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.
Jonathan, I really like how you make connections from character to character. You do a good job identifying the similarities between each person and coming up with a theme to bring them together. I am not sure that I would agree with your point about experiencing a downfall that brings them back down. I think that so far each character starts in a tough position in which they try and pull themselves out of, but fail. I do agree with your point about no character being safe, however. It adds a lot to the story not knowing what misfortune could fall upon each character in the next section. The foreshadowing always keeps you guessing on which person could go down next.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the title of the book directly relates to the life of the characters within it. Marius is living a life without love and Cosette and Jean are living in a convent to escape the law. The existence of both of these groups is quite miserable at this point in time because they're missing a key component to their lives. I also agree that the title has been a good method of foreshadowing misfortunes to come.
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