Les Misérables

In Les Misérables, the rising action includes Jean Valjean's forgiveness and redemption from the Bishop of Digne, and his encounters with Fantine and Cosette. The climax occurs when Marius learns...

Cosette was born in 1815, making her 8 years old in 1823 when she is adopted by Jean Valjean, 13 in 1828 when she and Valjean leave the convent, and 18 in 1833 when she marries Marius.

In Les Misérables, Fantine dies of tuberculosis.

Major events in Les Misérables include Jean Valjean's release from prison and his transformation after being forgiven by the bishop, becoming mayor under an assumed name, and promising to care for...

In Les Misérables, Eponine sings "On My Own" after leading Marius to Cosette's house and scaring away her thieving father. Marius thanks her but leaves her alone, prompting her to sing about her...

The elephant in Les Miserables is an abandoned Paris monument that Napoleon began but never completed. Built in the shape of an elephant carrying a tower, this eyesore becomes a shelter for Gavroche...

A condition of Valjean's parole was to report regularly to authorities so they could track him. He breaks parole when he decides to change his name and restart his life.

Fantine leaves Cosette so she can work, in hopes of making enough money to support herself and her child. The Thénardiers take Cosette in because they're getting paid to do so. They treat Cosette...

In Les Misérables, sacrifice is intricately linked with love, as characters repeatedly give up their own happiness for the well-being of others. Jean Valjean sacrifices his freedom to care for...

General Lamarque was a real figure in French history, and in Les Misérables he is described as a brave champion of the people. Both in the story and in actual history, his death is the "spark" that...

Marius refuses money and leaves his grandfather's home due to a deep sense of betrayal and a newfound respect for his father. He discovers that his grandfather, Monsieur Gillenormand, had kept him...

Jean Valjean decided to leave the Rue Plumet due to two main reasons. First, he repeatedly saw M. Thenardier in the neighborhood and feared exposure, as Thenardier knew his identity and was willing...

M. Javert is a police inspector obsessed with capturing Jean Valjean, whom he views as a criminal deserving punishment. Javert discovers Valjean's true identity when Valjean confesses to prevent an...

Eponine sacrifices her own feelings and ultimately her life for Marius, demonstrating her deep love. She conceals her affection to allow Marius to pursue Cosette, whom he loves, and feels content in...

Les Miserables does not shy away from the difficult issues, including poverty, crime, and child abuse. Hugo's novel is a critique of the French society of his time.

Two values we can take away from Les Misérables are compassion and justice. Victor Hugo emphasizes human suffering in this book, telling the story of Jean Valjean, a former convict originally...

Gavroche goes to the Rue Saint-Denis barricades to support the Revolution and defend his poverty, later spying on other streets for Enjolras. Eponine joins the barricades both to fight and to be near...

In Les Misérables, the candlesticks symbolize spiritual awakening and redemption. Initially, Jean Valjean's black iron candlestick represents his dark, tormented soul. After the Bishop of Digne shows...

The name of the innkeeper in Les Misérables is Monsieur Thénardier. He is one of the main antagonists of the novel.

A Savoyard refers to a person from the Savoy region of France, known for being migrant workers due to poor farming conditions. In Les Misérables, Jean Valjean encounters a young Savoyard named Petite...

Jean Valjean tries to escape from prison four times. His attempts are unsuccessful, and each time he is caught, more years are added to his sentence. As a result, his initial sentence of five years...

The bishop gives Valjean two candlesticks to reinforce his act of mercy and forgiveness, effectively telling the police he had gifted all the silver to Valjean. This surprising gesture not only...

In Les Misérables, Jean Valjean keeps the clothes that he gave to Cosette when he rescued her from the Thénardiers in a valise that Cosette called the "inseparable," which travels with Valjean...

At the time of his death in Les Misérables, Gavroche is about eleven or twelve years old.

In Les Misérables, Marius's best friend is Courfeyrac, one of his fellow members of the friends of the A. B. C.

Cosette's old clothes, "The Inseparables," symbolize Jean Valjean's transformation through love and responsibility. While the clothing itself is practical, representing care and warmth for Cosette,...

Both Jean Valjean and Jesus Christ were kind to those who had been mistreated. Jean Valjean was able to be merciful because he had been shown mercy after his many mistakes, just as Jesus was merciful...

In Les Misérables, Jean Valjean's moral dilemma the night he stays with the bishop is whether or not to steal the bishop's silver.

Fantine leaves her child, Cosette, with the Thénardiers because she is a single mother in a society that stigmatizes her status and lacks financial means to support her daughter. Desperate and...

In Les Misérables, Inspector Javert is chasing Jean Valjean.

Jean Valjean and Fantine are parallel characters in that they both have the same backstory of being forced into bad situations by their unfortunate circumstances, but they differ in that while Jean...

In "Cosette," Cosette is compared to a "wren." This reflects her small, birdlike nature yet indicates a new identity since leaving the Thénardiers. Previously, in "Fantine," she was nicknamed "the...

A Marxist literary theory can be used to compare Victor Hugo's Les Misérables and Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. This approach examines the relationship between the owners of production and the...

The section titled "The Fall" in Les Misérables symbolizes Jean Valjean's moral and spiritual decline. It parallels the Biblical Fall, referencing humanity's fall from grace. Valjean, initially...

At the beginning of Les Misérables, Jean Valjean slept for a short time because the bed was too comfortable and he had not slept in a bed for almost twenty years.

Jean Valjean rents the house in Rue Plumet to provide Cosette with a chance to experience life beyond the convent, reflecting his paternal love and sacrifice. Although happy in the convent, Valjean...

The irony in Jean Valjean's decision not to tell Cosette about the address he finds lies in his attempt to protect her, which inadvertently leads to Marius's despair and decision to join the...

Eponine Thenardier says this line in Les Miserables as she lays dying on her beloved Marius's lap.

Javert asks the mayor to dismiss him because he incorrectly accused him of being Jean Valjean, a convict. Javert, who is deeply committed to the law, believes he should face the same consequences he...

In Les Misérables, Eponine's parents are the Thénardiers, the swindling innkeepers for whom Cosette is forced to work. Eponine initially resembles her parents in their immoral nature, but she is...

In Les Misérables, Éponine is in love with Marius Pontmercy.

In Hugo's Les Miserables, the young Marius Pontmercy has been raised to believe that his father, Colonel Georges Pontmercy, a distinguished officer in Napoleon's Grande Armee, cares nothing for...

Marius does not live with his father, Georges Pontmercy, because his grandfather, a royalist, disapproved of Pontmercy's service to Napoleon and considered him a "leper." Marius was raised to feel...

In Les Misérables, Thénardier is associated with a criminal gang known as "Patron-Minette." This gang, active in Paris from 1830 to 1835, was led by figures such as Claquesous, Gueulemer, Babet, and...

Victor Hugo portrays human misery in Les Misérables through a detached narrative style, highlighting the depths of suffering and poverty. Characters like Fantine and Jean Valjean endure extreme...

Victor Hugo portrays Marius as a Romantic hero by emphasizing his strong will, charisma, and handsome appearance, alongside his feelings of alienation. Marius's determination is evident when he...

Both Les Misérables and Oliver Twist explore themes of children, poverty, and injustices, making them suitable for comparative analysis. Despite being set in different countries, the novels reveal...

The relationships between Gavroche and Marius, and Pontmercy and Thenardier, contrast significantly. Gavroche and Marius share a mutual revolutionary cause, with Marius acting as a supportive figure...

Hugo's view of human nature in Les Misérables is significant because it emphasizes the potential for personal transformation and social redemption. Characters like Valjean and Javert illustrate that...

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