SHORT SUMMARY (Synopsis)

The major plot involves Jean Valjean who is released from prison, and through the kindness of Father Myriel, becomes a new man. e gets a new name via association with Myriel and his obvious kindness and generosity to others and gradually builds a successful and prosperous life for himself with a renovation of the jet!work industry in Montreuil!surmer. "ne of his employees is!although unknown to him!fired by the head mistress because of an illegitimate baby. Fantine goes from one occupation to another, finally becoming a prostitute. # minor incident takes place in the streets, and Fantine is arrested by Javert. Valjean, who has become known as Mayor Madeleine, forces Javert to release her and takes her into his own house when he hears her story. Fantine is in e$tremely poor health, however, and dies without ever seeing her child again, even though Valjean had promised to get the child. Meanwhile, another man has been arrested and mistakenly identified as Valjean. Valjean appears in court, revealing the truth and losing both his business and his position in Montreuil! sur!mer. #lthough he is arrested, he breaks out long enough to hide his fortune. e spends additional time in prison, working aboard a ship. %ventually he escapes again and retrieves &osette from the evil Thenardiers whom Fantine had trusted to take care of the child. Then begins '( years of hiding, moving from place to place, always staying just ahead of Javert. )even or eight happy years are spend in a convent where Valjean works with the gardener and &osette attends a girls* school. Feeling that &osette must have opportunity to e$perience all of life, they leave the convent when she is about '+. Valjean is nearly betrayed and recaptured due to the insidious if somewhat unwitting deeds of the Thenardiers. ,hile Valjean is continuously on the lookout for people who might have guessed his identity and makes their home always in out of the way places, &osette becomes aware of her own femininity and beauty. )he and Marius spot each other and fall in love. Marius is a college student who has been raised by his grandfather after the old man had disowned his son!in!law for supporting -apoleon. Marius discovers the truth about his father shortly after his death and enmity develops between himself and his grandfather. ,ith little income, Marius in unable to marry &osette and prevent Valjean from taking her away again, and his grandfather refuses to give consent for a marriage to someone he assumes is beneath him. .n /aris, politics, work issues, and various unsatisfactory conditions are gradually bringing a faction of workers and college students to the point of revolt. #n insurrection takes place0 Marius joins in hoping to die since he will not be able to have &osette. Valjean joins the insurrection because he believes he is losing &osette*s love and because, although he hates him bitterly, he intends to try to protect Marius for &osette. ,hen the barricades are finally overtaken, Valjean rescues Marius and escapes through the city sewers. Marius is unconscious and does not know who rescued him. ,hen his health returns, he insists once again on marrying &osette, and this time the grandfather relents. "ld wounds are at least partially healed. #s Javert is also dead, it would seem that &osette, Valjean, Marius and his grandfather could all form one happy family. &osette and Marius marry, but Valjean reveals the truth of himself to Marius who gradually banishes him from even seeing &osette. The Thenardiers are a continuous nuisance and occasionally a real threat throughout the book, but in spite of Thenardier*s intention to bring harm to Valjean, he actually reveals the truth of Valjean*s history to Marius. Valjean dies in the end, but it is with contentment after a joyful reunion with &osette. e is content to know that &osette and Marius have 1forgiven2 him, although it seems as though Valjean himself is the one who has the right to be on the forgiving end of things.

Major Characters
1. Jean Valjean - The e$!convict who had been imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread. /rimary protagonist. 2. Monsiegneur Bienvenu - The benevolent priest of the first book whose generosity and self sacrifice changes Valjean. 3. Cosette - The child of Fantine whom Valjean raises as his granddaughter. 4. Javert - The inspector of police who*s lifelong ambition is to put Valjean back behind bars. 5. Marius - &ollege student and idealist who falls in love with &osette. 6. M. Gillenormand - 3randfather of Marius. 4epresentative of the old bourgeois. 7. !enardier - The paragon of evil both in character and in representation of other negative forces.

Minor Characters
1. "antine -&osette*s mother. as &osette during a relationship with a college student who leaves her without marrying her or providing for the child. Fantine is forced to leave &osette with someone who will supposedly take care of her while Fantine works for her support. 2. M. "au#!elevant - #n old gardener whom Valjean rescues when a cart falls on him. 5ater helps provide a place of refuge for Valjean and &osette. 3. $%onine - 6aughter to Thenardier. 4. $njolras - &ollege student!primary leader of the insurrection. is mistress is France. 5. Gavro#!e - )on of Thenardier. 6. "eli& !olom'es( )istolier( "ameuil( Bla#!eville - )tudents 7. C!am%mat!ieu- #nother convict who is captured and believed to be Valjean. *. +ister +im%li#e( +ister ,er%etue - The nuns who take care of Fantine. -. Colonel George ,ontmer#' - Marius* father.

