Significance of Jean Valjean, the protagonist of Remisé - a shining heroic figure in the history of world literature, symbolizing the gods and Christ.

Significance of Jean Valjean, the protagonist of L'émisé: a heroic figure in the history of world literature

In my last article, I recommended a reference book for remise, by David Bellos.The Birth of Les Misérables, the Novel of the Century."introduced.

In this book, you will learn a lot about how Remisé was born, how it spread, and its connection to musicals and the meaning behind the story.

I was amazed at how unprecedented Remisé was. It was a very interesting book to learn about the publishing and literary world of the time.

Now, in this article, I will introduce the part of the book that describes Jean Valjean, the hero of the Remisée. Jean Valjean is a hero who occupies a dominant position in the history of world literature. What is the meaning of his existence, and what does he have to tell the reader? That is what we would like to consider in this article.

Structure of "Les Miserables" - Comparison with other literary works

Before we get into Jean Valjean, we will first read a section that compares the characteristics of Les Misérables with other literary works. By reading this section, you will get a rough idea of what the intention of Les Miserables was.

The overall structure of "Les Miserables" follows a format familiar to novels of all periods, especially those of the time. For example, "Madame Bovary" (1857) also tells the story of the protagonist's life from almost the beginning to the end.The Great Legacy.(1861) is structured broadly as a chronicle centered on the protagonist, although more time is devoted to his childhood than to Pip's growing up.

converselyCrime and Punishment."(1866) does not say much about Raskolnikov's childhood and upbringing, but follows him from his crimes to the salvation of his soul in Siberia. Viewed as a "biography," Les Misérables is a typical literary work of its time.

Other novels of the same periodWar and Peace."The similarity between the two works - "The White Whale" was published between 1863 and 1868, and "The White Whale" in 1851 - is the fact that the main story can be told in a much shorter book. Nevertheless, neither of these masterpieces aims solely at telling a story.

Hugo attempts to do almost everything possible in the form of a novel. Like Tolstoy, he included a number of reflections on the significance of historical events (none of them as disappointing as the final chapter of War and Peace); like Dostoevsky, he shared with his readers the struggles of the soul; like Dickens, he tried to show his readers what it means to be poor. The first part of "Les Miserables. The synopsis of "Les Miserables" is like a path through the forest - no less than a path, and the forest itself is the subject of the novel.
Some line breaks have been made.

Hakusuisha, David Bellos, The Birth of the Novel of the Century "Les Miserables", translated by Mitsuko Tateishi, P22-23

Les Misérables" takes the familiar "family history" form of its contemporaries. And not only that, as the second half of the quote says, "Like Tolstoy, it contains a number of reflections on the significance of historical events (omitted); like Dostoevsky, it shares with its readers the struggles of the soul; like Dickens, it attempts to show readers what it means to be poor." This is an important point.

Through L'émisée, Hugo seeks to speak his thoughts to readers around the world.

Dickens'The Great Legacy.and Dostoevsky'sCrime and Punishment."has been previously featured on this blog.

In the above quotation, Dickens' "The Great Inheritance" is mentioned as a representative of the "family memoir," but the true essence of Dickens' work is his depiction of the misery of social poverty. The representative of this isOliver Twist."This is a work called

There are "not evil people in the world, but a society that produces evil people.

Dickens considers evil in the world as a problem of individual evil, but also as an evil created by the social system.

The gap between the rich and the poor creates "the oppressed," and those who want to get out of it but can no longer help themselves commit crimes in order to survive.

Few people commit crimes because they "want to do bad things." Dickens believes that dismissing bad people because they are bad people is not the solution to the problem.

Hugo also has this perspective strongly in mind. I am sure that those who have seen or read L'émisé can imagine this.

Les Misérables" was Hugo's attempt at writing the high road of literature of the time. And it was written to be the best of the best.

Significance of Hero Jean Valjean

Nevertheless, the path is the novel's guide. （It begins with a crime and a (unjustifiably heavy) punishment, followed by a reformation and the protagonist's endless self-imposed commitment to doing the right thing. Jean Valjean, unlike Raskolnikov or Ivan Kalamazov, is not a complex, ambiguous, self-critical, or tragic protagonist - in a sense, not at all like a character in a novel. Moreover, unlike the saints, he is, so to speak, a new model of man.

Hakusuisha, David Bellos, The Birth of the Novel of the Century "Les Miserables", translated by Mitsuko Tateishi, P23

Raskolnikov, the protagonist of Dostoevsky's masterpiece "Crime and Punishment" andThe Brothers Karamazov.s two main characters, Ivan Karamazov and Ivan Karamazov, are the epitome of the suffering intellectual. Jean Valjean is not a "complex, ambiguous, self-critical or tragic protagonist" like them.

According to the author, Jean Valjean was a "new model of human being," different from the typical protagonists of the time.

Jean Valjean does not speak for any particular party or sect, be it political or religious. What he demonstrates is the possibility that even the poorest and most miserable should become respectable citizens. His repeated overcoming of physical, moral, and emotional obstacles makes him a hero, of course, but at the same time, contrary to the prevailing thinking of the time, he insists that moral progress is possible for anyone, at any level of society.

