than simpl$ being poor. :et, he is cle#er. *e has the intelligence to rise abo#e his circumstances, but choosesto use it for criminal ends.

Gillenormand2ld (illenormand is the one of the last of the old >ourgeois and is proud of it. *e pretends that he is lo$al to the oldpolitics, but in realit$ it is the lifest$le that he misses. *e lo#ed the old e!tra#agances, the la#ish parties, the frolick of thepopular and dashing courtier and as apparentl$ one of them prior to the re#olution. The probabilit$ of children ho carr$his genes if not his name is significant enough to pre#ent him from den$ing support to omen ho claim to ha#e hischildren.

*is primar$ indulgence is in his grandson hose father made the mistake of de#oting himself to the cause and arm$ of5apoleon. For )arius to inherit a title, hich had been gi#en b$ someone (illenormand #ie s as an upstart imposter isthe most unbearable of insults. 5e#ertheless, the old man&s primar$ eakness is also his grandson&s"sheer stubbornness.*e is not illing to accept change especiall$ hen it seems centered in his o n household here he cannot ignore it.

Javert/a#ert is another t$pe. +s a character, he is static and relati#el$ flat in that he is capable of thinking from onl$ oneperspecti#e. *e also is unable to cope ith change especiall$ here his personal #alues are concerned. *e is neither goodnor e#il he is simpl$ the embodiment of the la , an entit$ that ne#er =uestions itself and that proceeds to enact its o nprecepts ithout concern for its #ictims. *is pursuit of %aljean is as close as he comes to making a #endetta personal, forto him %aljean represents an element hich li#es outside the la , and although little or no crime is committed, there is alack of control hich /a#ert sees as a threat to the guiding principle of his life.

Marius)arius& primar$ purpose in the no#el is to lure osette a a$ from %aljean and to bring %aljean to the point of ultimate self denial and self sacrifice. Throughout the no#el he is immature if not some hat shallo . *e gro s up =uickl$ hen forced


4/5

to make a decision hether to go on moping in self pit$ or to take action in a cause. 3#en then, if he had not belie#ed hehad lost osette, it is doubtful hether he ould ha#e become in#ol#ed in the insurrection. *e cares for his friends buthas been raised in a sheltered en#ironment and is spoiled. *e does not understand the political ideals of the +> an$morethan he does those of 5apoleon. *e idoli9es the glor$ of 5apoleon for the sake of the glor$ and is like ise in lo#e ithlo#e as much as he is ith osette. he is for him the angel of submission and ill adore him blindl$ ithout e#er askinghim justif$ his desires or opinions. )arius is probabl$ the eakest character in the no#el, but is non"the"less a catal$st for%aljean&s sal#ation.

Valjean%aljean is the main character of the book. *e is hat ?0th centur$ critics call an 7anti"hero in that he is an ordinar$person ho e!erts e!traordinar$ effort to not onl$ sur#i#e, but to protect and defend those ho are eaker than himself.

6n his self"sacrifice and his 7lamb to the slaughter image, he resembles hrist. 6n other a$s he closel$ resembles /ob inthat he first considers himself a #ictim but graduall$ sees his o n fault and becomes repentant and humble. *is fate isse#ere because he is on the edge of social change. +s a t$pe he represents those ho inspire change but are also the#ictim of its resistance.

>ecause he lacked a close famil$ relationship, his abilit$ to lo#e, to chose right from rong, to defend the helpless, and togi#e e#en to those ho did not deser#e it all emerge from ithin his o n being. *e is as intelligent as Thenardier butuses his brains for good instead of e#il. 6n f act, e could sa$ that the t o men are born into similar circumstances andthat but for the inter#ention of the bishop, %aljean could ha#e gone the a$ of e#il. 6n fact, he ould ha#e had morereason than Thenardier to do so as his $ello passport ould fore#er mark him as a con#ict. /a#ert, kno ing he could notli#e a normal life under his true identit$, apparentl$ e!pected him to become a part of the criminal element of Paris andtherefore hounded him to the point of persecution to tr$ to pin some ne crime on him and ha#e him returned to thegalle$s for life. %aljean&s success in e#ading recapture is a result of constant #igilance as ell as care in maintaining hisanon$mit$.

%aljean also represents a sense of independence, a noble defiance of man&s la in fa#or of (od&s la . *ugo alludesrepeatedl$ to religious influences and to the presence of (od in the life of %aljean. +nd it is the la s of (od that seem tobe asserting themsel#es for /a#ert hen the human la fails him.

THEMES ' THEME ANALYSIS

Grandparent$Grandchild %elationshipsThis is present in dualit$ as %aljean pretends to be a grandfather to osette and (illenormand is a grandfather to )arius.>oth grandfathers ha#e to learn to let go.

