#and yes i know valjean only adopts cosette after being mayor but you get it

[mariusslonelysoul]

[yuriema]

The French Revolution: As Seen on Les Miserables

ecrit sur 02 avril 2013

"Do you hear the people sing, singing the song of angry men?” This sentence seemed to tell what the whole musical play, Les Miserables is all about. Yes, this line came from the novel Les Miserables and was sung by the character named Gavroche, the child who was part of the Revolution. In my opinion, I do interpret this line as to what the whole musical is about; it is a musical made at the time after the French Revolution, and it expressed what the society of France experienced at that time. It was published on 1862, long after the French Revolution and the June Rebellion.

France, now a country of grandeur, luxury, and love – was viewed very differently at the time Victor Hugo wrote the novel. During those 1800’s era, France’s society seemed to be oppressed, having a lot of street settlers and beggars, and is still under a king. The architecture was far from the beautiful Paris we see on postcards. The atmosphere of the novel/play was really gloomy and dark. It only showed that France, at the time Les Miserables was written, was still afflicted by what had happened on the French Revolution. Rebellion and uprisings from the Third Estate was happening all over France during that era.

The economic and social structure of France at the time the novel was written was Capitalism – a type of social, political, and economic structure where the industry, trade, etc. are owned and controlled by private individuals or groups. The nobility and the Church, also known as the First and Second Estate were the ones holding the power. The Third Estate, the people – composed of peasants, slaves, all those people who labor are the ones working for the first two estates. The Middle Class or the Bourgeois are those people in between the upper estate and the Third Estate – they are not poor but definitely not rich. Monarchy was also apparent in the play, as it is the political condition of France when the novel was written. According to the play, on 1815, a king is once again in the throne of France. The government was still headed by a king and queen the play/novel was written.

The story is all about the life of an ex-convict, Jean Valjean, and on how he rose up (with the help of Bishop Myriel) and became successful in life as a mayor, met new people (Fantine, etc.), had a family he could call (with Cosette as his adopted child), escape on his haunting past (Javert), and face the fears of a father having a daughter leave for marrying a guy (with Marius). All the events that happened in the story involves him, as he is the protagonist. However, the play also had many subplots, like the story of being a textile worker and a prostitute at that time (Fantine’s story), the love story of Cosette, Marius, and Eponine.

All the characters have their own significance. Each character has their own deeper meaning as to what their character says. Jean Valjean’s character symbolizes the character of the oppressed, the slaves and peasants that were being tormented at that time, though he managed to become successful in his life as the story progressed. Fantine is the character symbolizing the women being abused. Cosette’s character, as a child, symbolizes the unfortunate situation of poor children that were being mistreated; but as an adolescent, her character symbolizes love. These three characters were symbolizing what was written in the preface of Les Miserables,

“So long as there shall exist, by reason of law and custom, a social condemnation, which, in the face of civilization, artificially creates hells on earth, and complicates a destiny that is divine with human fatality; so long as the three problems of the age—the degradation of man by poverty, the ruin of women by starvation, and the dwarfing of childhood by physical and spiritual night—are not solved; so long as, in certain regions, social asphyxia shall be possible; in other words, and from a yet more extended point of view, so long as ignorance and misery remain on earth, books like this cannot be useless.”

Also, according to one site I have searched before, Hugo explained his ambitions for the novel to his Italian publisher.

“I don't know whether it will be read by everyone, but it is meant for everyone. It addresses England as well as Spain, Italy as well as France, Germany as well as Ireland, the republics that harbour slaves as well as empires that have serfs. Social problems go beyond frontiers. Humankind's wounds, those huge sores that litter the world, do not stop at the blue and red lines drawn on maps. Wherever men go in ignorance or despair, wherever women sell themselves for bread, wherever children lack a book to learn from or a warm hearth, Les Miserables knocks at the door and says: "open up, I am here for you".”

