Victor Hugo’s ‘Les Miserables’ must have been a fascinating triumph when it was first published. The misery and the pathos of the situation, the general human predicament, the condemnation that always haunts the damned, the unflinching belief of one man in love and sacrifice, and the unswerving devotion of one man towards his duty are the high points of the novel.
All of us need love. We need to love and be loved. Jean Valjean, the escaped convict and the galley slave is a gentle giant. When he is on the threshold of embracing crime again, he is led towards the path of virtue by the simple act of a good Bishop. Life is very cruel to Jean Valjean. It turns him into a cold, laconic, with drawn person. He gives to the poor and the needy and makes it a point to serve all those who are in need of help. The death of his acquaintance Fantine leads him to Cosette, Fantine’s daughter. His life takes a turn in the company of his daughter as Cosette lovingly calls him father. From a hard hearted, unostentatious, cold and impersonal individual Jean Valjean is transformed to a doting and adoring father. He changes his name to Madelaine and becomes a successful entrepreneur building two factories. He donates liberally to the poor, but his past of an escaped convict has always been under scrutiny and comes back to haunt him.
But the essence of the novel is not the story. It is the passion and love that even the not so big people of society are made of. The warmth of a kind act, the gratitude of a forgotten old man, the uprightness of a clear conscience and the self less labor of one who loves God’s ideal more than all other things. Of all the things in the world, the most difficult to master and the most precious quality to possess, is the attitude of speaking the truth. For nothing can be more dangerous and threatening than speaking the truth as Cordelia discovers to her horror in ‘King Lear.’ Jean Valjean in the novel speaks the truth not once but thrice; each time risking the loss of those dearest to him, riches, fame and the love of Cosette. He is willing to collect ignominy and as he says, in the scheme of God, each person is answerable to oneself. The core of the novel is also the face-off between Jean Valjean and Javert, the Police officer. The face-off is not physical but moral and emotional as both of them respect each other. Javert is devoted to the law but knows that the lawful course is immoral, especially as it is blind to the struggles and deprivations of the poor. Valjean does get an opportunity to execute his tormentor Javert but does not because his battle is not with the upright officer but with the exploitative system. Victor Hugo is able to set up both these good men against each other in a matter of principle and duty.
There are a few novels which one should like to class together mostly due to their structure, the narrative voice, the canvas of life they portray, the macroscopic view and the sweeping range of events they represent. Hugo’s novel is in the class of ‘Middle March’ by George Eliot. Dostoyevsky’s ‘Crime and Punishment borders on the same theme but diverges drastically as it examines the agony of an individual mind. Hugo on the other hand is a social commentator. His intense vision allows him to grasp the gamut of issues that beset 19th century France. The power of the novel is such that it creates a feeling that the novelist has recreated a scene which must have been exactly so. The reverse of the truth is true and even the real characters, real incidents, if they had existed, would appear to be less real. Critics have termed the novel sentimental but as I read it, I felt Hugo had touched the chords of life. Valjean’s kindness is nothing less than the kindness preached by Christ. The other novel by Hugo, ‘The Hunchback of Notre dame’ is equally endearing. More about it in the next posts. ( To be continued)