The Transformation of Jean Valjean Exemplified in Les Miserables

Due to what he was taught and knows, Valjean is very protective towards Cosette and this is both positive and negative for Cosette as she becomes an adult. Valjean loves Cosette very much and doesn’t want her hurt in anyway and it leads him to be protective. He gives Cosette a much better life than what she did have, but she still wants to discover on her own. The two disagreeing on things could make them split and go different

From the moment he meets her, Jean Valjean is ready to sacrifice everything for Cosette; whom he cares after as if she were his own daughter. From the moment he escapes prison to find her to the moment he risks his life at the barricade to save the love of her life he lives selflessly. “He went to the barricade to save me. As it is a necessity for him to be an angel, on the way, he saved others.” (326) His realization at the bishop’s house made Jean

John Valjean was a bitter man who felt the world was a cruel place to live. He was poor and hungry so he stole a loaf of bread. He served five years in prison plus 14 more because he tried to escape the cruelty within the prison walls that surround with him. When he was released from prison no one would help him because he was an ex-con. He finally came to a bishop’s house and he received a hot meal and a place to sleep. Still being the man he was Jean Valjean stole the bishop’s silverware. He was arrested but the bishop told the the cops that he gave him the silverware. To his surprise they only request the bishop asked of him was the promise to become an honest man. This must have weighed heavily on Jean Valjean’s mind as he journeyed to another town. A change begin to take place in him. He opened a company in the town,created jobs for the people, and

A child with a strong mind and powerful spirit are not easy to come by. When one is stretched beyond a specific mental capacity, they could go insane, or if a child is given no hope, only fear and sorrow, they would perhaps give up. In a scenario such as this, a normal child would curl up, cry, or run away. Cosette however, was not a normal child, however a very strong willed child. In Les Miserables, Cosette represents not just redemption, or hope, but describes strong willpower. She goes through worse than most children today would depict as ‘unsurvivable’, while still holding onto a small fragment of a calm mind. There was more to Cosette than a simple girl, for years she was beaten, but she always knew that someday it would end. She trudged

When all Valjean wanted was to buy food, not to steal or rob but only to buy food, yet he is thrown out because he is speculated to be dangerous. Not only did the people refuse to serve him but the news articles lie about his actions. When Valjean reveals that he was the criminal wanted, stealing again because he was given no option, he was arrested and news articles create lies claiming he was an extremely dangerous man, a “wretch, who is endowed with herculean strength, managed to escape, but, three or four days afterward,the police retook him,in Paris, just as he was getting into of the small vehicles,”(141). The news conveyed Valjean as menace to society but in reality it was the other way around. Before Valjean’s arrest, he became a great person for the town of Montreuil-sur-mer creating a kind community yet all that is overwritten with the lies fed up by the news. The people completely forget all good in him, caring only for the “trouble” he caused. Furthermore, when Valjean reveals to Marius that he is an ex-convict, Marius also condemns

Even though she had not been able to see Cosette for a while, Fantine put Cosette before everything and endured extreme torture for her. Fantine was trampled by the darkness of society, she was forced to become someone she didn’t want to be, then she got blamed for it. Her situation shows how the law can be hypocrites. Grace was never given to Fantine. Because of her new lifestyle, she was considered the scum of the earth, according to high society. Jean Valjean eventually discovered Fantine weak and tired and gave her grace out of the kindness of his heart. He understood Fantine’s pain as he had been on her road before; his on thievery and hers on prostitution. Jean Valjean was a former prisoner but he was given grace by a Bishop from whom he stole from. He went through a human metamorphosis and changed his life for the better. Now his goal is to love others despite the interference of the law. He didn’t redeem Fantine from her misery but he brightened her

There is no doubt that Les Misérables is the best musical that mankind has ever known. In 1980, the musical production took the world by storm with its enthralling complexities and never-ending relatability. At its 25th Anniversary Concert in 2010, the performers relit the immortal flame and a new generation became captivated by the multi-culturally supple enactment. Dissimilarly, the most recent film adaption, released in 2012, produced quite the controversy among both Les Misérables experts and amateurs. There is no doubt that Norm Lewis' portrayal of Javert in the 25th Anniversary of Les Misérables phenomenally executed the simplicities of his primary characteristics. However, did Russell Crowe's perspective of the role

