An Archetypal and Sociological Analysis of Les Miserables

“Look down and see the beggars at your feet. Look down and show some mercy if you can.
Look down and see the sweepings of the street. Look down, look down upon your fellow man”
(Schönberg 38).
In these short, desperate lines, viewers of the musical Les Misérables are shown the world of the beggars of Paris in 1832. The musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel Les Misérables has made an lasting impact on its followers since it’s opening nearly 30 years ago (Les Misérables: Creation of the Musical). By introducing music to an already remarkable story, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg reveal the social injustice of nineteenth century France to the modern world. In doing this, viewers are welcomed into the world created within the pages of Les Misérables. Bringing this story into the twenty-first century allows for comparison between today’s social injustices and those of 200 years ago. The characters created by Hugo provide a bridge between modern day and a time filled with pain and inequity, particularly for the poor. This is especially evident in the section of the novel centered on the young revolutionaries. Contrary to popular belief, Les Misérables does not chronicle the French Revolution of 1789, but rather the events leading up to the June Rebellion of 1832 (Gossard). Nineteenth century France was a period marked by “political and social unrest” (Les Misérables Historical Context). Laced throughout the novel is Hugo’s commentary on the actions and events of this period, although he is not blatant about his ideas. Through the use of archetypal symbols and characters as well as an emphasis on class conflict, Hugo develops themes of injustice and redemption in his novel Les Misérables.
The archetypal symbolism of lig...

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Works Cited

Cerisola, Anne-Sophie. “Les Misérables.” Novels for Students. Sheryl Ciccarelli, Marie Rose Naiperkowski. Detroit: Gale Research, 1999. 245-248. Print.
Gossard, Julia. “Les Misérables: A Historian’s Review.” The Alcade RSS. N.p, 16 Jan. 2013. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.
Hugo, Victor. Les Misérables. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 2012. Print.
Hostetler, Clif. “Clif Hostetler’s Reviews of Les Misérables.” Good Reads. N.p., 01 Aug. 2008. 04 Apr. 2014.
“Les Misérables Historical Context.” Novels for Students. Sheryl Ciccarelli, Marie Rose Naipierkowski. Detroit: Gale Research, 1999. 242-244. Print.
“Les Misérables: The Creation of the Musical- Walnut Street Theatre.” Les Misérables: Creation of the Musical. N.p., n.d, Web. 07 Apr. 2014.
Schönberg, Claude-Michel. “The Beggars.” Les Misérables. MTI: Musical Theatre International. New York, NY: 2011. 38. Print.