“Les Misérables”, by Victor Hugo is a novel set in 19th century France around the time of the June Rebellion. Although written in 1862, it’s tale is known throughout the world as the literary work, a musical, and an award winning film. While the novel was written around the 19th century, the work features many allusions and references to other works of literature, as well as present recurring themes and archetypes that are known in the literary world.
An archetype is a generic or idealized perception of a person, object or concept that is often copied or patterned. Archetypal images encourage readers to participate in recognizing these patterns throughout literature, film, and other forms of media. Some widely known examples of an archetype would be the hero, the villain, the lovers, or the hero’s journey.
The hero is a character who primarily displays goodness and struggles against evil in order to reinstate justice or harmony to society. Some common traits that are applied to the hero are an unusual circumstance of birth, leaving family to live with others, enduring a traumatic event that leads to a quest, acquiring a special weapon, or having supernatural aid. Normally, the archetypal hero shows qualities which you would recognize as being “heroic”, such as being brave or strong. The archetypal hero normally endures a form of a journey, this journey doesn’t need to be a physical journey, it could also be a spiritual journey. Usually there are mentors along the way, such as the Bishop, as well has hardships and trials along their journey. As a result of these hardships, the hero usually experiences internal growth. The archetypal hero can be applied to the character of Jean Valjean. Valjean is raised poor and un-wealthy, resulting in him stealing a loaf of bread to feed himself, which he then ends up in jail. Valjean is let out of prison and meets the Bishop, who becomes a mentor to him. The bishop guides Jean Valjean in the right direction, causing him to abandon his previous identity and become the Valjean we all know today. His “journey” is his trek from prison to his life as Monsieur Madeleine, then to taking Cosette in and escaping the grasps of Javert.
In archetypal terms, the scapegoat is quite literally what it sounds like. This character is one who seems to take the blame for pretty much all of the bad things that happen in the story, including things that are out of people’s control. In literature, the scapegoat is often used to reveal the true nature of characters when taking the blame or placing the blame. The characters of Fantine could be applied to the scapegoat archetype. Fantine is forced into prostitution in order to make ends meet for her daughter, later on she is arrested for assaulting a man who provoked her first. Jean Valjean defends her honor, while Javert believes she should be in prison. When Fantine dies, Valjean and Javert’s true character is shown. Valjean vows to protect and serve Fantine’s daughter, while Javert seeks out to out Valjean back in prison and shows no remorse for Fantine’s death.
Other archetypes which are prominent in Les Misérables is the mentor, the hunting group of companions, the shadow, the crossroads, the star-crossed-lovers, and the evil figure with a good heart. The mentor archetype is a character that is an older and wiser teacher to the hero. The bishop aids Valjean to get back on his feet, leading him in the correct direction and giving him guidance to become a better person. The hunting group of companions refers to a band of friends who are willing to face hardships and ordeals in order to stick together. The Friends of the ABC are a group of students who show blind devotion to each other and the revolution, they are willing to sacrifice their lives for one another and their beliefs at barricade. The shadow is an opponent that the hero must struggle with throughout the story, towards the end, the shadow must be destroyed or neutralized. The character of Javert is a reference to the shadow archetype. The hero, Jean Valjean, is constantly tormented by Javert, and in the end, Valjean choses to spare him once in his grasp. Javert, wracked with grief, drowns himself in a nearby river because of this. The star-crossed-lovers archetype is two characters who come from different backgrounds that engage in a love affair. Cosette is brought up terribly poor, while Marius comes from a wealthy family. They see each other from afar and end up falling in love at first sight. The evil figure with a good heart archetype refers to someone who is evil with the potential to be good. The character of Javert can be applied to the archetype, though he is the main antagonist of the story, he also has the potential to be good.
