Literary analysis of les miserables

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo is a renowned French classic of the nineteenth century which follows the life and times of Jean Valjean and the fascinating cast of characters with whom he interacts. Though a riveting story that is both heart-rending and eye-opening, the purpose of the novel stretches far beyond the narration of an escaped convict’s adventures: It is a study in human misery and an account of the desperation that led the impoverished citizens of France to revolt against an oppressive government. History and philosophy are woven into the chapters as the reader becomes more and more immersed in the heartache-filled world of the lower class, and with each passing volume, the themes Hugo presents become clearer and more poignant. Specifically, the author uses the characters Jean Valjean, Fantine and her daughter Cosette in this work to enlighten readers of the struggles faced by men, women and children living in poverty during the years leading up to the French Revolution. Through the character Jean Valjean, Hugo shows the consequences suffered by a man unable to provide for his family in this time period.

From dawn until dusk, Valjean worked tirelessly as a pruner in order to support a meager lifestyle for his widowed sister and her children. Unfortunately, conditions steadily worsened within the household after the sole breadwinner found himself without work in the winter months. The man was left with no choice left but to procure food through stealing. He was caught, and sentenced to five years in the galleys, but five failed attempts at escape ultimately cost him fourteen more. It says in the text, “ This penalty..

” (mtholyoke. edu) As Fantine bore her solitude and poverty, her daughter Cosette experienced a third type of misery that affected the young people of pre-Revolution France. Cosette’s position was similar to the many other orphans of her time in that she was mercilessly abused without intervention from the law. After she was deposited with the family of innkeepers by the name of Thenardier, her mother was assured that she was in good hands, but this was far from the truth. The Thenardiers used the little girl as a virtual slave from the time she was barely five years old and able to hold a broomstick.

They never let her forget that she was permanently indebted to them for saving her from a bleak life of poverty. A passage from the second volume reads, “ Cosette was between them (the Thenardiers), subjected to their double pressure, like a creature who is at the same time being ground up in a mill and pulled to pieces with pincers…. There was no mercy for her; a fierce mistress and a venomous master. The Thenardier holstery was like a spider’s web in which Cosette had been caught and where she lay trembling.” Through these descriptions of her childhood, it is shown that the ordeals which Cosette and orphans like her encountered on a daily basis were largely due to an absence of laws concerning child abuse and labor.

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“ Les Miserables – a Social Critique.” Les Miserables – a Social Critique. Web. 28 Feb. 2015. Hugo, Victor, and Charles E.