But, secrets will out and Javert, the ineffable police inspector, is determined to capture the convict again.Īs Valjean makes his journey through society, now hidden behind a secret name, success is offset by compassion. The bitterness is extreme and heartfelt and sets him on a dark path that is intercepted by a kindly Bishop who through one true act of kindness and forgiveness alters everything for Valjean and allows him to start over.
His sister and her children are gone, presumably long dead or else captured into prostitution, and Valjean, with his tell-tale convict papers, is not wanted anywhere in society. He emerges, having paid his supposed debt to society, but even still that is not enough. As his body grew more stolid and strong, his soul collapsed within him. Caught as a young man, stealing a loaf of bread to keep his sister and her needy children alive, Valjean was sentenced to 19 years of imprisonment and hard labor. Jean Valjean, as the Mayor, by Gustave Brionįor those not in the know, Les Miserables follows the life of a man, Jean Valjean. Hugo, however, remains a difficult author, not so much for his writing style (it’s languid and beautiful) but for his affinity to add non-fictional essays wherever possible, stilting what is a dynamic plot. It was an unforgettable foray into the depths of humanity at both its most angelic and most depraved. Ultimately, I’m glad that I took this long journey. I’ve been promising myself to read the book ever since, but its sheer volume (1,000+ pages) and my first experience with Hugo (the slog through the digression that is known as Hunchback of Notre Dame, which is entirely more about the architecture of Notre Dame than the fate of the hunchback) kept me from approaching the task until now. I saw Hugo’s story represented in a movie, which stayed mostly true to the overarching story fifteen odd years later, I still remember the closing scene, the gut wrenching desire to cry, and the commentary on a “justice system” turned intolerably cruel. I first encountered Les Miserables as a child right on the cusp of adulthood, although I was ultimately more inclined to childish things than the new world opening up to me. Spawning numerous plays and movies, as well as countless adaptations and abridgements, Hugo’s story survives not because of its perfection but because of its uncompromising power. Les Miserables has long been a staple of our shared narrative – an epic story of heroism and villainy and all the shades of desperation and hopelessness that lie in between.
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