Les Miserables Research Paper

Millions of people have had the opportunity to read the book or watch the musical that originated from Victor Hugo’s incredible mind: Les Miserables. Many readers will note that the story touches on themes such as grace, love, and redemption—especially when describing the life of the main character, Jean Valjean. However, he is not the only character that experiences redemption. Fantine, Javert, and Marius also receive redemption—either God’s, the audience’s, or by another person. Fantine receives redemption from God in Les Miserables. As a single mother, Fantine suffers a life of hardship through a series of ill-fated events. Eventually, Fantine is forced onto the street, turning to prostitution and even sells her hair and teeth as the only

This redemption may not be a godly type of forgiveness in the text, but the audience is meant to feel mercy toward Javert, in essence, redeeming him in their eyes. A rigid rule-follower, Javert is mostly seen as unmerciful and unyielding: “It’s a pity the law doesn’t allow me to be merciful.” Throughout the story, Javert’s character is very unliked and feared but in the end, he too finds redemption. The first instance of his road to redemption is the mercy extended to him through Jean Valejan. When Javert is caught posing as a revolutionary, Jean Valjean is supposed to kill him and refuses to do so, even telling his adversary that he will later turn himself in. The second way Javert continues on to his eventual redemption is when he shows mercy to Jean Valjean in the tunnel. Valjean is carrying a wounded man, Marius, and Javert allows for his safe passage, again, not arresting his foe. Although this character originally ignites contempt in the eyes of the audience, with these events and the circumstances of his eventual suicide, there is a shift to a more merciful view of Javert’s character. In the musical, Javert’s final song, “Stars,” is a soliloquy that demonstrates his inability to reconcile justice and mercy, causing him to have no desire to go on living. With this act, the audience is moved to compassion toward Javert, with the knowledge that he was simply trying to do his duty, and even then,

Marius chooses to fight the revolution with the other wealthy students in Paris, but the revolt ends tragically. During the fight, Marius is injured and is valiantly saved by Jean Valjean. However, Marius is unconscious and even upon marrying Cosette six months later, the young man still does not know that Valjean saved his life. Because of this and many other misconceptions about his mysterious father-in-law, Marius believes him to be a liar and a criminal and distances himself and Cosette from her father. This pains Valjean greatly and he seeks to remedy the situation, but to no avail. Finally, through a series of events, Marius discovers that his father-in-law was actually his savior and not a liar and criminal as he once thought. In light of this, upon Valjean’s deathbed, Marius exclaims “It is I who ask your forgiveness, and on my knees!” to which his father-in-law forgives him and explains that although he hadn’t always had good feelings toward Marius, he has repented of this and is now pleased that his daughter has such a good husband. In this way, Marius is absolved of his wrongful conclusions and even