Les MisérablesVictor Hugo

About the Book

• Published in 1862

• 1,463 pages

• The title can be translated to “The Miserable Ones, The Wretched Ones, The Poor Ones.”

Original Les Misérables artwork

Significance of the Title

• The title symbolizes how miserable these character’s lives were.

• Valjean is imprisoned for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread for his sister’s son.

• Fantine loses her job after her coworkers find out she has a child and she isn’t married, to support her child she chops off all her hair for 10 francs, gets her two front teeth pulled out, sells all her belongings, and becomes a prostitute.

Setting• It takes place in 19th century France.

• The story opens up in 1815. (16 years after the French Revolution ended.)

• It fast forwards to 1821, and then onto 1832, where Hugo describes the June Rebellion, where the Les Amis de L’ABC (Friends of the ABC), lead by Enjolras, revolt against King Louis-Phillipe.

Protagonist

The protagonist is Jean Valjean. At the start of the novel, he is a miserable convict

who turns his life around after he is shown kindness by a bishop,

he later becomes the mayor of a small city in France.

Antagonist

Javert is the antagonist. He spends

the duration of the novel hunting down Valjean after he breaks

his parole, and fakes his own death.

Main Conflict

• One major source of conflict is Valjean struggling to transform himself into an honest man. It’s internal conflict because he saw the wickedness of his actions, and what 19 years of prison has done to him, and he decides to turn his life around.

Memorable PassageHe repeated “Vive la République!” crossed the room firmly, and took his place in front of the muskets beside Enjolras. “Two at one shot” he said. And, turning toward Enjolras, gently, he said to him “Will you permit it?” Enjolras shook his hand with a smile. The smile was not finished before the report was heard. Enjolras, pierced by 8 bullets, remained backed up against the wall as if the bullets had nailed him there.

Memorable Passage

But just when Marius supposed her asleep forever,

she opened her eyes, revealing the somber depths of death, and she said to him

with an accent whose sweetness already seemed to come

from another world, “And then do you know, Monsieur Marius, I believe I was a little bit in love with you.”

Themes

• Love

• Compassion

• Social injustice in France

• Long term effects of the French Revolution

What the book taught me, etc.

• The book taught me to fight for what you believe in, like Enjolras and the rest of the students who died because they believed in something so much, and wanted to see a political change.

• It also taught me to be selfless like Fantine, who died because she wanted her daughter to have a better life than she did.

• It also taught me that when one had done wrong, and is full of guilt, like Valjean, they can turn their situation around and make the best of it.

• This book is a great work of literature because it shows how people dealt with the awful situations life has given them, and I think that can inspire a lot of people.