Morality Is A Big Theme Throughout The Book Les Miserables

The novel’s main characters struggle when it comes to making decisions based on personal moralities.

Hester “felt herself no longer so inadequate to cope with Roger Chillingworth as on that night, abased by sin, and half maddened by the ignominy that was still new, when they had talked together in the prison-chamber. She had climbed her way, since then, to a higher point” (138). At the beginning of Chapter 2, Hester first sees Roger Chillingworth in the audience as she is standing on the scaffold. There, he took “possession of her thoughts” (52), filling her with such fear that she pressed her child close to her bosom with a “convulsive force” (52). Later on, Roger Chillingworth visits Hester in her prison cell, and is revealed to be her husband, someone who has been missing for the past two years. Throughout Chapters

Sacrifice is seen throughout the Les Miserables, because it is a prominent part of human living. Sacrifice is greater in those who have less. Hugo conveys sacrifice through the characters Jean Valjean and Fantine, showing how they sacrificed in order to gain a better life, self-forgiveness

Stating that “there ain’t no sin and there ain’t no virtue. There’s just stuff people do. It's all part of the same thing. And some of the things folks do is nice, and some ain't nice, but that's as far as any man got a right to say.” (23). Steinbeck uses Jim Casy’s self-indulgence that tells of pleasure before rules and presumes to deny punishment is highly unusual for a one-time preacher. Casy struggled with his inner faith, and also his actions and speeches that defied what a regular man of the trust would do. The spiritual being of Jim Casy was evolving and furthermore conflicting from a man of thought to a man of action. Towards the beginning of the book, Casy would spend many nights sleep deprived, philosophizing to himself. But he would publicly declare how selfish people can act and react towards one another. Either people do beautiful things such as the Joad family, or they don’t do fair things such as the justice system where it is truly unfair to those who haven’t commit any plausible crimes. Keeping individuals of the migrant workers to isolate themselves from society and not cooperate on wanting a better

Society tends to misjudge people base on their appearances instead of their personality. This can be seen in the play Cyrano De Bergerac by Edmond Rostand. In which Roxane represents that vile aspect of society. Roxane is attracted to Christian based on his looks, and under minds Cyrano because of his appearance. Society misjudgment of people cause oppression on an individual and it is from oppression and misjudgment f character that causes self consciousness to be born. Cyrano exhibits this self consciousness by helping Christian. Such oppression or self conscious aids to form magnificent characteristics attributes such as the ones portrayed by Cyrano throughout the novel. After all of its societies misjudgment that causes Cyrano to be

In his novel Hugo addresses the need for social reform and change in the crumbling and corrupt streets of French society. He specifically emphasizes improvement in education, the justice system, and the attitude of society towards women, and their political impact on French culture. Hugo does this particularly through Fantine, a woman who resorts to prostitution after being dismissed from her job as a factory worker; in addition to the existence of her illegitimate daughter, Cosette, her blemished reputation disables her from working in another reputable place. Because of Fantine’s shortage of an education and of society’s negative view of women abused by noble men, she is representative of the social injustices against women during this time. She’s illustrative of the gulf in France’s hierarchical system. Her condemnation to a life as a prostitute after being used by an aristocratic man highlights the social shortcomings present in the nobility’s attitude towards the lower classes, which continued to suffer. The misfortune that falls on Jean Valjean, an innocent man who only stole bread to help his dying sister, also represents the crookedness of France’s justice system. Valjean is likened to a habitual criminal and thrown in jail for nineteen years, an absurd sentence for only a loaf of bread. What’s worse is that he’s

The extract is take from the novel Les miserables written by victor hugo in the nineteenth century. This was the time when art and literature was influenced by Romanticism movement. In this novel hugo has condemned the unjust class based structure of the nineteenth century France. This movement has an emphasis on individual’s freedom of thoughts and emotions from social conventions. They are more concerned with imagination rather than reason. The situation in this passage is idealized in literature of nineteenth century, however, real life aspect is quite differ from the imaginative world.

Steinbeck and Twain are both strong believers that one's morals can conquer the law both individually and as a group. Using Tom Joad as his voice, Steinbeck reveals that he believes that self-morals should always influence the good of others. While at first Tom is obsessed with his "one foot in front a the other" lifestyle, he turns his selfish morals of dignity and honor into protection for his family (Steinbeck 223). Ironically, it is the law that helps him in his journey, as his parole sentence

The first example of how morality is disregarded can be found in a central theme of the novel, which is the importance of profit. It is because of this influence, that there are no limits as to what can be sold, leading to an abundance of morally corrupting products and services: “The locations were supposed to be countries where life was cheap and kids were plentiful, and where you could buy anything you wanted.” (Atwood 108). Through constant exposure to such content, especially at a young age, the characters are instilled with a misguided picture of what a normal world should be. As a result, a proper moral compass is never developed, affecting their actions. Furthermore, the importance of money not only taints

The first situation that tests his morals is when he is trying to figure out whether or not he is going to turn Jim in. He is faced with turning away from society or turning away from his father figure and best friend. “It was a close place. I took it up, and held it in my hand. I was a trembling, because I got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself: ‘All right, then, I’ll go to hell’--and tore it up.”(193). This quote shows how he felt about going against what he has been told his entire life but he eventually gives in and chooses his family over authority. Lies are common in this novel and not all are innocent like when he puts a dead snake in Jim’s bed without

Throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck, the main character, faces a great number of moral debates; Huck must decide if he truly believes slavery is wrong, and what to do with his runaway slave friend Jim. In order for a person to develop morally, he or she must not only do the right thing but also learn something new about his or her beliefs and come to their own conclusions. Huck does things that are considered the morally good, but Huck does not realize slaves as a whole are human, he regresses to his former self when with Tom, and Huck fails to see he is doing the right thing. While Huck makes some moral choices, his morals themselves do not develop.

Almost all novels depict morals or the author's view on any given subject. Although many people start to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn thinking that it is a simple novel on a boy's childhood, they soon come to realize that the author, Mark Twain, expresses his opinions on multiple important, political issues. Twain touches on subjects such as slavery, money and greed, society and civilization, and freedom. From the time of its publication, Huckleberry Finn has been distinguished as a novel with prodigious political positions and messages. Throughout the novel, Twain continuously shows the hypocrisy and absurdity of civilized society.

Ethics and morals are two different things although quite similar. Ethics relate to the essence of right and wrong according to the law. This is exhibited in the pre-meditated murder that we see in the play Trifles. Morals are related to personal standards. What may be morally right for one person may not be morally right for another person. Morals are based on a person’s upbringing, their religion, and their personal beliefs. In Trifles, “Sweat,” and “The Storm,” Susan Glaspell, Zora Neal Hurston, and Kate Chopin use symbolism to show, develop, and illustrate the theme of ethics versus morals.

Some people will do anything for those they love, no matter what the cost. In literature, this act of sacrifice is often exaggerated and glorified. Almost every novel contains some example of sacrifice, a giving up of something dear and precious without thought of material repayment. Victor Hugo’s novel, Les Misérables, is no exception. It is, in fact, full to overflowing of sacrifice between its different characters. Two such characters are Eponine and Jean Valjean, who each sacrifice an extraordinary amount to other characters.

Roy presents two kinds of morality within the novel: social morality and individual morality. Social morality describes how a society believes how one should behave while individual morality includes how one believes the way he or she should act. Roy presents these two dichotomies, but sometimes the characters stand in the middle of this clash of ideas. Therefore, Roy pushes the limits of the characters in exploring the boundaries even if they receive punishment by their society.