Les Misérables- a masterpiece

Les Misérables is one of the best novels I have ever read. It is a compelling and stunning account of the victims of early nineteenth-century French society. It follows the life of Jean Valjean- an incredible man who experiences the best and worse of France throughout his life, and the people around him- including the dogged policeman Javert, the unfortunate prostitute Fantine and her daughter Cosette, the dastardly Thénardiers and the wonderful Marius. It is one of the longest books ever written- at just over 1200 pages- and it took me a few months to read, though I don’t regret it in the slightest. Hugo’s epic is a masterpiece and the real quality of his work can only really be understood by reading the entire unabridged version. In this review, I want to try and convey a sample of the value of Les Misérables and why you should read it too.

Plot summary (contains spoilers):

The novel focuses on the life of Jean Valjean, a convict who was initially imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his family and subsequently for repeated attempts at escape. He turns his life around to become the benevolent Monsieur Madeline (the mayor) and conceals his true identity to evade the attentions of the relentless police inspector Javert. Madeline, through his extensive philanthropy, starts to help Fantine- a young woman who is fired from her job and becomes a prostitute out of destitution. She eventually becomes ill and asks him to look after her baby daughter Cosette- who is being raised by the unknowingly abusive Thénardiers- who she left the child with years earlier. A Jean Valjean lookalike is wrongly arrested in place of Madeline but his conscience makes the philanthropist reveal himself to a court where the lookalike is being tried- however, he leaves the court and says that they can pursue him if they want to. Valjean collects Cosette from the Thénardiers for money and raises her as her father.

The time of the novel moves on several years and we are introduced to Marius Pontmercy, a young lawyer from Paris, and his infatuation with the now teenage Cosette. The pair fall in love despite hardly having spoken to each other. We are also introduced to the ABC Society, a revolutionary group, and the characters of Enjolras, Bahorel, Combeferre and Courfeyrac as well as the young rascal Gavroche who assists the gang during the 1832 Revolution. Marius witnesses Thénardier and a gang of thugs attempt to carry out an armed robbery on Valjean- who has yet again reinvented himself and started philanthropy again. However, the crime is stopped by a combination of Marius and Javert- the offenders are arrested and taken away- though the enigmatic Valjean somehow escapes under the noses of the police. Hugo then describes the 1832 revolution and the construction of the barricades set up by the ABC society. Marius gives up his dream of Cosette as he believes she is being forced to move to England with Valjean. However, Marius’ message is intercepted by a furious Valjean and the ex-convict joins the revolution- actually saving Marius and even dragging him through a sewer to safety. The pair are picked up by Javert- saved from execution by Valjean only hours earlier- who eventually lets the ex-convict go. Javert then resigns and commits suicide as he cannot stand what he has done as an officer of the law.

Marius recovers and marries Cosette. Valjean admits who he really is to Marius, but not to Cosette, and his visits to the couple gradually decrease until he doesn’t see them at all. He becomes ill and just as Marius finds out that Valjean actually saved him and Javert from death, Valjean dies at the age of 80 in the arms of Marius and Cosette.

My thoughts:

A key theme of Les Misérables is life. The structure of the novel is based on Valjean’s own life and many other people’s lives come into the plot as well. Hugo illustrates a picture of nineteenth century French society with examples of the people who suffer as a result of the socioeconomic inequality that existed and how this eventually boiled over into revolution. Jean Valjean is presented as almost having several lives in one, as he goes from being poor to being a convict to being rich and then having to go back into hiding from the authorities. In this way, Hugo conveys the complexity of human life through the different people and personalities that interweave throughout the novel.

In the novel, Hugo integrates a detailed plot with extended digressions and comments on society. Although they appear irrelevant at first glance, Hugo’s digressions are actually key to his control of the novel as they help to paint a picture of 19th century French society and to explain Hugo’s political and social views. It is hard to understand the quality and value of the novel without reading the whole text. For this reason, I highly recommend reading the unabridged version, despite its enormous length.

Jean Valjean is one of the most incredible characters I have ever read about. He is so well developed by Hugo and emodies such quality of personality and innate goodness. He is the embodiment of all the victims of 19th century society and is unselfish to the point of stupidity- especially at the end. However, Marius is my favourite character- I love his innocence and natural virtue- and the extent of his love and care for Cosette. In addition, the Thénardiers are excellently written antagonists as they embody everything that is wrong with French society at the time- greed, child abuse and criminality. Hugo creates parallels here to the issues with the French upper classes- they are greedy for money, they abuse poorer French workers and their behaviour is seen as criminal by the underclasses.

Les Misérables is a tale about injustice, life and love. It is one of my favourite books of all time- I love the characters, the plot, Hugo’s incisive comments on society and the wide-ranging scope of the novel. It is an incredible read and I recommend it to anyone. 5*