Reflection on Les Miserables

The novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini introduces multiple cases in which society defines people as well as the novel Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. In Les Miserables, Cosette is introduced as the daughter of Fantine. She was given to the Thenardiers, a family who owned an Inn and treated her like a slave. Since a young age she was made to take the role of a grown women. She was saved by Jean ValJean, a formal criminal who changed his life.

I agree with the statement that in the novel Les Miserables, the author Victor Hugo is trying to say that human nature is basically good. In the most basic sense, the definition of good trying to do the right thing, even if there are negative consequences. It often means having to sacrifice and give up something to do the right thing. Throughout the book, many characters sacrifice their happiness and morals in order to do what they believe is the right and fair thing. Even when faced with serious consequences for being honest, characters more often than not still choose to do the right thing. Some may argue that Victor Hugo is saying that human nature is basically evil because some characters commit evil actions. However, in most cases, characters don’t always have evil intentions, their execution is just poor and makes them seem evil. Everyone thinks of themselves as a hero, almost everything a character does is because that’s what they believe is the right thing to do. Whether or not it really is could be up for debate but for the most part, most characters don’t have evil intentions and attempt to usually do the right thing. Victor Hugo is saying that as a whole, human nature is inherently good.

<br>First off, is the element of forgiveness. In a book of mistrust, poverty, and hate…forgiveness thrives in the world of Les Miserables. The first example of this was at the very beginning, when Jean Valjean stayed with the bishop. Valjean stole his silver…and ran off. He ends up being caught by police, but when the police questioned the bishop, he claimed to have given the silver to Valjean. Jean was confused…and the

Poverty pushes Fantine to make sacrifices throughout the book. She is forced to sacrifice raising her child, Cosette, and leaving her to strangers, because poverty has left her no means to take care of

Symbols of aristocratic authority in Miss Julie, facilitate societal discussion on ethically acceptable behaviour as sexual, gender and class conflicts emerge through individuals having challenged hierarchal structure despite having internalized distinct ideological frameworks. Strindberg utilizes uncertainty and the reveling Midsummer atmosphere to justify aristocratic need for isolation in order to maintain a guise of dominance. Julie’s failure to embody submissive characteristics and conform to social paradigms by alienating herself from the servitude, threatens the hierarchal structure, using social structure to dictate ethical behaviour within society. Hence, Julie’s death is justified as necessary to reinstate social order through isolating and subjugating the proletariat. Liberation and freedom are impossible to obtain due to the anxiety producing agency of the Count, symbolizing the omnipresence of repressive Capitalist dictates due to the impact on psyche as a product of nurture.

The characterization of Cosette and Eponine as foils in Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables advocates for the implementation of altruism by the rich to help the poor and less fortunate. These two character foils originate from similar backgrounds and beginnings – Hugo even has the two live together for several years – but the stories they later embody are incredibly divergent. This difference between them can be attributed to Jean Valjean’s benevolence when he, “seized the handle of the bucket which [Cosette] was carrying” as she went to fetch water for the Thenardiers. This simple act symbolically freed her from the burden of poverty, as the distressing labor she was doing was essentially involuntary – congruent to the situation poverty forces the

Everyone needs someone to love and care for as well as someone who can return that love and care. When Cosette comes into Valjean’s life, it makes him feel something he didn’t feel in a long time, “When he saw Cosette, when he had taken her, carried her away, and rescued her, he felt his heart move” (123). At this point, she becomes more than just a girl but another symbol in Valjean’s

       As the tale begins we immediately can sympathize with the repressive plight of the protagonist.  Her romantic imagination is obvious as she describes the "hereditary estate" (Gilman, Wallpaper 170) or the "haunted house" (170) as she would like it to be.  She tells us of her husband, John, who "scoffs" (170) at her romantic sentiments and is "practical to the extreme" (170).  However, in a time

As the era of literature slowly declines, the expert critiques and praise for literature are lost. Previously, novels were bursting at the seams with metaphors, symbolism, and themes. In current times, “novels” are simply short stories that have been elaborated on with basic plot elements that attempt to make the story more interesting. Instead of having expert critical analysis written about them, they will, most likely, never see that, as recent novels have nothing to analyze. Even books are beginning to collect dust, hidden away and forgotten, attributing to the rise of companies such as Spark Notes. An author deserves to have his work praised, no matter how meager and the masses should have the right to embrace it or to reject it. As

