Similarly, who is the father of Fantine's baby? After living in a convent with Valjean for several years, Cosette reemerges into the world as a young woman. In addition to the prodigal son, Valjean can also be seen as the unprofitable servant in the parable of the talents (Matt. The One Ring tries to go with Bilbo to continue to get back to Sauron (it has a certain amount of intent), while Cosette is rescued by Valjean. One day Marguerite, Fantine's neighbor, finds her sitting on her bed overwhelmed by grief. Valjean is supposed to kill him but he decides not to which makes Javert very confused. VALJEAN Years ago, He broke parole and lived a life apart... How could he tell Cosette and break her heart? You’d think the Thénardiers might have mentioned her once in a while, but then she has blocked out most of her early memories. Then, the army attacks the barricade! This shows us that the New France treats women a lot better. Félix Tholomyès.Félix Tholomyès is the lover of Fantine and the biological father of Cosette, though this was never mentioned in the musical.. Also Know, why does Fantine get fired from her job? 25:14–30). He is married to Madame Thénardier. We can all see that France after the revolution treated women very different than the Old France. Fantine, horrified by the news that her daughter is not yet in Montreuil, dies of shock. MARIUS You're Jean Valjean! The insatiable Thénardiers bill her 40 francs to cure a fever Cosette has supposedly contracted. Monsieur Madeleine, the true Valjean, is caught in a conundrum. Society turns him out at every turn for his past crime, and will hear no excuses for his deed. - See if you can answer this Les Miserables trivia question! THENARDIER You will have a job to find him! Life is brutal, until one day a nice man in a yellow jacket (Jean Valjean) shows up and takes Cosette away from the Thénardiers. Even though Jean Valjean helped Cosette so much he did … Title: Les Miserables Genre: Historical Fiction Characters: Jean Valjean (also known as Monsieur Madeleine, Ultime Fauchelevent, Monsieur Leblanc, and Urbain Fabre) – The protagonist of the novel. In this parable, Christ tells of three servants who are given talents. Click to see full answer. Convicted for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister's seven starving children and sent to prison for five years, he is paroled from prison nineteen years later (after… Who is following Jean Valjean and Cosette? Marius, equally baffled, goes off in search of them. Fanpop quiz: How much did Valjean pay the Thenardiers for Cosette? Valjean begs Javert to go and retrieve Cosette from the Thénardiers, but Javert only laughs at him. Jean Valjean (c. 1769-1833) is a fictional character who is the protagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables.Hugo depicts the character's 19-year-long struggle with the law for stealing bread, so he could feed his sister's children (5 years for the theft, 14 years for four attempted escapes and two years for fighting back during one escape attempt) during a time of economic depression. After watching "Les Miserables" in the theater, I wanted to stand up at the end and shout, "This is what Christianity really is!" 118. In the musical, How did M. Thénardier recognise Valjean as a criminal when he tried to rob him? 7. Les Misérables is a 2012 epic period musical film directed by Tom Hooper and scripted by William Nicholson, Alain Boublil, who wrote the original French lyrics, Claude-Michel Schönberg, who wrote the music, and Herbert Kretzmer, who wrote the … but I think there’s so much more to add to it. Why did Cosette take great care to ensure there was plenty of water for the Thénardiers before nightfall? He's not all he seems to be - And that girl he trails behind him She's the child he stole from me! Without Cosette, Valjean's life loses its meaning and he slowly withers away. Because sacrifices need to be made and she’s not as important to the story as Eponine. Fantine(1796 - 1823) was a main character in the series, and the mother of Cosette. Apparently Valjean never told Cosette her mother’s name until now. This is why she sells her hair — money for the alleged medicine. Jean Valjean: Questions and ... Why does Fantine leave her child with the Thénardiers? He is an innkeeper in Montfermeil and becomes a crook in Paris. She's a child and has no agency. Furthermore, what did Fantine die of? Valjean’s journey to help others is by no means a direct or easy path. Later, once Cosette is asleep in her separate room, Valjean prays to Myriel for God's blessing as he finally begins to raise Cosette as his own. Jean Valjean represents the New France and he treats Cosette very good. Who am I? They do, however, dote on their daughters, who are named Éponine and Azelma. Instead, we're told that "Thénardier was incurable. ... How much does Valjean pay the Thénardiers to take Cosette? Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. When Valjean fails to comply, the policeman grabs him by the collar. Valjean does not resist but, in a quiet voice, asks Javert privately for three days to go and bring back Cosette. Where do Valjean and Cosette first stay? Fantine tries to ignore their exorbitant demand, but not for long. Valjean has been a noble figure since his redemption, but in this section he comes across as almost saintly, particularly when contrasted with the Thénardiers. Javert refuses, sneeringly and loudly, and Fantine realizes that her daughter has not … The Gorbeau House. Valjean angrily breaks free from Javert’s grasp, blaming him for Fantine’s death. 1 Personality 2 Background/Role in Story 2.1 Looking for Work and Leaving Cosette Behind 2.2 Montreuil-sur-Mer and the Black Glass Factory 2.3 Dismissal from the Factory and Declining Health 2.4 Under the Care of Valjean, Last Moments, and Later "Return" 3 Differences from the Novel 4 Quotes Fantine was … Diving into this a little late…. Significantly, Valjean arrives in Montfermeil on Christmas Eve and seizes Cosette’s bucket at the exact moment that she cries out to God—details that make his entrance seem divine. The Thénardiers are grasping and selfish people, not quite criminals, but certainly apt to cheat people and to act in a cowardly manner. Marius does not know that Valjean is the man who saved his life in the sewers. tuberculosis . Valjean has confessed his past to Marius, and the latter, in spite of his magnanimity, slowly estranges Cosette from Valjean, and Valjean knows his past will daunt Cosette’s new society life. Javert kills himself because the mercy shown to him by Jean Valjean so disrupts his black and white world view that he cannot bear to live in a world he no longer understands. 1500 francs. In the original book, Azelma is Eponine’s sister, the daughter of Thenardier and Madame Thenardier the corrupt innkeepers. Ambush in the Slums. ... and they are often paid lower wages. He also remarks on the Thénardiers being wicked people whom they must forgive. On one hand, he has reformed his life, becoming a respected member of society and renouncing all criminal activity. Who am I? Javert decides trying to understand why Valjean did not kill him even though Valjean used to be a bad person is too hard for him to understand, so he jumps off a bridge and drowns. Valjean is sentenced to 20 years for his crime, and, when he is released, he is shunned for his past, which he has more than paid for. I’m re-reading Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables after 20 years. Valjean is an ex-convict … Monsieur Thénardier isthe main antagonist from the novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. Sméagol didn't intend to betray Sam and Frodo; Gollum did. In Les Misérables, Victor Hugo uses different characters as symbols as well as physical characters.He gives each character a personality that reflects his or her meaning as a symbol. Start studying Les Miserables~English. JAVERT Could it be he's that old jailbird That the tide now washes in? Javert reveals his reasons in the song he sings when he commits suicide. Javert. Jean Valjean- Valjean is the embodiment of social injustice. The guy has a lot of money and a lot of sympathy, so Cosette begins a new and much better life with him. Champmathieu, on the other hand, did commit the crime of stealing apples. However, if Valjean is silent, an innocent man will be condemned to imprisonment. He remembers Valjean from the time he paid for Cosette, and during that exchange Valjean never said who he was, so to the Thénardiers he's just some rich man. You can almost see this as parallel to Valjean's fresh start at the beginning of the book: a wealthy benefactor gives a miscreant the money and motivation to start an entirely new life. Heard my name and started running... All the omens point to him. Marius can't conceal that he's disturbed by this revelation. She offers to perform chores she once did while with the Thénardiers, but Valjean reassures her that she can now live a normal life, and begin studying. The time has come to journey on, And from this day he must be gone! Valjean meets Cosette in the woods, and after paying Fantine's debts to the Thénardiers, Valjean and Cosette leave) NC (vo): So Valjean comes to take Cosette away, who seems to take the whole dead mother thing pretty well...I dare even say, it's just glanced over...but, to be fair, if you were a girl, you'd probably be happy to suddenly have Wolverine as your father, too. And why on earth did he run? But (mercifully) Hugo never wrote Les Mis: The Redemption of Thénardier. Why did Javert let Valjean go?