After his conversion, Jean Valjean becomes a forgiving and compassionate man, fighting an epic battle to fulfill his mission of caring for others, even when anger, resentment, jealousy, and revenge intrigue him. Through the character of Jean Valjean, "Les Misérables" gives an overwhelming sense of reality to an ideal that is often dismissed as naive.

That is why Hugo's novel is as relevant today as it was when it was first published 150 years ago. Les Misérables is a literature of reconciliation, not only reconciling different social classes but also unraveling the contradictions and conflicts that can turn our own lives into mayhem. It is not a familiar tale of good versus evil, but a novel that vividly illustrates how difficult it is to be a good person.

Hakusuisha, David Bellos, The Birth of the Novel of the Century "Les Miserables", translated by Mitsuko Tateishi, P23-24

The very last sentence, "It is not a familiar story that preaches good and evil, but a novel that vividly demonstrates how difficult it is to be a good person." This is particularly striking. Hugo was pursuing what it means to "live well" through L'émisé.

The Suffering and Resurrection of Jean Valjean

Despite the complexity of the plot, the sheer number of characters, and the variety of topics covered, the central message of "Les Miserables" is conveyed solely by the actions of its protagonist, Jean Valjean.

During his lifetime, Jean Valjean overcame numerous physical obstacles and suffered serious psychological conflicts on three occasions. (Among others.)

Thanks to the strength of arms, the lightness of touch, and the endurance he had acquired as a convict, Jean Valjean was able to rescue Fauchelevin from under the wagon, climb over the walls of the monastery, escape the clutches of the criminal gang, and carry Mariès on his back through the sewers.

Hakusuisha, David Bellos, The Birth of the Novel of the Century "Les Miserables", translated by Mitsuko Tateishi, P307

Jean Valjean's encounter with Bishop Miriel caused him to repent and turn his life around. And shortly thereafter, although it does not appear in the musicalPetit Gervais IncidentThe true anguish, the struggle, is brought on by the

But from there, Jean Valjean rose to the occasion and later became a good mayor and lived out his days.

From there, as we all know, he faced again various difficulties and suffering, and yet Jean Valjean continued to fight.

The best example of this is the scene in which he escapes with Mariyus on his back in the sewers of Paris, described as a "monster's guts".

The book describes the scene as follows

The escape scene from the monster's guts seems as if it were written for film. Fear of the dark, fear of getting lost, fear of drowning, fear of being trapped - these "nightmare switches" can be filmed with a single actor and a very inexpensive set. It is not too difficult to show Jean Valjean overcoming obstacles along the way, and the moral victories are tangible. The limp but still breathing young man on his back is the one whom Jean Valjean might wish dead. If he survives, he will be deprived of the very reason for his life, the object of all his love and care.

Jean Valjean, carrying a heavy load, continues to walk through the foul-smelling, almost eye-level sewage, transforming himself from Hercules and Theseus to a Christ-like figure carrying a cross. His escape from the sewers elevates "Les Misérables" to a grand scale that cannot be confined to the framework of a nineteenth-century novel. A legend was created, and the characters were transformed into mythological figures.
Some line breaks have been made.

Hakusuisha, David Bellos, The Birth of the Novel of the Century "Les Miserables", translated by Mitsuko Tateishi, P164-165

As we see here, Jean Valjean was also a figure created in the likeness of mythical gods and Christ.

In another passage, it also states.

This extraordinary feat brings Jean Valjean closer to the figures of myth and legend. The de-mountainization from the sewers seems to be one of the twelve meritorious deeds of Heracles, and is reminiscent of Theseus' journey to the underworld. But this is also the hill of Golgotha. This is because the hero of the Passion carries a burden as heavy as any cross. After hours of struggle in the darkness and the miasma, Jean Valjean reaches the lighted exit, only to find a fanged guard waiting for him at the gate. The gatekeeper of the hellish exit was Thénardier. Like a fishing float that rises again and again even after being dunked in the sea, only Jean Valjean, who revives again and again from his predicament, can match Thénardier's astonishing tenacity.

Hakusuisha, David Bellos, The Birth of the Novel of the Century "Les Miserables", translated by Mitsuko Tateishi, P163

We carry our burdens and go through hardship.

It was also the path of Golgotha that Christ followed.

Remisée is truly profound. Hugo's intentions are scattered in many scenes that are casually mentioned. The more you know about Remisé, the more interesting it becomes. The more you know about it, the more interesting it becomes.

Jean Valjean is tormented by numerous difficulties and conflicts, but each time he rises strongly and revives.

His powerful heroic image had a very significant impact on the literary world that followed.

In fact, Dostoevsky's work "The Idiot" was also greatly influenced by this Jean Valjean.

Dostoevsky also loved "Les Misérables". The heroic figure of Jean Valjean was also very much in Dostoevsky's mind.

In this article, I have been thinking about the significance of Jean Valjean. I would like to go into more detail, but it would be very long, so I would like to end here. If you want to know more, please visitThe Birth of Les Misérables, the Novel of the CenturyI hope you will read the following.

The above is "The Significance of Jean Valjean: A Shining Heroic Figure in the History of World Literature, Symbolizing Gods and Christ".

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