“ Les Misérables” is a book written by Victor Hugo. It was printed in French in the year 1862. The novel immediately became popular and was swiftly translated into numerous dialects. “Les Misérables” is an epic/historical novel. It is set in 1789–1832, in the Parisian netherworld, and is plotted as a detective narrative. The story is about Jean Valjean, a farmer convicted to nineteen years of captivity in jail because he stole a piece of bread to nourish a hungry nephew. Estranged and tainted by his jail encounter, shortly after, Valjean does an assets offense against a kind cleric who had provided him with housing (Hugo, 1863). Rescued from re-detention by the cleric’s denial to charge him, ValJean dedicates himself to the life of virtue and service, a route he deduces he is able to follow simply by breaking his bail and hiding underground. The remaining part of the narrative follows his efforts and success in helping other persons while always pursued by Javert, police who is fixated with catching and re-jailing Valjean.
The major conflict in “Les Misérables” is where Valjean is struggling to change himself from a crook into a truthful person; in the time, he is struggling to remain a stride ahead of Javert, the enthusiastic policeman, and strives to bring up Cosette, his adopted child (Grossman & Grossman, 1994). The inciting incident in the novel is where the cleric pardons Valjean when he steals from him. When the priest offers Valjean the silver he tried to rob and says to him that his existence is now God’s, this introduces the life of Valjean on a totally fresh trajectory. Valjean’s determinations to achieve that pledge finally causes him to meet Cosette and Fantine.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The main character in “Les Misérables” is Jean Valjean. He is Cosette’s adopted dad. He is a former prisoner who abandons the life of deceit and hatred and makes his wealth with his creative industrial methods. Valjean finds serenity in caring for his adopted child and assisting persons in hard circumstances, even endangering his welfare and life (Hugo, 1863). He assumes pennames to escape the police officers. His entire existence is a pursuit for restoration, and he eventually finds happiness on his death-bed. One of the minor characters is Azelma. She is the Thénardiers’ younger daughter. Azelma is rotten as a youngster, who is penurious when mature. She supports her dad’s unsuccessful theft of Valjean. The antagonist in the story is Javert. He is a police detective who austerely believes in order and law and will anything to impose France’s severe disciplinary codes (Grossman & Grossman, 1994). He has no pity or compassion and executes his task with passion such that he assumes a virtually animal trait when chasing. He nurtures a robust aspiration to re-arrest Valjean.
The change I can make in my life to avoid the conflict a Valjean had in the story is to abstain from stealing in the first place. If I was the author, what I could have changed about the story is the part that says that ultimately, Javert is incapable of saying with conviction that Valjean should be punished. This vagueness destabilizes the system of the norm on which Javert centers his life and compels him to decide between honor and hypocrisy. My favorite part is where Marius says to Cosette that Valjean rescued his life at the blockade. However, my least favorite part is where Valjean dies. One different choice Valjean could have made that would have changed the ending is not to commit the stealing crime after he was released from jail. I highly recommend the book since this masterpiece is filled with goodness, truth, and attractiveness that no one can resist. The book addresses the desire of the soul to rise beyond misery, follow a greater cause, and exist by affection.
References
Grossman, K. M., & Grossman, K. M. (1994). Figuring Transcendence in Les Misérables: Hugo's Romantic Sublime . SIU Press.
Hugo, V. (1863). Les misérables.. . C. Lassalle.