THEMES - THEME ANALYSIS

1. Grandparent/Grandchild Relationships This is present in duality as Valjean pretends to be a grandfather to &osette and 3illenormand is a grandfather to Marius. 7oth grandfathers have to learn to let go. 2. Crime vs. Punishment Valjean*s punishment certainly does not fit his crime, but neither did Fantine deserve the treatment she received in his factory. The '89(:s in /aris are an age where the slightest error brings the same punishment as a serious malfeasance. 3. Truth vs. Survival Valjean and Thenardier both use lies as a way to survive. Thenardier, however, uses the lie for evil. ;our browser does not support the .F4#M% tag. 4. Love and For iveness # great deal of forgiveness takes place in the course of the multiple sub!plots. Valjean must forgive Javert for hounding him unjustly, Marius for taking &osette away from him, Thenardier for trying to rob him, and himself for his own imperfections. 3illenormand and Marius must compromise and forgive each other for their mutual obstinacy0 %ponine must forgive Marius for being unable to love her0 and Javert <who is not successful= must forgive himself for putting kindness and decency ahead of the law. !. La" vs. #umanit$ The 7iship Myriel is the first to e$ercise humanity among those who may not deserve it, both to his parishoners and then to Valjean. Valjean continues the thread when he rescues Fantine from Javert*s condemnation and instant sentencing. 5ater he has to choose whether to submit to the law or to carry out the wishes of the dying Fantine. >ltimately, he manages to do both. The old gardener Fauchelevant defies and manipulates the law by engineering Valjean*s and &osette*s entrance into the convent. The nuns themselves turn a blind eye to the law and to their own disobedience to it when they wish to bury a departed sister within the walls of the convent. %njolras, during the insurrection, defends and enacts the law when one of the insurgents fails to observe principles of humanity and shoots an innocent civilian. Finally, Javert himself commits suicide when faced with the idea that in certain situations humanity should take precedence over the law. %. The &eanin o' (e)t Many characters have debts to other characters in this story. The plot is partially driven by the means they choose to repay those debts. Valjean owes 7ishop Myriel for his freedom and chance for a new life. .n an indirect way, he also owes &osette the protection he gives her, for it was in his own factory that her mother was abused and driven to desperate circumstances. Marius believes he owes a debt to Thenardier, but that debt is a result of Marius* father misinterpreting Thenardier*s intentions. Marius actually does owe Valjean for his very life. Javert also owes Valjean for his life and pays it by releasing Valjean and then taking his own life. 3illenormand owes Valjean for rescuing and returning Marius. 7oth Marius and Valjean have debts to %ponine who delivers letters, messages, and traces addresses whenever needed. The gardener Fauchelevant feels that he owes his life to Valjean, whom he knew as Father Madeleine. /ractically the only significant characters in the book who owe nothing to anyone are Father Myriel, Father Mabeuf and 3avroche. *. Childhood +nnocence and Coura e

5ittle 3avroche, %ponine and their two little brothers <whom 3avroche protects but does not know= all portray the innocence and courage that children are capable of when plunged into a crisis situation. ,. Savior/Sacri'ice Valjean is a savior image throughout the story. Thenardier is falsely believed to be a savior by Marius and his father /ontmercy. 3avroche tries to act the role of a savior on several occasions, the final one costing him his life. Javert is an unwilling savior when he releases Valjean and drowns himself in the river.

PLOT STRUCTURE ANALYSIS

Hugos plot is intertwined with innumerable threads-that of the reconciliation between Marius and his grandfather, the ultimate defeat of the evil of Thenardier, the aspects of victory and defeat in the insurrection, the love affair between Marius and Cosette, and the constant chase of Javert for Val ean! Holding it all together, however, is the psychological ourney of Val ean who moves from place to place, doing good for all in an attempt to free himself from his own condemnation only to find that in order to free himself he must first reveal and debase himself before one who has the power to punish him! The galleys dehuman"ied Val ean! #ach new hiding place, each change of address restores some aspect of his humanity-although such restoration is often accompanied with emotional agony! He is a whole person again at the moment of his death because it is at that moment that he is able to accept the forgiveness of others and thereby reali"e that he has finally forgiven himself for crimes of which the medieval styled law has convicted him! He lives a martyr of the law and dies a martyr to himself!

MOO
The mood is somber. # tone of melancholy predominates, even when events are relatively happy.

!OINT O" #IE$

"mniscient. ugo leaps from one character to another as it suits his purpose, accompanying all with e$tensive editorial comment and address to the readers.

STUDY QUESTIONS
1. $hy do the police accept Myriels statement of Val eans innocence% 2. $hy does Val ean condemn himself when his crime was nothing more than stealing a loaf of bread for his sisters children% 3. #&plain the irony of Val eans e&istence behind the walls of the convent! 4. $hat mista'e does Javert ma'e that causes him to lose Val ean ust as he nearly has him cornered% 5. $hy is Cosette not given more depth of character% $hat do the men of her family see in her% 6. $hy is Javert unable to live with his spontaneous decision to let Val ean go% 7. $hat does Marius misunderstand regarding his fathers devotion to (apoleon% 8. How does Marius idealism differ from that of the )riends of the *+C% 9. $hen Val ean releases Javert, why does he also give him his address% 10. #&plain the irony in ,avroches service to the two homeless children!

!re%ise&

The novel focuses on the struggles of e$!convict Jean Valjean and his e$perience of redemption. .t e$amines the nature of law and grace, and e$pounds upon the history of France, architecture of /aris, politics, moral philosophy, antimonarchism, justice, religion, and the types and nature of romantic and familial love. &lima$ 4esolution #t the barricades where Marius, Valjean, and Javert are all meeting. Marius and &osette:s wedding0 Javert:s suicide The importance of love and compassion social injustice in nineteenth!century France the long!term effects of the French 4evolution on French society The plight of orphans disguises and pseudonyms resurrection

Themes

Motifs