Les Misérables: Themes

Social Environment as a Major Force in Shaping Human Character

All major characters in Les Misérables are largely shaped by their environment. Valjean spends nineteen years in the galleys, and when he returns to society, he is a disillusioned criminal with no intention of reforming his ways until he meets the Bishop.

Similarly, the ostracism and humiliation Fantine faces in M. sur M. for having an illegitimate child pushes her into prostitution. Cosette is abused and neglected in the Thenardier household; since she is an illegitimate child, she is considered dispensable.

The novel suggests that humans are inherently good, that they become evil mainly on account of the environment they find themselves in. On the other hand, it also suggests that compassion and goodwill can redeem even criminals and the disenfranchised. The Bishop’s compassion and forgiveness gradually transform Valjean into a saintly man. Similarly, Valjean’s compassion toward Fantine and Cosette make their lives better. Cosette in fact goes to lead a normal, fulfilling life despite the abuse and neglect she experienced as a child.

Social and Legal Injustice

A young Valjean is sentenced to three hard years of prison labor for stealing a loaf of bread. The sentence is incommensurate with the petty crime. The legal system failed to take into account that Valjean was driven to petty theft out of dire poverty and hunger; he was not committing crimes out of boredom. Another instance of legal injustice involves Fantine’s six month prison sentence for retaliating to a man who had thrown snow down her back. Javert decides without due consideration that Fantine, being a prostitute, should be behind bars for the good of the village.

Fantine is also harassed and marginalized by the people of M. sur M. because she is considered “immoral” for having an illegitimate child. Similarly, when Valjean is released from prison, he is refused food and shelter in Digne. He resorts to a life of crime to sustain himself until he is transformed by the Bishop’s compassion.

Les Misérables highlights the wretched treatment of the disenfranchised in nineteenth-century France. Through the Bishop and Valjean, Hugo puts forth an alternative conception of social and legal justice: one based on equality, liberty, education, and, above all, compassion.

The Transformative Power of Compassion

Throughout the novel, compassion is presented as a transformative force. The Bishop is not only kind and altruistic to the poor and the marginalized; he is also forgiving of Valjean’s theft. The Bishop’s compassion transforms Valjean, a marginalized criminal, into a saintly man himself. Similarly, when Valjean helps Javert escape instead of killing him, Javert is forced to question his conception of justice and morality. Javert eventually leaves a note detailing the shortcomings of France’s prison and justice system before committing suicide. Gavroche is another compassionate character in the novel: despite being reduced to poverty, he actively helps the needy, and his altruism suggests that compassion is a better way of achieving social justice and equality than imprisonment or punishment.

Orphanhood

A startling fact about Les Misérables is that almost all major characters grow up without parents. Valjean is orphaned at a young age before being imprisoned. Fantine, on the other hand, never knows her parents. Later, Fantine herself is forced to abandon Cosette after the ostracism and humiliation she experiences in M. sur M: deprived of livelihood, she is forced to leave Cosette in the Thenardier household. The Thenardiers also abandon all three of their sons, who are in turn reduced to abject poverty and living on the streets. Through these characters, the novel highlights that orphanhood or abandonment of children was a rampant phenomenon in nineteenth-century France.

Symbolism

The Bishop’s Silver Candlesticks

The Bishop’s candlesticks represent justice, forgiveness, and compassion. Indeed, the novel suggests that compassion should be the force driving social justice. By giving the candlesticks to Valjean, the Bishop passes on the guiding light of compassion. Valjean remembers the candlesticks during moral crises, which in turn helps him act with kindness and a sense of justice. For instance, when he wonders if he should let Champmathieu be punished in his name, it is the memory of the candlesticks that convinces Valjean to clear Champmathieu’s name. Valjean later hands over the candlesticks to Marius and Cosette in the hope that they will keep the light of justice and compassion burning bright.