The eNotes Blog Les Misérables A Tale of VictorHugo

Les Misà ©rables A Tale of VictorHugo In honor of what would be Victor Hugos 214th birthday (wow), enjoy a tribute to his most famous and longest-lived work, Les  Misà ©rables. Lets start by defining what  les misà ©rables  means. The literal translation is the miserable ones,  but there remains the distinct possibility that the thematic significance of the title may still be a mystery. Its likely that there are a lot of people out there without even an inkling of an idea what Les Mis  is actually about, so lets set the scene: Les Misà ©rables  is the story of Jean Valjean, a convict, who has just been released from prison after serving 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread. Influenced by the bishop to begin a new life, Jean assumes a new name and moves to a new location where he becomes a respected citizen and makes a fortune in manufacturing. The police inspector, Javert, is suspicious of him, but it is not until Jean’s conscience prods him to reveal his true identity that he is forced to flee. But thats not all! Through a series of events and conflicts, Jean finds himself responsible for a young girl named Cosette after the death of her mother. Then theres a whole host of drama regarding some fleeing, some fighting, a lot of love, and, oh yeah, a little thing called the French Revolution. Okay, so now you have a brief summary  of what happens in  Les  Misà ©rablesbut what does all that mean? You can have a great story with incredible surface-level storytelling, but the best works have undercurrents peace,  justice, violence, love conquering all, etc. So what do we see in Hugos novel? Like his contemporary Charles Dickens, Hugo had a rather pessimistic outlook on society; that is to say, he looked at society like a prison (school, friends, the workplace = Alcatraz). Starting at the novels onset and continuing until its conclusion, Hugos masterpiece is a plea for social justice. Further,  Hugos description of the Paris rebellion in 1832 is a metaphor for this class struggle for human rights which Valjean undergoes. In essence, the themes in Les  Misà ©rables  are social justice,  human rights,  and  class conflicts that result from this struggle, and the existential theme of the  meaning of life. It took Hugo rather a long time to finish  writing of Les  Misà ©rables; there were likely breaks in his work, but  it took the author almost twenty years to write  the story to completion. Those twenty years were pretty  rough for Hugo- in that time he suffered the death of both his daughter and his son and his wife committed a little infidelity with one of his best friends. So, keeping his heartbreak in mind, it makes sense that a key component of  Les Miserables  is, well,  misery. In the tradition of the epic novel, Hugo takes the reader through all the extremes of human emotion: squalor, courage, romance, and grief. The novel also takes us through a strife-ridden portion of Frances history, through a period of unrest and failed revolution. The novel is filled to the brim with the struggles of individual people and the challenges of a great nation. Its a *little* depressing, to be sure, but sometimes misery loves company, and theres something to the notion of beautiful sadness. Also along the lines of putting ones personal life into their work, we can catch a glimpse of Hugos own life experiences and values within the pages of his novel. Throughout  Les Miserables, there is the father/daughter relationship between Jean and Cosette (though Cosette isnt  technically Jeans daughter- it would be too complicated to get involved in the politics of 19th century adoption). But with that in mind,  Les Mis says a lot about parental love and relationships. Throughout his life,  Hugo  took a personal stake in society and social regulation. Initially employed as a lawyer, the author-to-be developed a working knowledge of the law and its failures for the less fortunate members of society (later on, it becomes clear that a  lot of people were aware of social injustice and thus the continued revolutions in France, on which this novel happens to be based). But beyond the presence of a revolutionary mindset sweeping through France both before this novels publishing and after,  Les  Misà ©rables  has stood the test of time as a social novel. Much like his British contemporary, Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo was very concerned about problematic social conditions of the time. He explored how these issues manifested within microcosms of life in Paris- much like Dickens did with London. For example, the squalor, filth, and disease  of the poor is apparent in street urchins like Gavroche and in the plight of the wretched prostitute  Fantine and her daughter Cosette. Also, just as the character Magwitch in Dickenss novel  Great Expectations, Hugo includes a poor, social outcast who is not only a criminal but also perhaps the most moral character of all. Les  Misà ©rables is a story that has been circulating throughout the world (no exaggeration) for more than a century. It has been reworked time and time again into various adaptations through print, stage, and recently onto the big screen. When powerful stories remain in culture for any great length of time, we can be certain there is something inherently valuable and captivating about it. Without a doubt,  Les  Misà ©rables  has remained one of the most powerful stories in circulation. Victor Hugo was a fascinating man who spent his life as a poet and a novelist. He lived through some of the most tumultuous times in the history of France and died a national hero. His life was filled with struggle and sacrifice, much of which was reflected within his work;  Les  Misà ©rables  deals in the loss of his beloved daughter, the struggles between classes, and the power of human nature. In honor of Hugos birthday, step away from the screen and try to knock out a couple chapters of this historical and literary masterpiece. Or even watch it on TV/Netflix, because no matter how you take it in,  Les Mis  is a story worth knowing.