Les Miserables is a novel that was written by French author Victor Hugo in 1862. Les Miserables has many themes including forgiveness, self sacrifice, and courage. Les Miserables is set in France during the 1800s. This time period is known as the Industrial Revolution which caused economic and social change throughout Europe; this time period of change is alluded to throughout Les Miserables. Les Miserables also alludes to the French revolution, a historical event that occurred in 1789. Les Miserables is a very complex yet interesting novel.
Les Miserables has been adapted into several motion pictures, plays, and musicals since its initial publishing date. Les Miserables focuses on a main character named Jean Valjean. Many years prior to the events in Les Miserables, Jean Valjean was imprisoned for many years because he stole a loaf of bread from a bakery when he was younger. After being released from prison, an event occurs that changes his life forever. While living under the name Monsieur Madeleine, he decides to steal silver from a group of nuns and run away.
The nun who has been robbed pledges to find Valjean and bring him back to justice if she can find him. Eventually, she does find Jean Valjean and confronts him about the stolen silverware. Jean Valjean pleads with her not to turn him into authorities but instead asks if there is anything else that she would like him to do. The nun tells Valjean that he could repay his debt by giving back the silver and also help her start a new life in an inn. She gives her last name as Fantine during this discussion and tells Jean Valjean where she lives (Hugo 19).
Les Miserables takes readers through many complex scenes with difficult vocabulary and phrases; Les Miserables takes place in France, but Hugo includes references to French history and culture throughout Les Miserables. One such reference includes the Battle of Waterloo which took place in 1815 (Hugo 535-537). Les Miserables begins when Napoleon Bonaparte was still in power over France; however, Les Miserables ends when Louis Phillipe was in power (Hugo 535-539). Les Miserable’s characters are complex because Les Miserables takes place over about twenty years and the characters age during this time.
Les Miserables is not just one book that can be read in a few days; Les Miserables is many volumes, has complicated plot lines, and includes numerous themes. Les Miserables also contains many references to religion which can confuse readers who do not know much about Christianity or Les Miserables’s connection to it. Les Miserables’s major theme of forgiveness becomes evident in several different ways throughout Les Miserables. An example of this theme occurs when Jean Valjean is in the Bishop’s home.
During Les Miserables, Jean Valjean has been on the run for many years; however, he has taken on an alias by the name of Monsieur Madeleine (Hugo 19). Jean Valjean pretends to be a kindhearted man in order to gain employment at the Bishop’s home; however, when the truth about who he really is comes out, they allow him to stay because his kindness and generosity outweigh his past sin (Hugo 23-26). In Les Miserables, characters are able to move forward from their sins if they have changed their lifestyles toward being more positive. Les Miserables also contains theme of self sacrifice throughout Les Miserables.
Les Miserables protagonist Jean Valjean is imprisoned for many years because he stole a loaf of bread to feed his family. While in prison, Valjean meets a dying man named Fauchelevent who begs Valjean to care for his six-year-old daughter Cosette (Hugo 29). Valjean agrees to raise Cosette as if she were his own daughter even though he knew that this meant that he would have to abandon his life on the run. Les Miserables ‘ characters are complex because Les Miserables contains so many different plot lines and subplots; Les Miserables does not just include one main plot line but several subplots throughout Les Miserables.
Les Miserables has been made into several movies and musicals, most notably the 2012 Les Mis film starring Hugh Jackman and the stunning musical that swept through Broadway in 1987 winning 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical. Les Mis tells a story of struggle, forgiveness, love, redemption, and self sacrifice set against the backdrop of France’s 19th-century revolution.
Les Miserables provides readers with themes surrounding oppression, justice, courage, fear, cowardice, mercy, dignity, grace, family, civic responsibility, perseverance, grace, hope … These themes are explored through different characters who make up Les Mis but no character deals with these themes better than Jean Valjean. Les Mis, in itself is a story of the power of good over evil despite fear, cowardice, and even personal interest.
Les Miserables teaches us that we can overcome the darkness in our lives with hope, self-sacrifice, courage, and going out of one’s comfort zone to do what is right regardless if it might seem rational for oneself personally to sit back and not do so. Les Miserables tells a fundamental truth about life: Goodness will always triumph over darkness when those who are good refuse to give up their faith. Jean Valjean never gives up his faith in God or man throughout Les Miserables despite being hounded by Javert throughout the entire novel.
There are several instances where Jean Valjean could have given up his faith, but he didn’t. Les Miserables is a story that teaches us to be strong in the faith that goodness will always win out against darkness… Les Mis tells this truth through its protagonist Jean Valjean who never gives up hope despite being hounded by Inspector Javert throughout Les Mis who hunts him relentlessly because of an escape offense Jean committed years ago. Even though Les Miserables has several characters, it is impossible to separate Les Mis from one character: Jean Valjean.
It would be nearly impossible to separate Les Miserables from just about any other character on the list of Les Mis protagonists besides maybe Fantine and Cosette’s father (who we know little about). But what makes Jean Valjean so special that Les Miserables would lose its theme and story without him? Les Miserables is a novel that shows us how darkness can be overcome by goodness. Les Mis tells this truth through Jean Valjean, the protagonist of Les Miserables who never gives up hope despite being hounded by Inspector Javert.
The entire Les Mis novel and in fact all installments (movies and musicals) revolve around Jean Valjean’s journey in life: his struggles, his forgiveness, his self-sacrifice, and ultimately his victory over evil when he redeems himself through charity. Jean Valjean throughout Les Miserables is faced with many hardships such as having to leave his family behind after stealing a loaf of bread, nearly starving to death in the streets of Paris after being released from prison, and almost losing his life to a brutal battle during the bread riots.
Les Miserables shows us how even though Jean was very hurt by what happened to him – attempted murder, imprisonment – he never gave up hope and absolutely refused to be defeated by Javert or anyone else throughout Les Miserables. Les Mis reminds us that we can overcome struggles and evil with faith and perseverance no matter how difficult those hurdles might seem. Les Mis tells this truth through Jean Valjean who never gives up hope despite being hounded by Inspector Javert throughout Les Mis who hunts him relentlessly because of an escape offense Jean committed years ago.