In literature, there are many ways to show something without telling the readers. One of the popular ways to address this is by using different colors. In classic literature, the color red is used to represent passion, intensity, aggression, and eroticness. The color black is used to symbolise death and mystery. Green can symbolize peace, nature, and relaxation. The color blue can be used to symbolize calmness and peace, however like many colors it can also be applied to feelings of sadness and depression. In Les Misérables, the colors red and black symbolize something completely different. Red symbolizes a “world about to dawn”, while black is the “dark of ages past” and “the night about to end”.
In literature, an allusion is a reference to a another piece of literary work. An allusion can also be a reference to a person, place, or event. Allusions can refer to anything, whether it be folklore, fiction, religious books, or historical events. These references can be used to heighten the reader’s understanding of the work. “After a few moments, despite all his efforts, he returned to this somber dialogue, in which it was he who spoke and he who listened… yielding to the mysterious power that said, 'Think!' as it said 2000 years ago to another condemned man, 'Walk!’” In this quote, Hugo compare’s Jean Valjean to Jesus when comparing their agony. Similar to Jesus, Jean Valjean is sacrificing himself for the life of another. "… it seemed to him that he was performing a religious act… flying on high beside the angels… Then, since he was on heaven, it was quite natural that he should forget about the earth…” Hugo describes the amount of passion Cosette and Marius have for one another. It is incredibly pure and innocent, however their devotion and passion for each other can be put on a religious level. “Enjolras named first… He was angelically beautiful… a soldier of democracy… a priest of the ideal… His speech was roughly desired and had the tremor of a hymn." Hugo describes Enjolras as a priest like figure to the students, this quote could also show how the revolution is like a religion to the Friends of the ABC.
The characters of Jean Valjean and Enjolras can both be seen as Christ-like figures.
The biblical references in Les Misérables can compare Jean Valjean to either Jesus or God. Valjean shows personal sacrifice by taking in Cosette, an orphaned child who he doesn’t know and spends his new earned money to raise her instead of benefitting himself. Not only helping Cosette, he also gives numerous amounts of money to help the poor, much like Jesus. Although Valjean didn’t quite go through a resurrection, his “rebirthing” period could be applied to his transformation from Jean Valjean into Monsieur Madeleine. Both Jesus and Enjolras are presented as extremely pure, and dispensers of justice. Jesus and Enjolras both preach about kingdoms to come; Jesus talks about heaven while Enjolras speaks about the future of France. Both are forgiving before their deaths, Jesus forgiving a thief and Enjolras letting Grantaire die next to him. Enjolras’s speech on the barricade draws ties to Jesus’s sermon on the mount, Enjolras talking about how people will be happy in the future while Jesus talks about people being happy in heaven. Enjolras’s death is a reference to Jesus’s crucifixion, Hugo compares both as a sacrifice to atone for the sins and allow people to be accepted into heaven. Likewise, Enjolras’s death is a necessary action in order to bring the future he envisioned. Although Enjolras is no resurrected, he is pierced by eight bullets by his executioners. The number eight often has religious roots, tied with resurrection, baptism, and the beginning of a new life.
Another prominent allusion to a work of literature is to William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”. When alluding to the bible, Victor Hugo often uses Jean Valjean or Enjolras as an example, however when he alludes to Romeo and Juliet he uses Cosette and Marius. One of the most prominent references to this English tragedy is the idea of love at first sight. Much like Romeo and Juliet, Cosette and Marius make eye contact and instantly fall in love. Both Romeo and Marius ramble on about their new found love interest with their friends. Romeo sighs about Juliet to Mercutio and Benvolio, while Marius rambles on about Cosette with Courfeyrac. Another theme of Romeo and Juliet is the idea of forbidden love. Both couples have seemingly disapproving relatives in regards to their love affair.
Although with limited amounts of knowledge of current literature, Victor Hugo managed to craft a world-renowned novel. The allusions present in the novel are limited, whilst they are limited they help us readers further understand certain aspects of the novel. The archetypes applied to the characters also aid our experience as readers, using our past knowledge of literary archetypes we, as readers, can understand Hugo’s work further.