The Sewer

The Sewer Scene

Blog Post 5

Topic E

May 15, 2015

by Ben Burkhalter

The setting of the sewer after the barricade fight has a great deal of symbolism within it.  First off, the sewers are dark and mysterious, much like the pasts of some of the characters.  When he first enters the sewers, he finds himself with a wall to his back in front of him “there was another wall, a wall of night” (318). This wall of darkness is a symbol for the future and as Jean Valjean plunges himself forward into it, he begins a journey without any destination in mind. As he progresses further into the sewers, Jean notices that a group of guards is also in the sewers too.  As they near his position, he is forced to hide in the shadows and narrowly avoid capture.  This close call represents how Jean has lived most of his life, constantly running from the law. Further on, he finds himself sinking into the soft ground of the poorly made sewers.  The water is soon near the top of his head, and just as he is about to go under, he finds his footing and is able to struggle to safety.  This struggle strongly symbolizes Jean’s life in the novel.  He worked hard all of his life, but no matter how hard he tried, things didn’t seem to be getting better for him. He was still constantly on the run from Javert and he also felt that he was losing Cosette after she married Marius.  When his health took a turn for the worse, it seemed as if all his efforts would have been for nothing.  But just at the perfect moment, he is saved by something totally out of his control.  This blind luck, as symbolized by the pavement in the sewer which he found, is in the end what saves him from a painful death.  

The Candlesticks

The Candlesticks

~Blog Post #5~

Topic G

May 15, 2015

by Jonathan Paulson

In the novel of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, the main character of Jean Valjean experiences dramatic changes early on in the story. It is written that a bishop of the town Jean Valjean is in takes Jean into his home instead of shooing the longtime convict away. This kindness by a man of God is not the only encounter with God Jean Valjean will experience in the book, but it is the first. Jean Valjean appreciates the generosity he is being show, but he cannot escape the criminal he is. Sleeping in the bishop’s house, Jean Valjean wakes in the night to rob the bishop and escape out a window. This usually would be seen as nothing more than petty thievery, but something Jean Valjean takes from the bishop becomes a symbol for Jean Valjean throughout the entire book, the candlesticks. The bishop actually goes “to the mantelpiece, took the two candlesticks, and brought them to Jean Valjean” even though the night before Jean had just stolen from him (33). The symbolism of the candlesticks seems shallow at first, but with thought, is actually quite deep. The main job of a candlestick is to hold a candle, an object whose purpose is to give off light. In religious terms, light is most often used as a symbol of a spiritual awakening or opening of one’s eyes to the light of God. It is fitting for the bishop to use this symbol to light up Jean Valjean’s soul which he “withdraw[s] it from dark thoughts and from the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God” (33). The candlesticks being silver is also a symbol for the purity of the new soul Jean Valjean is being introduced to as silver is commonly known as shiny and perfect. These candlesticks, once given to Jean Valjean, are referenced throughout the rest of the book to remind the reader and Jean Valjean of the change he makes to his life and to those of the people around him.

Jean Valjean and Javert - Topic H

Jean Valjean and Javert

Blog Post 5

Topic H

May 15,2015

Tommy Lacher

        The relationship between Jean Valjean and Javert, one of constant chasing and rivalry, finally comes to a close.  In the Jean Valjean section of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, Jean Valjean and Javert reach the ultimate turning point in their relationship. At the barricade, Javert is a prisoner of the rebels, caught for spying.  He is bound for execution, but then, Jean Valjean arrives. He promptly volunteers to execute Javert for the rebels.  After doing this, he drags Javert into an alley, "untied the rope that held the prisoner," pretends to shoot him, and lets him go free (312).  This merciful act by Jean Valjean shows that he has forgiven Javert for his relentless chasing and harassment. Later in this section, Javert catches and apprehends Jean Valjean once again while he is helping Marius.  Javert then allows Jean Valjean to bring Marius to his family and lets Jean Valjean visit his house.  This act, like Jean Valjean allowing Javert to live, is an act of kindness and mercy, but it does not seem so to Javert,  He sees this as a breach in his honor and his duty to the police force by not bringing in Jean Valjean right away.  To Javert, this is unbearable. He then goes and commits suicide because he does not want to live with this on his mind.  This is very similar to Okonkwo from Things Fall Apart.  In this novel, Okonkwo kills himself because he feels like he failed his family and tribe.  Another thing that this can be related to is the Japanese ritual of seppuku, killing oneself for failure and dishonor, like the dishonor Javert felt after allowing Jean Valjean to help Marius and go to his house rather than bringing him to prison right away.  This is the end of the relationship between Jean Valjean and Javert.  There is no more chase. There is no more harassment.

