Upon reflecting over today’s incessantly changing society, it becomes apparent that society as a whole remains vastly different compared to previous centuries. However, in order to achieve that vital change, select individuals, figures of the unprecedented modification of character that parallels society’s diverse changes, must effectively model it. Therefore, change, as regarded in the general public today, remains an indigenous occurrence that serves as a paramount part of our lives. As an author during the nineteenth century in France, Victor Hugo portrayed the role of change and the transforming of individuals over time through his complex, thematic melodramas and served as one of the most regarded authors of the Romantic period. Especially during the revolution-filled later 1700s and early 1800s in France, change served as a major component of reconciling the burdens of the past and served as Hugo’s method of depicting the fundamental emotional development of characters. In his Romantic melodrama Les Misérables, Victor Hugo expresses numerous thematic implications of important changes the protagonist Jean Valjean experiences within French society through his detailed account of Valjean’s gradual moral and psychological transformation.
In order to guide us through Les Misérables, Hugo immediately introduces the initial Jean Valjean as an unchanged and hardened criminal who visits a religious man, conveying his encounter with the honorable bishop as the first phase of his spiritual transformation. Victor Hugo explicitly depicts Valjean as a “convict just from the galleys,” establishing the reason for the “yellow passport” that he must carry with him and serving as a symbolic barrier between him and the rest of society, marri...
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...as a kind of father to his adopted daughter Cosette.
As the result of numerous emotional renewals and the determination to lead a better life, Jean Valjean is able to change from a mentally hardened convict who detests society to a moral figure who strives to aid others. As Victor Hugo constantly implies throughout Les Misérables, it is very possible to alter the state of your life, employing Jean as the epitome of change and its implications. Thus, no matter what the circumstances may be, it is evident that one may rise above the setbacks in their life and transform the flaws and degradations that inadvertently burden one’s existence into a source of optimism and positive renewal. Change exists almost as a natural process ingrained into society, providing individuals with a chance to rectify the mistakes of the past regardless of social and emotional setbacks.
Les Misérables truly shows Victor Hugo idea through Jean, Javert and Thénardier that perseption is not allways truthful. No one is nessisarily how they apear to be. In times past it was commonplace to judge things based on there apearence. But now we can hope that less people will judge a book by its cover.
The Return of Martin Guerre, written by Natalie Zemon Davis, is the tale of a court case that takes place in sixteenth century France. Martin Guerre is a peasant who deserted his wife and family for many years. While Martin Guerre is gone, a man named Arnaud du Tilh arrives at Martin’s village and claims to be Martin Guerre. Bertrande, who is Guerre’s wife, Guerre’s sisters, and many of the villagers, accepts the imposter. After almost three years of being happily married, Bertrande takes the fraud to court under pressure of Pierre Guerre, her stepfather and Guerre’s brother. Arnaud du Tilh is almost declared innocent, but the real Martin Guerre appears in the courthouse. Throughout this tale, many factors of the peasant life are highlighted. The author gives a very effective and detailed insight to a peasant’s life during the time of Martin Guerre. Davis does a successful job of portraying the peasant lifestyle in sixteenth century France by accentuating the social, cultural, and judicial factors of everyday peasant life.
Javert, born in jail, saw himself as an ostracized adolescent with but two paths open to him. He could choose either to be a policeman or a criminal. He chose to be on the right side of the law. Valjean, a peasant, spent time in jail as a young man and came out of it hating society. He believed himself to be apart from it, and chose to live in hatred and crime. Fortunately, the action of a kindly old bishop prevented him from wasting the rest of his life. Valjean switched to tread the path of life on a more morally upright road. He became mayor, protector of society.
Both St. Francis and St. Albert offer a strong understanding of what charity mean. Likewise so do Charles Dickens and Victor Hugo. In Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities and Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, love presents itself as the underlying leitmotif. Through the life-changing exchange between Bienvenu and Valjean, to Syndey Carton willingly giving his life in place of Darnay, all the way to Lucy Manette and Valjean saving lives of others through their selflessness, Hugo and Dickens deliver the true meaning of love.
As the snake slithers through the rough ground of the jungle, he is aware of far off cries of a lion and a tiger. It is obvious by the sounds that the two are engaged in a consequential combat. Suddenly, the sounds draw nearer to his proximity and he watches as the lion leaps out of a nearby bush with the tiger not far behind. Unfortunately for the lion, the tiger was more adept to the jungle terrain. His curiosity peaked, the snake slides his way to the scene of the final attack. Throughout the world of literature, animal imagery and metaphors are often used to develop characters. In the book Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, there is no shortage of these literary devices. With the assistance of animal imagery and metaphors, Hugo develops the characters of Javert, Jean Valjean, and Thénardier.
Hugo, Victor. Les Miserables. Comp. Lee Fahnestock and Norman MacAfee. Trans. Wilbour, C.E. Only Complete and Unabridged Paperback Editon ed. New York, New York: Signet Classics, 1987. Print.