Cosette is deprived of the love that she desires and deserves. She longs for love and instead receives the opposite. The Thenardiers do not care for Cosette and do not view her as their child, to them she is a servant girl. When Jean Valjean offers to take Cosette away from the Thenardiers, they reply, “Ah monsieur! My good monsieur! Take her, keep her, take her away, carry her off, sugar her, stuff her, drink her, eat her, and be blessed by the holy Virgin and all the saints in paradise!” (154). The Thenardiers want Cosette out of their house, and no longer want the responsibility of taking care of the “imbecile child” (147). It is a blessing to them that this traveler has come to take Cosette away forever. Because of Jean Valjean's good deed, Cosette's life can improve and she can finally experience the emotion of love she longs for. Although Jean Valjean offers Cosette all the love he is capable of giving, it is not enough to satisfy Cosette. She craves for a different, romantic love after she is introduced to Marius. Hugo,

Les Miserables is a prime example of two individuals conflicted by the “letter of the law” and the “spirit of the law”. The two main characters, Jean Valjean and and Javert, have two different views on morality. There is a difference between the “letter of the law” and the “spirit of the law”. Obeying the what the laws specifically says defines the “letter of the law” and obeying the overall message of the law defines the “spirit of the law”.

Jean Valjean sacrificed much as he sought redemption. One of the first sacrifices that Jean Valjean makes is that of his identity, during the Champmathieu affair. As Monsieur Madeleine, Jean Valjean was a trusted official in a high position. He struggled with himself when he heard that the ‘real’ Jean Valjean had been caught: should he stay in M—sur m—where he was comfortable and popular, or do the right thing, remove a man from an undeserved galley life, and become a convict once more. When Madeleine revealed himself as Jean Valjean, he forever gave up that comfortable position of authority. He became a convict again – a wanted convict. He would now live out the rest of his life hiding, of not running, from the police. Jean sacrificed his safety. Saving Marius’ life by carrying him through the sewers also proved to be a sacrifice. Jean’s entire existence revolved around Cosette. She was what kept him on the track the bishop set him on. He adored her. He was devastated to learn that she was in love with Marius, yet he saved

“If the soul is left in darkness, sins will be committed. The guilty one is not the one who commits the sin, but the one who creates the darkness” (Hugo 22). This quote was taken from Les Miserables describing the French Revolution. The “darkness” represents the authoritative figures that have the power to rule others. They create misery and pain that leads good people into doing bad things. The French Revolution was a major turning point in French history. It motivated and influenced Victor Hugo to write Les Miserables as a historical romantic novel, which would later triumphantly become one of the greatest novels in the 19th Century (Brombert 92). The French Revolution was ignited by the political and social contention between the Monarchy and the National Assembly. Chaos was the result of the battle, and reformation was needed to address the moral decline of the people due to the decrease in respect for human life and great influence from the Enlightenment philosophers. This would lead to the questioning of the philosophy behind the French Revolution and directed France towards many civil wars and uprisings. The politics, morality, philosophy and war that occurred during the French Revolution formed the foundation behind Les Miserables’ plot.

"True redemption is when guilt leads to good" (Khaled Hosseini). Not one person on earth is completely free from wrongs. Humans have lapses in judgement that can hurt them and others. Some people believe you can be redeemed and can put your wrongs behind you, these people are kind and generous. Others believe you have one chance to get it right, these people are often angry and judgmental. There are also those who believe that someone can't be redeemed, but begin to realize that people can change. By looking at the Bishop, Javert, and Jean Valjean and their actions it becomes clear that Les Miserables is a book about redemption coming to those who did wrongs in their past and the behaviors of those who believe and don't believe.

In his novel, Les Miserables, Victor Hugo identifies the principle social evils of French society through the actions and qualities of his characters. By depicting each of his characters’ struggles through destitute and oppressed measures, Hugo is able to identify the social errors of 19th century France. The fact that characters such as Valjean, Javert, Fantine, and Cosette, attempt to rise above poverty and redeem themselves indicate that such inequalities did, and still do, exist to this day. Through the use of feminist ideals and the criminal injustice system, Hugo attacks the principle social evils that each of his characters face in Les Miserables.