Crime vs. #unishment%aljean&s punishment certainl$ does not fit his crime, but neither did Fantine deser#e the treatment she recei#ed in hisfactor$. The 18@0's in Paris are an age here the slightest error brings the same punishment as a serious malfeasance.

Truth vs. "urvival%aljean and Thenardier both use lies as a a$ to sur#i#e. Thenardier, ho e#er, uses the lie for e#il.

!ove and Forgiveness+ great deal of forgi#eness takes place in the course of the multiple sub"plots. %aljean must forgi#e /a#ert for houndinghim unjustl$, )arius for taking osette a a$ from him, Thenardier for tr$ing to rob him, and himself for his o nimperfections. (illenormand and )arius must compromise and forgi#e each other for their mutual obstinac$ 3poninemust forgi#e )arius for being unable to lo#e her and /a#ert ; ho is not successful< must forgi#e himself for puttingkindness and decenc$ ahead of the la .

!a& vs. 'umanityThe >iship )$riel is the f irst to e!ercise humanit$ among those ho ma$ not deser#e it, both to his parishoners and thento %aljean. %aljean continues the thread hen he rescues Fantine from /a#ert&s condemnation and instant sentencing.

ater he has to choose hether to submit to the la or to carr$ out the ishes of the d$ing Fantine. Altimatel$, hemanages to do both.

The old gardener Fauchele#ant defies and manipulates the la b$ engineering %aljean&s and osette&s entrance into thecon#ent. The nuns themsel#es turn a blind e$e to the la and to their o n disobedience to it hen the$ ish to bur$ adeparted sister ithin the alls of the con#ent. 3njolras, during the insurrection, defends and enacts the la hen one ofthe insurgents fails to obser#e principles of humanit$ and shoots an innocent ci#ilian. Finall$, /a#ert himself commitssuicide hen faced ith the idea that in certain situations humanit$ should take precedence o#er the la .

The Meaning o( )e*t)an$ characters ha#e debts to other characters in this stor$. The plot is partiall$ dri#en b$ the means the$ choose torepa$ those debts. %aljean o es >ishop )$riel for his freedom and chance for a ne life. 6n an indirect a$, he also o es

osette the protection he gi#es her, for it as in his o n factor$ that her mother as abused and dri#en to desperatecircumstances. )arius belie#es he o es a debt to Thenardier, but that debt is a result of )arius& father misinterpretingThenardier&s intentions.


5/5

)arius actuall$ does o e %aljean for his #er$ life. /a#ert also o es %aljean for his life and pa$s it b$ releasing %aljean andthen taking his o n life. (illenormand o es %aljean for rescuing and returning )arius. >oth )arius and %aljean ha#edebts to 3ponine ho deli#ers letters, messages, and traces addresses hene#er needed. The gardener Fauchele#antfeels that he o es his life to %aljean, hom he kne as Father )adeleine. Practicall$ the onl$ significant characters in thebook ho o e nothing to an$one are Father )$riel, Father )abeuf and (a#roche.

Childhood +nnocence and Courageittle (a#roche, 3ponine and their t o little brothers ; hom (a#roche protects but does not kno < all portra$ the

innocence and courage that children are capable of hen plunged into a crisis situation.

"avior$"acri(ice%aljean is a sa#ior image throughout the stor$. Thenardier is falsel$ belie#ed to be a sa#ior b$ )arius and his fatherPontmerc$. (a#roche tries to act the role of a sa#ior on se#eral occasions, the final one costing him his life. /a#ert is anun illing sa#ior hen he releases %aljean and dro ns himself in the ri#er.

!LOT STRUCTURE ANALYSIS*ugo&s plot is intert ined ith innumerable threads"that of the reconciliation bet een )arius and his grandfather, theultimate defeat of the e#il of Thenardier, the aspects of #ictor$ and defeat in the insurrection, the lo#e affair bet een)arius and osette, and the constant chase of /a#ert for %aljean. *olding it all together, ho e#er, is the ps$chological

journe$ of %aljean ho mo#es from place to place, doing good for all in an attempt to free himself from his o ncondemnation onl$ to find that in order to free himself he must first re#eal and debase himself before one ho has thepo er to punish him. The galle$s dehuman9ied %aljean.

3ach ne hiding place, each change of address restores some aspect of his humanit$"although such restoration is oftenaccompanied ith emotional agon$. *e is a hole person again at the moment of his death because it is at that momentthat he is able to accept the forgi#eness of others and thereb$ reali9e that he has finall$ forgi#en himself for crimes of

hich the medie#al st$led la has con#icted him. *e li#es a mart$r of the la and dies a mart$r to himself.

!OINT OF &IE(2mniscient. *ugo leaps from one character to another as it suits his purpose, accompan$ing all ith e!tensi#e editorialcomment and address to the readers.

les misarable

Documents