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.
I enjoy your takes on Marius's relationship with his father Tommy, and I agree with all your opinions on it. I do want to expand a bit though on how far Marius really goes to discover the real truth about his father. All his life he had been strictly taught to directly despise his father and all he stood for. This teaching does not disappear easily and Marius must assure himself of what the old man in the church told him. After reading memoirs, journals, and proclamations all about his father and his achievements, only then was Marius "on the way to adoration for his father" (169). This perseverance is something that follows Marius as a character throughout the book, even after he leaves his grandfather. Specifically in how he goes through being dirt poor to becoming a well-off and well-fed gentleman. Marius is a man with a sense of determination that I don't think we've seen the last of yet in this book.
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