Saint Denis and Idyl of the Rue Plumet

Jean Valjean

Blog Post 4

Topic D

May 9, 2015

By Tommy Lacher

        Throughout the Saint Denis and Idyl of the Rue Plumet, Jean Valjean and his new life with Cosette and Toussaint has brought up the recurring motif and theme of secrecy and lies.  Throughout the entire novel, Jean Valjean has lived a double life because of his criminal background from stealing the loaf of bread. This causes Jean Valjean to attempt to hide his past from those around him so he can live a normal life. We see it when he becomes the mayor in a small town. He changes his identity to become a public figure and do something that he would otherwise not be able to do becase of his crime filled past. This is only the first example.  We see Jean Valjeas change his identity and lie in order to be accepted into places, one of those being the convent.  After nearly being recaptured by the police detective Javert, Jean Valjean lies to the people at the convent about who he truly is in order to get them to allow them to let him stay.  This is not even including the faked death aboard the ship while he was working from prison. The next time we see Jean Valjean lying and hiding his true identity is in the Saint Denis and Idyl of the Rue Plumet.  He wants to rent a house/apartment to live in with Cosette and Toussaint, however he cannot do so with his true identity.  This causes him to again lie and make himself a new person to be accepted into that place. He is "concealing his name, he was concealing his identity, he was concealing his age, he was concealing everything" about himself and proving that he still has habits and lives a life like that of a true criminal (246).

The Remains of Jean Valjean's Past

The Remains of Jean Valjean’s Past

~Blog Post #4~

Topic A

May 8, 2015

by Jonathan Paulson

In the section of “Saint Denis and Idyl of The Rue Plumet” in Les Misérables, Victor Hugo writes how “it seemed to [Jean Valjean] almost as if the unknown craters were forming with him again” (256).This period of uncertainty for the elderly Jean Valjean comes as Cosette, and Jean, is realizing Cosette’s outer beauty, a beauty that has been hidden away for so long. The protectiveness Jean has acquired for Cosette has been evident through his fatherly attitude towards her. Cosette herself has been accustomed to calling Jean her “father” and treats him likewise. With this protective personality, Jean Valjean sees Marius as a threat to the purity and beauty of his sweet little “daughter” who he has had all to himself up until now. The quote about the craters forming inside him once again references the Jean Valjean the reader was introduced to at the beginning of the novel, the convict Jean Valjean. This criminal past follows Jean throughout the entire novel but only now does it seem to flare up after a long time of keeping it at bay. It reminds the reader that this past is not easily just left behind. Something as simple as a young man like Marius threatening Cosette’s relationship with him is enough to feel the “opening and upheaving against this young man those depths of his soul where there had once been so much wrath” (256). This simple frustration shows just how shallow this past has been buried. At any moment in Jean Valjean’s life, it is evident that this past could come back to haunt him once again.

Marius Topic A

Marius

Blog Post 3

Topic A

By Tommy Lacher

    The relationship between Marius and his father, although it is a relationship in which neither have met, and Marius's overall character change greatly throughout this section.  The quote that best exemplifies this is after Marius learns that his father has died, when "at the same time he felt something like remorse, and he despised himself for acting thus. But was it his fault? He did not love his father, indeed" (166). While Marius is pondering all of his negative thoughts about his father implanted in his head from childhood, he also feels regret. After only hearing bad comments about his father, Marius still attempts, although first in the back of his mind, to see his father as a good person. This shows the progression of the relationship between his father and him has grown better as the truth comes out.  Even though Marius never knew his father, their relationship still grows.  He learns more about his father, coming to understand some of the things he accomplished during his life, allowing Marius to identify with him and truly learn about his life.  This relationship can lead him to become closer to his father even after his death. After learning from the old man at the Church that his father really did love him, Marius strives to find the truth. This portrays Maruius as an insightful person that strives to find the truth rather than sit by and accept what is told to him.  Marius is determined to find the truth and become a man of action rather than a bystander.  This development of character can also help Marius in the struggles we know will be ahead.  The title, Les Miserables, leads us to know that the characters are miserable, that they undergo inhuman struggles that they must overcome. Marius is now better equipped with the determination for truth to overcome these challenges that lay ahead.

The Miserables

The Miserables

~Blog Post #3~

Topic J

May 1, 2015

by Jonathan Paulson

The section titled “Marius” is the first section in the book to specifically state the name of the book itself, Les Misérables. It is fitting for this title to placed into this section due to the situation that Marius finds himself in and what the reader has seen of others previously. Up until this point in the book, the reader has seen and been in the minds of those rare few “who fall without becoming degraded” (205). From Jean to Cosette and then to Marius, the reader witnesses what it means to be one of the Misérables. This word in itself is significant as it describes the lives of those the reader meets in the book without even reading it. Although seeming to get back on their feet financially multiple times, each character always experiences a downfall that brings them back down. One example being Jean Valjean and his rollercoaster ride from convict, to beloved mayor, back to convict, and then once again a well off philanthropist who is then brought down by being kidnapped. The title Les Misérables also reveals the overarching theme of the book, at least so far, that there are always those unlucky few in the world that no matter how hard they work, something in the world always succeeds in bringing them back down. The title also foreshadows to the reader that they can never think any character is safe. As seen when Jean becomes a beloved mayor and adored by everyone, an unexpected trial comes along that forces Jean back to the convict he once was. These themes and foreshadowing that come with the title of Les Misérables demonstrate how deep just two words on the front cover of a book can really dig.