Critical Review, Les Miserable essays

Critical Review, Les Miserable essays Critical Review Les Miserables Les Miserables is an epic musical saga of Jean Valjean and his long journey to salvation. He is released on parole after 19 years on the chain gang, for stealing a loaf of bread. Valjean, unknowingly bargains for his soul with a saintly bishop and spends the rest of his life trying to do good in order to repay him. The Inspector, Javert, continues to relentlessly pursue Valjean even though he is trying to start anew. He has become the mayor of Montreuil and the manager of a factory. Meanwhile, one of his workers, Fantine, is the mother of an illegitimate daughter, Cosette. Cosette is living with the Thenardiers, an innkeeper, his wife, and their own daughter, Eponine. Fantine is fired from the factory after word of her daughter gets out and a series of other incidents. She becomes a prostitute and asks Valjean, while on her deathbed, to care for Cosette. Valjean adopts Cosette and they move to Paris where Cosette meets and falls in love with Marius, a student, with whom Ep onine is also in love. The students barricade the streets of Paris and the rebellion begins. As the insurrection continues, Javert has been captured in the students camp as a spy, Eponine is killed, and Valjean has joined the students and drags an injured Marius into the sewers to save him. The students desire to kill Javert, but Valjean prevents this from happening. Javert, beside himself for being saved by the man of whom he was in pursuit, kills himself by throwing himself into the Seine River. Years later, on his deathbed, Valjean confesses to Marius that he saved him. Now, having paid for his sins, he can die peacefully. Marius and Cosette eventually marry and Valjean dies. Upon his death, the ghosts of Eponine, Fantine, and others who have died before him, meet. Leaving us on an optimistic note, the belief that good, will always prevail: Even the darkest night will end/And the sun will rise....