Furthermore, love changes how we see the world and others. Jean Valjean is transformed after he is let out of the galleys because of love. When Jean Valjean takes Cosette away with him from the Thenardiers, he does not realize what love will do to benefit him. Nevertheless, Cosette prevents him from going down this path of hatred. The convent where Jean Valjean and Cosette take refuge,”...contributed, like Cosette, to confirm and complete, in Jean Valjean, the work of the bishop” (215). The bishop wanted Jean Valjean to transform himself from someone who hated to someone who loved, which Cosette helped him do. Moreover, Marius’s grandfather lets him marry Cosette. When Marius first asks his grandfather permission to marry, he suggests Marius

The bishop changes the life of Valjean, by giving him a role model to base his new life

Throughout this paper we have talked about how he was born of a prostitute which shaped him from years to close. He hated prostitutes and crime to him was very black and white. Javert was a man of the law and he showed no mercy to prisoners and criminals. In his mind once a bad person always a bad person. He showed this when he couldn’t come to grips of feeling mercy from Jean Valjean. The last topic that was last talked about was how Javert was unmerciful his whole life and he could not come to grips and didn’t think he deserved

The child Cosette is taken by Thenardiesr who then uses her to extort money, and her coworkers have her fired for indecency (Iosue). The author highlights the unfair attitude of the society towards women and the poor and how society is quick to criticize but opportune whenever they can make her circumstances even more desperate. There are various themes that are demonstrated by Hugo in Les Miserables. The two major themes, however, are about love and compassion and social injustice. The theme of love is showcased throughout the text. First, we see the love that Fantine has for her lover, Tholomyes, who ends up leaving her when he realizes she is pregnant, to raise the child all by herself. Secondly we see how the Fantine’s love for her daughter Cosette will drive her to provide for her throughout times of struggle. Fantine is willing to do anything for her daughter, and even begins to work as a prostitute rather than letting her daughter starve, displaying that Fantine will put the wellbeing of her family, over her own. Another aspect that shows love in the text is the compassion that Valjean has for Cosette (Bassett). Valjean is transformed from a criminal to a proud father figure, and after taking Cosette away from the family that exploits her, is able to take care of her. Another act of compassion is seen when Valjean goes to court to speak up for a man that was mistakenly identified as him. This, in turn, causes him to go back to jail, but in Valjeans’s eyes he has saved the life of another. Valjean in this instance is selfless and this is only one example of how good Valjean’s character truly is deep down. Hugo depicts Valjean this way because he believes that through love and compassion a criminal can be transformed into an ideal citizen capable of honesty, compassion, and the ability to love others, and that society should focus more on rehabilitation rather than incapacitation. This example also relates back to modern day society, in which we stereotype all those who have been victims of the criminal justice system as people who are incapable of becoming good citizens in society. There is also a demonstration of the theme of love in the instance that Marius sees Cosette in the gardens and falls in love

Daughter to the Thenardiers, Eponine adores Marius who sees her merely as a friend. This creates a vague love triangle between Eponine, Marius, and Cosette. Along with the personal stories surrounding Valjean's life, the beginning of the French Revolution encompasses the lives of all the characters. The feeling of discontentment among the people and loyalty to the barricade helps to shape the outcome of each individual sub-plot. The outcome of each story affects Valjean's life in various ways and degrees. Society today anticipates an action filled novel to entertain them, and Les Miserables provides intense action through its many stories without confusing or boring the reader.

They treat her daughter horribly and when the boss finds out that she has a daughter he thinks of her as a prostitute and kicks her out of the factory, which is in the town in which the new honest Valjean is the mayor. To support her child Fantine sells her chain and her locks of hair. Then later because she can't find work becomes a prostitute.      Later a respected person in the community felt an itch for a poke at a female and went to Fantine.

In its simplest form, the would prejudice means prejudgment (of someone or something). While the evolution of prejudice may be mostly unknown, it is easy to claim that people have been prejudice since the beginning of time. Whether this judgement stem from race, class, religion, or any other divider, it has caused almost every major issue throughout history. A converging analysis of the ‘honorable’ people in Cuba throughout history from the slave trade to Cuba’s republic reveals the different ways humans were treated as less-than and the fear that the honorable people felt for retaliation and that people can only be controlled for so long.

Valjean knows that Thénardier is wandering around the neighborhood, Valjean is worried he will discover him and Cosette.