The Redemption of Jean Val Jean in Les Mis
"You no longer belong to evil, but to good. It is your soul I am buying for you. I withdraw it from the dark thoughts and from the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God!" (Hugo, 30) This dramatic statement uttered by the bishop, Magloire in Victor Hugo's Les Miserables , pierced though the many coarse protective outer layers of Jean Valjean, awakening his slumbering soul. The bishop's overall kindness and magnanimity after nineteen years of abuse in the galley sends Valjean into a shock. "A multitude of new sensations" (30) fill his powerful body as his conscience stretches and yawns ; awakening from nearly two decades of hibernation. Emotions courses through him so strong, he broke down weeping violently, the first salty tears his cheeks had felt in years. A single night with the saintly bishop Magloire catalyzes Valjean's soul to revive. This marks the beginning of a long journey to rediscover himself; the true Jean Valjean hiding beneath his coarse appearance. This rebirth occurs in several stages, each stage a accompanied by a pseudonym, until the end when he acts under his original name Jean Valjean, a completely altered man. Jean Valjean grows from a hardened convict in the beg
"The man might be sixty years old...The old man spoke little, and at times looked upon (Cosette) with an unutterable expression of fatherliness." (236) Absent in the honorable monsieur Lablanc are self centered survival tactics. Completely consumed with adoration for Cosette, she becomes the focus of his life. Although now very successful with a fortune resting in his pocketbook, Valjean still is emotionally frozen; a long term effect of his years in bondage. Cosette herself abused by the Thenardiers, is like Valjean. In their similarities they bond, almost fuse together. Cosette's emotions being more pliable then the older man's, bestows all her affection lavishly upon her father figure. Cosette fills the void in his heart starved for love and affection. "When their two souls saw each other, they recognized thy were mutually needed." (162) She assumes the role of his daughter, his mentor, and his sister. Under her influence he continues to grow "his whole heart melt(ing) in gratitude, (as) he loved her more and more." (190) Growing from an isolated man focused on his own fortune with Cosette's loving teacher, caring for her becomes the initiative behind his every action. This personal growth in Valjean is perhaps the hardest to achieve but the most significant in his path to redemption. "He was a man of about fifty, who always appeared to be preoccupied in mind
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 936
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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