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.
I agree with your point that Jean Valjean's past is coming back, essentially to haunt him. I found that one common theme that surrounds this is his changing his identity to try and live a normal life. It seems like every time he lies about his identity, he has another "flare up" of his past that somehow uproots the new life he is trying to build. I also like how you talk about Jean Valjean's relationship with Cosette. It helps you prove your point that he is trying to make a change from his past criminal life, but that it continues to follow him around and destroy what he is trying to create. All of the conclusions you make are well supported with evidence from the novel and it is a very good blog post.
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