Essay on Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

"It is precisely of him that I wished to speak. Dispose of me as you please; but help me first to carry him home. I only ask that of you." Upon examination of Les Miserables, it is clearly evident that the elements of Forgiveness, Self – Sacrifice, and Courage are only a few of the main themes Hugo wanted to develop.

Jean Valjean went through the ultimate self-sacrifice, giving up everything he had in life, which was Cosette; he decided to give her to her lover Marius. He had watched and knew that Marius was in love with her. He found him at the barricades and saved him. “Jean Valjean, in the thick cloud of combat, did not appear to see Marius; the fact is that he did not take his eyes from him. When a shot struck down Marius, Jean Valjean bounded with the agility of a tiger, dropped upon him as a prey, and carried him away” (Hugo 389). He saved Marius so he could save Cosette; he rid himself of his protective bond for her benefit. He sacrificed what he wanted most, to give her what she needed. Although he had never experienced a happy life, and no one ever sacrificed for him, he sacrificed his well-being, money and heart to keep a promise.

Villefort was the prosecutor. He had an affair with Danglar 's wife and they had an illegitimate child together. The supposedly buried it alive years earlier. Villefort 's wife Heloise is devoted to her son Edward. Villefort 's daughter from his first marriage is named Valentine. She is also in love with Maximillian Morrel, the son of the captain who helped Edmond earlier. Heloise has been posoning Valentine so that her son will inherit everything (she actually poisons and tries to poison a lot of people, but Valentine is the only one that is very important to the plot). Edmond has been slipping Valentine an antidote though so that when she "dies" is will only be a sleep from which she will awake, in very Romeo and Juliet fashion. Danglars has been trying to sell his daughter into marriage with a man that says he is a prince. As it turns out though, the "prince" is actually the illegitimate child that was saved by the man who was supposed to bury him. The count sonpored him to come in the disguise of Prince Andrea Cavoralliti. Caderousse, a crook and the only person who helped that did not beomce rich later, tried to blackamail Andrea. He then kills Caderousse. Charges are then brought against him, Villefort admits in court that he is the father. He tries to flee with his wife and son (Valentine is already "dead") only to find that his wife poisoned herself and her son. He then goes mad and

Similarly, another critic believes that the morals and peer pressure of a dauntless society are what causes Man to become evil. This evil slowly forces them to progress into “hardened ruffians” that are forced to resort to a pis aller in order to regain some hope for themselves. Thus, society cannot evolve (Lewes 245). Contrary to what Reeves believes, Critic Moss believes that misfortune is the sole cause of one’s faults and that the main theme of the novel is the barrier between “those who choose degradation and those who are driven to it” (228). Furthermore, the critic Napierkowski believes that the meaning of life is love and that through the love that all people receive, any number of traits can be changed. She explicates that change is extremely relevant in the case of Jean Valjean who is a convict turned upstanding citizen. She also recalls that in the novel Valjean is only transformed due to the love he receives from the Bishop of Digne, who gave Valjean everything that he had (Novels for Students). Reeves, again, also explores the concept that Hugo is trying to prove that humans need to love each other for the world to be a happier place (Masterplots). Thus, through evidence in Les Misérables, the aforementioned themes can easily be proven.

Louis, the protagonist of the story, is a 200-year-old vampire who is struggling with his vampire nature. He would be considered a tragic hero. His maker, Lestat, is the antagonist. He fully embraces his true nature and taunts Louis for clinging to his human nature. Claudia is their daughter. She also despises Louis for his guilt. She is a foil to Louis because she plays with her kills and she

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

Meursault's character is the determining factor in his conviction and sentencing. His social rebellion is deemed immoral and abominable. The reader and the novel's characters both try to rationalize Meursault's actions in order to give his life meaning. But according to Meursault, life is meaningless and consequently needs no justification.

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,

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.

I believe that Les Miserables is one of the most intricate stories with a plot featuring heroic life of a simple and good man, Jean Valjean, a role performed in the play by Matt Kinley. The original novel to which the play was based on has been my personal favorite since it portrays its lead actor as a morally upright person.

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

"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.

Alexandre Dumas’s novels and in particular The Three Musketeers are so great for his ability to mix fact with fiction. As a historical novel, The Three Musketeers bases its story around some major characters and events of 17th century, French history. Cardinal Richelieu, Anne of Austria, and other important characters really lived and acted the way they do in the novel. In fact, the historical basis of Dumas's story extends all the way to his initial idea for the novel, even to the Musketeers and d’Artagnan themselves.(history 1)

Throughout Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, the character Jean Valjean, the Patron-Minette, and Gavroche have a lot in common. What defines them as people, though, are their actions in life and the actions of others. Hugo emphasizes how the lack of those things (education and kindness) leads to criminal ways and an ungratified way of life. No one has shown them affection or kindness which leads them to believe society is mean and they develop hatred towards it. Not one of them were educated, which leads to ignorance and a lack of opportunities in life, which leads to crime in the long run.