Les Misérables: Journal Entries

Les Misérables: Journal Entries

Jean Valjean:

 Theme:

 “You ask why I speak?... I am informed against! Yes! I am pursued! Yes! I am hunted! By whom? By myself…Monsieur Pontmercy, this is not common sense, but I am a honest man. It is by degrading myself in your eyes that I elevate myself in my own.” (Pg. 362-363)

 Jean Valjean’s conciseness had finally gotten to him and he felt as the end was near and that he had nothing, that he had to disclose his inner most secret to finally redeem himself even it was to his loss and shame.

 “He begs my pardon, and do you know what he has done for me, Cosette? He saved my life. He has given you to me… He sacrificed himself. There is the man. And to me the pitiless, to me the guilty, he says: Thanks! Cosette, my whole life passed at the feet of this man would be too little…He bore me through death in every form… which he accepted for himself. All courage, all virtue, all heroism, all sanctity, he has it all, Cosette, that man is an angel!” (Pg. 393)

 Jean Valjean had been too hard on himself for most of his life and that if he had just took at naught the voice of men then he would have truly seen that he was a good man and that he was a man of God.

 Character:

 “Jean Valjean stood inert under the grasp of Javert like a lion who would submit to the claw of a lynx. “Inspector Javert,“ said he, “you have got me. Besides, since this morning, I have considered myself your prisoner. I did not give you my address to try to escape you. Take me. Only grant me one thing… Dispose of me as you please; but help me first to carry him home.”” (Pg. 329)

 Being finally to the point of recognizing that he could never hide from the law even how unjust it may have been, if finally accepted his fate, yet he still desired to do good for the happiness of his Cosette.

 “Now that you know, do you think, monsieur, you who are the master, that I ought not to see Cosette again?... I shall not see her again, “ murmured Jean Valjean . And he walked to the door.” (Pg. 365)

 Being that Javert would not take him and the law was no longer distinctly after him he felt it right that he should give up his last care as he felt like he no longer deserved it because of the injustices of his life.

 Point of View:

 “Marius remained without. A ball had broken his shoulder-blade; he felt that he was fainting, and that he was falling. At that moment, his eyes already closed, he experienced the shock of a vigorous hand seizing him.” (Pg. 315)

 If this had been first person then we would have felt more in pain with this event with our emotion and hung onto this event more than was needed to display the picture in our mind of what was happening.

 “Monsieur Pontmercy. I must confess to you that I have not always loved you; I ask your pardon. Now, she and you are but one to me. I am very grateful to you. I feel that you make Cosette happy... So I am going away, my children. Love each other dearly always. There is scarcely anything else in the world but that: to love on another. (Pg. 398)

 If this had

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