Jean Valjean

Wealth is defined as an abundance of valuable possessions or money. We all know what money is, however, we often lose sight of what a valuable possession is. When we imagine this, we often picture lavish cars, unique art, and costly homes. If we had to choose between these luxurious items and our family, we would unfailingly choose our family because they mean a greater deal to us. Wealth is not determined upon your finances or materialistic possessions, for it is determined by the love and compassion you have that others do not.

In Les Miserables, Jean Valjean lost his family, and did not have much money. But, him helping others is all he needed. He served 19 years in prison for stealing bread to feed his sister’s children. After being released,

He clothed her and grew joyous, as he watched her prosper into a brave young woman. “Fate abruptly brought together, and wedded with its resistless power, these two shattered lives, dissimilar in years, but similar in sorrow. The one, indeed, was the complement of the other. The instinct of Cosette sought for a father, as the instinct of Jean Valjean sought for a child. To meet was to find one another. In that mysterious moment, when their hands touched, they were welded together. When their two souls saw each other, they recognized they were mutually needed, and they closely embraced.” (page 184) He kept her safe and suffered for her. He was always running from his past, but, it did not matter as long as he knew he had purpose. His purpose was

After leaving Hassan helpless in an alley to be raped by Assef, Amir felt immense guilt and remorse for his heinous actions. Amir returned to Kabul years later to see Rahim Khan one last time and to save Hassan’s orphaned son, Sohrab. He became aware that Hassan was actually his brother while in Kabul, but never thought of him any different. “For you a thousand times over.” they always told each other. (page 67). This represents just how far they would go for each other. He came face to face with Assef, the man who tore Amir and Hassan apart from each other for years. He fought him for Sohrab’s freedom no matter what it took. Amir mended Sohrab’s broken heart and saved his life. He loved him with a fatherly love just as Hassan would have. He did not think different of him when he attempted suicide. Amir took Sohrab in and moved him to America to live with him and his wife as their son. When you are kind, the world is kind to you. Being kind is good for not only the person you are kind to, but also you. If you are angry at the world all the time, you can never grow. Everything came full circle for Amir and Jean Valjean because they were kind. Both of them yearned for a child, and the World rewarded their humanity with the change to help a child blossom and carry on their legacy. Even if you think it is too late to turn your life around, there is a way to be good