Republic of the Philippines Department of Science and Technology PHILIPPINE SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL CENTRAL VISAYAS CAMPUS Talaytay,

, Argao, Cebu

Les Misrables: A Literary Analysis

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements in English 4

Beah Davee Marie H. Somozo IV-Gluon March 5, 2014

Les Misrables: Lamour et venger

Can you imagine a world where you are imprisoned for nineteen years just for stealing a loaf of bread? Can you imagine a world where you would have to sell everything you have, including yourself, in order to feed your child, a child you had with a lover who jilted you? And even after selling your all, you still cant feed him/her properly? Can you imagine a world where even children are left alone to shoulder the burdens of the world just because they had the unfortunate luck to be born in the lower rungs of society? Well, that is the world of Victor Hugos novel, Les Misrables. This novel revolves around the lives of Jean Valjean, Inspector Javert , Fantine, Cosette and Marius Pontmercy. Their struggles and their salvation. Learn about the difficulties they experienced in the world of Les Misrables and how love and compassion are the most important gifts one person can give another. It starts with the parole of the main character, Jean Valjean. After being imprisoned and working as a slave for nineteen years, he was finally set free. Imprisoned for nineteen years! Some would jump to the immediate conclusion that he must have done something very horrible to be imprisoned for so long. And yet all he did was steal a loaf of bread to feed his sisters ailing son. But it seems that the shackles of nineteenth-century Frances justice system were longreaching. After leaving the prison, he was shunned by everybody. He could not find work and lodging. The people wouldnt even let him rest in their stables. That is the life Jean Valjean faced after leaving prison. It would turn any man bitter. He was transformed from an innocent and caring man to a career criminal. Valjean asks himself whether human society had the right to grind a poor man between the millstones of need and excess-need of work and excess of punishment. Was it not monstrous that society should treat in this fashion precisely those least favored in the distribution of wealth? He comes to the conclusion that, although he did commit a reprehensible crime, the punishment is out of proportion, and he develops an intense hatred for society as a whole. Yet, it would only take an act of kindness to set him on the right path almost overnight. The Bishop of Digne, Monsignor Myriel, took him in and even sheltered him despite his past. He even went so far as to protecting him despite the fact that Jean Valjean stole his silver and insisted that the silver were gifts. This moment touched his heart and he realized how fruitless his life was filled with rage and biiterness. He took on another identity and later on met the light of his life, his adopted daughter, Cosette. Fantine is the perfect example of the unfair treatment of good but impoverished women. She was a Parisian grisette, or working woman. She fell in love with an aristocratic student named Flix Tholomys. He abandoned her and right after she gave birth to a daughter. Her reputation was indelibly soiled by the fact that she had an illegitimate child. She had to give up her child to the nasty Thnardiers. When her past was discovered, she was thrown out to the streets without a job. With the Thnardiers hounding her for money, she was forced to sell everything she has; her hair, her teeth, and herself. Even when she tried to defend what was left of her dignity when a bourgeois assaulted her, it was her who was imprisoned.

She lost all her innocence when Tholomys abandoned her. She was already ready to give up. Her only saving grace was her Cosette. Through it all you can see her love for her daughter shine through. Even throwing herself to the wolves, she did without hesitation just so that she could support and care for her daughter. She might have had a dismal end but I believe she was fulfilled in the fact that she was able to care for her daughter despite all the odds. Suffering under the cruel hands of the Thnardiers, Cosette was pushed into a real life Cinderella situation. She was forced to do hard house work and menial tasks despite the fact that her mother, Fantine, kept sending her money. She was fed poorly and dressed even poorly. She wasnt given any proper education and was treated like a slave. This shows the cruelty of treatment the lower-born children experience. Another one is Gavroche. He is a Parisian urchin who draws other orphans to him. He had neither hearth nor home, nor any regular source of food. Yet they both reached happiness. Cosette was adopted by Valjean. She became his light. The shining beacon healing his poor tortured soul. She grew up to becom a fine Parisian lady and fell in love with a student named, Marius Pontmercy. Gavroche, on the other hand, had an unfortunate end. He was shot by soldiers when he was teasing them on the barricade. But despite all that, he was happy just being free. Because of this he was a great source of inspiration for the students of the revolution. Marius family was torn by politics. His father and grandfather had different views which made him feel suffocated in keeping his loyalties with them. He was part of the students of the barricade. While his suffereing compared to the others were not that all intense, he was still suffering in a world where the peoples voices were not heard and he wished to change that. He fell in love with Cosette and after being with her reconciled with his grandfather. He and Cosette forgave Valjean for his past. Les Misrables is plagued with the dark side of life. It is filled with strife, poverty, injustice and hopelessness. It shows the suffering of the populace to the ignorance of the rich. It shows the cruelty of the people to the impoverished. And yet despite it all love and compassion still shows itself more powerful. That through all the hardships and difficulty one may face in life, love and compassion will see you through and set you free. It will give you the strength to hold on or to change for the better. That one you give love and compassion, you will receive it back a hundredfold. As what Valjean says to Cosette and Marius, Love one another always. There is nothing else that matters in this world except love.