For instance, Meursault develops the theme of absurdity in two different contexts namely figurative and literal level. On the symbolic level, he is concerned to death after being found guilty. This is a portrayal of the human condition who have to face the consequences after committing a crime more so, a capital offense like murder. On the other hand, literally of the action is seen when he describes the character of a revolt, freedom, and passion. Meursault is not moved by the expectations of the society and does what he feels is best for him. In many cases throughout the novel, he refused to abide by the customs of the society and instead resorted to smoking. Other things he did against the society expectations includes showing indifference during the vigil of his mother, going to the beach with Marie, and spending time with her immediately after his mother was buried as well as writing a letter for his friend, Raymond. His ability to exercise what he believes in and his freedom make it difficult for the society to impose on him some restrictions on his life. He is constant pursuance of pleasure and experiences makes it difficult for him to conform to the norms and values of the
In Les Miserables, Victor Hugo portrays human nature in a neutral state. Humans are born with neither good nor bad instincts, but rather society affects our actions and thoughts. Hugo portrays the neutral state of mind through Jean Valjean and Cosette. The two extremes of good and evil are represented through Thénardier and the bishop. Good and evil coexists in the society and affects Valjean and Cosette. It is the two extremes of good and evil that dictate the lives of Valjean and Cosette. The bishop represents charity and love. Everything he's ever had, he gave to charity. When the bishop first met Valjean, he said, "You need not tell me who you are. This is not my house; it is the house of Christ. It does not ask any comer whether he has a name, but whether he has an affliction. You are suffering; you are hungry and thirsty; be welcome. And do not thank me; do not tell me that I take you into my house..... whatever is here is yours." (pg. 15-16) The bishop didn't look at him as a convict; he looked at him as a fellow brother. Later, when the bishop found out that Valjean stole his silver, he wasn't mad, but offered all of his silver to Valjean saying, "Don't forget that you promised me to use this silver to become an honest man." Thénardier, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of the bishop. He represents the corruptive nature of society. He's the one that changes people for the bad. An example of how Thénardier represents greed and evil is how he...
Albert Camus has his own toolbox of literary devices when it comes to accentuating the theme of The Stranger, one of them being his unique sense and use of secondary characters. Whether major or minor, every character in the book serves a purpose, and corroborates the theme in some form of fashion. Camus describes his secondary characters as foiling Meursault in one aspect or another, and thus, shining light on Meursault’s characteristics. Whether through close connections like familial relationships (Maman) and friendships (Salamano, Raymond, and Marie), or through bonds as distant as people he briefly converses with (Chaplain), or even so much as complete strangers (Perez and unidentified lady at the restaurant), characters that Meursault encounters foil and therefore, emphasize many aspects of his nature. Furthermore, because Meursault aptly embodies Camus’s ideology of Absurdism, emphasizing Meursault through secondary characteristics simply highlights Camus’ doctrine and theme of the book.
If one were to ask what the basis of human nature and civilization encompasses, I would tell them to read Victor Hugo’s epic novel, Les Miserables (1862). Set in various locations in France, spanning from 1815 to 1832, the novel follows the main protagonist, Jean Valjean. The story begins with the Bishop of Digne and his daily life. Jean Valjean, a released convict, stumbles upon the town where the Bishop lives and is shunned from every inn he goes to due to his status as a former prisoner. The only one who will let him take shelter is the Bishop of Digne. This act of kindness transforms Jean Valjean from being spiteful of humanity to being saint-like towards it, in regards to the Bishops wishes.
Valiunas, Algis. "The Sacred Heart of Victor Hugo (The Temptation of the Impossible: Victor Hugo and Les Miserables)." First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life, August 1, 2007. http://go.galegroup.com.libproxy.wlu.ca/ps/i.do?action=interpret&id=GALE%7CA166621300&v=2.1&u=wate18005&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&authCount=1 (accessed March 10, 2014).
In The Stranger, Albert Camus describes the life of the protagonist, Meursault, through life changing events. The passage chosen illustrates Meursault’s view during his time in prison for killing the Arab. In prison, one can see the shifts in Meursault’s character and the acceptance of this new lifestyle. Camus manipulates diction to indicate the changes in Meursault caused by time thinking of memories in prison and realization of his pointless life. Because Camus published this book at the beginning of World War II, people at this time period also questions life and death similar to how Meursault does.
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.
“It is precisely of him that I wished to speak. Dispose of me as you please; but help me first to carry him home. I only ask that of you.” Upon examination of Les Miserables, it is clearly evident that the elements of Forgiveness, Self – Sacrifice, and Courage are only a few of the main themes Hugo wanted to develop.
In society, even today a clash between justice and the law often exists. The purpose of the law is to preserve justice and maintain order. Therefore, justice and the law should work in unison. However, many times law and justice clash. In Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, the tension and clash are demonstrated. Jean Valjean and Bishop Myriel represent justice and mercy, while Javert portrays the law. They are all honorable in their principles, yet they clash as opposing tides of society.