“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. “(Albert Schweitzer) In both of the novels Les Miserables and Jane Eyre, there were characters who sparked ideas and philosophies for the others in the story, as well as the sparking ideas for the reader. In Jane Eyre, one of the most influential characters in the whole stories was Helen Burns, and in Les Miserables an important central character is that of Cosette.
These two supporting characters have a variety of similarities. Helen Burns and Cosette are similar in that they are a bright light to those around them, optimistic through whatever life throws their way, and both had a difficult childhood. Helen is a light to those around her because she spread hope wherever she goes. Although in many ways, Helen’s character and personality could be described by the motif ice, the hope she spread is like a blazing fire sparking others flames to enlighten hope in them.
This spreading of hope can be seen especially when Helen is located at Lowood. Even with the terrible conditions at Lowood, her persistence to try her best and even temper that continues through everything she goes through inspired others, almost as a message, saying We are all going to be okay and what we are going through is bearable. Helen also literally spreads the hope of Jesus Christ and her philosophies on who He are more inspiring than what some of the girls at Lowood were used to his character traits being portrayed as.
For example, the protagonist Jane, before interacting with Helen, thought that God was solely judgmental, jealous, and vengeful, and when Helen introduced a God of love to her, she was blown away by this new concept. Helen’s life was a terrific example of what a follower of Christ’s life should look like because she is loving and constantly ready to share her faith because she knows her time on this earth is going to be shorter lived than most of the people around her. Cosette is a light to those around her by symbolizing the hope of tomorrow.
Throughout the blatantly depressing story of Les Miserables, Cosette’s life has some of the few bright and blissful moments we see in the entire book. For example, when the protagonist, Jean Valjean rescues Cosette or when she and arius become married, we are reminded that not everything that happened to the characters was miserable. Cosette was a light to Jean Valjean because she was the pride and joy of his life and the only thing he believed he did right was rescuing and parenting her.
Her long golden hair, shines bright and reminds Jean Valjean, of Cosette’s mother Fantine and the hope he has of heaven. Cosette is also a sign of the hope for a better tomorrow. Whenever the reader sees her, they cannot help but hope she and Marius will live happy lives together in the future despite the bitter endings of the other characters. A similar character, whose bright golden hair symbolizes the hope of a better tomorrow, is the revolutionist leader Enjolras, who wants nothing more than for every man to be free of inequality and surrounded by citizens with pride in their countries name.
Helen is optimistic because she accepts everything with a positive attitude. Helen showed many examples of what it truly is like to ‘turn the other cheek’at many things in her life. One example of this act of’turning the other cheek’ was when she accepted her undeserved punishment for having dirty nails without even trying to defend herself. When Jane questioned this, her response was extremely selfless and mature, justifying the teachers ridiculous actionsby saying that they just wanted her to become a better person and she was at this school for a reason.
She had a mature understanding far past those around her about life in general. Helen also knew where she had been, where she actually was (unlike many of the other girls at Lowood), and where she was going when she died. Her faith in God and his promises was very strong because those promises were some of the only enrichments that kept her going. While Helen was starving on the outside, she was obese in her spiritual life. This extremely positive attitude persisted even when she faced death.
Cosette was optimistic by being obedient and not at all rebellious as well as being creative throughout the novel. Cosette is obedient to whomever was in authority over her, whether that was Fantine, the Inn Keepers, or Jean Valjean. Her childlike obedience is the type of submission most parents would pray for. Besides obeying the Inn Keepers’ never ceasing demands, when Jean Valjean, whom at the time was practically a stranger to Cosette, asked to be quiet to help them escape the French inspector Jarvet, she obeyed without questioning.
She was not rebellious or questioning even though she had every right to be perhaps because she didn’t see the upside to complaining. Every time she complained while she was with the inn keepers, she got punished for it, so she learned quickly to prohibit herself from complaining. Cosette was also an extremely creative thinker and under the circumstances the only way that she would be able to be this is if she was a very positive thinker. While she has the right to be a bit upset that she spent her early adolescence without children to play with, she was content.
She was constantly brainstorming her way into a brighter perspective. Helen had a difficult childhood because ultimately she did not deserve the circumstances that fell her way and when she pressed through them and succeeded at various things in her life, she did not receive the recognition she deserved. First Helen’s mother dies, perhaps leaving her a little bit less full of emotions. That would add to the explanation as to why she accepts everything with, at most, only minor outbursts.
After her mother’s death, her father shipped her off to the worst orphanage imaginable with terrible living conditions. Lowood was extremely unsanitary, spreading sickness everywhere and starved its residents. It also provided Helen with a extremely non vibrant life and education when clearly she had extreme knowledge and academic potential. The teachers critiqued her instead of praising her when she raised her hand or correctly answered a question. Lowood essentially stunted her opportunities. On top of all of that, Helen was also victimized by her teachers.
They picked on her most likely because of her innocence and never-ceasing joy. Cosette had a difficult childhood because her growing up was filled with uncertainty and questions. Cosette did not grow up with any accurate information regarding her mother. She was constantly mistreated by the Inn Keepers with them not treating her as an equal to their other children, making her do extra chores around the house, as well as not feeding her enough or providing her with the proper necessities of a growing girl.
Once she was rescued by Jean Valjean and lived under his custody, although life was happier for Cosette, she still lived a life in hiding her entire childhood. Throughout Cosette’s childhood, she had no choice where she went. The two supporting literature characters Helen Burns and Cosette are alike in that they are a bright light to those around them, inspiring hope and optimistic through whatever life throws their way, and both had a difficult childhood.