Thus, those characters of Valjean, Fantine and Cosette signify the people that were being mistreated during that era. The character of Javert symbolizes the monarchy: oppressing the poor, abusing the women and children, and ignoring the cries of their people. And so, Marius’ character symbolizes those people in the rebellion, fighting for liberty, equality, and fraternity.

           Jean Valjean’s character is very important because his character has shown the status of those in slavery and on how they live during that time. It is also his character that has shown the virtue of being religious and God-fearing, on how religion changed his life. The character of Fantine is important as well because the things that have happened to her convey what the women in that status of life are experiencing. Cosette’s character as a child is also important because her character illustrates the kind of abuse children get during that time in France. As to Javert’s character, it is as important as that of Valjean’s because his character symbolizes the monarch and on how they oppress and abuse the poor, the peasants, and the slaves – everyone that is in the lowest of the societal caste. On the other hand, Marius’ character is also important as his character, signifies the rebellion and the people revolting against the monarch. All these characters contribute greatly to the flow of the story nevertheless; these characters also denote a lot of meanings and ideas that were put in by Hugo in this play.

In my personal opinion, the film has not actually shown the French Revolution; rather it was the June Rebellion of 1832. As I watched the movie again, I looked at the sequencing of events and have compared it to what really happened in the history of France. The French Revolution is connected to the novel/play in such a way; the social events that were included on the play and have happened on real life were all the succeeding events that have happened after the French Revolution. Those events happened probably because of what has happened in the French Revolution, the Third Estate had the courage to do those rebellions. Aside from that, Victor Hugo also used his personal experience in writing the novel/play. He had his friend’s life as an inspiration to Jean Valjean’s character, plus he also added his experiences on real life on the novel itself. Hugo had experienced to be in a rebellion because he volunteered on such, like what Valjean did. Indeed, the play Les Miserables did not only show a glimpse on the history of France but also, of the lives of the people, especially the poor, the oppressed, and those on the rebellion at that time. The title Les Miserables really fits the content of the novel/play.

There are a lot of legacies left by the French Revolution. Initially, it led the people to an essential transformation in self-identity. After the 1789 – 1799 French Revolution, the French people on the Third Estate had the courage to do more uprisings and revolts, such as that of the June 1832, which was then the event that was used in the play Les Miserables. The French Revolution garnered not just the attention of the French men but also of the world! Also, the Revolution was a manifestation of a more prosperous middle class becoming conscious of its social importance. Though according to some, the Revolution was the result of a few conspiring people who brainwashed the mass into challenging the old laws—this claim was rooted in the belief that the revolutionaries had no legitimate complaints.  Others see the Revolution as a class struggle. Whereas, the people gained direct experience in the political ground – they voted, joined organizations, march for political ambitions. Revolution became a practice, and and republicanism a lasting alternative.

If I were to compare Les Miserables with any other novel I have read before or I do know that has the similar message it wants to convey, it would be the Noli Me and El Fili of Jose Rizal. Here are their similarities, both novels were musical, or can be musical. Both novels have similar description of characters – those oppressed, priests, and government people. Both novels are lengthy. Both the protagonists died in the end of the story. Whilst the atmosphere of the ending differs because in Rizal’s novel, it is tragic; Les Miserables had a happy ending.

I think the message of the film was put across more effectively because the film was a musical. The melody of the songs added a strong effect to the atmosphere of the scenes. As the characters sing, the tune of their voice, the background music, the overall presentation of the songs were so good those things cumulatively added to the way the actors have conveyed the messages of their characters; adding the fact that the actors who portrayed the characters were from Hollywood’s A-list of celebrities. Indeed, Les Miserables The Musical has communicated its message to the people more effectively because the songs have added to the mood and to the way the message was conveyed.

As what a quote I have read before says, “Sometimes, we just need to find the perfect lyrics that will fit to our emotions.” Les Miserables The Musical did just that. What the people felt and experienced during those times of oppression was put into a novel, then into a play, then into a film. Les Miserables is really a good musical to be watched! The two and a half hour sitting in front of the big screen or the television or wherever you watched this movie is really worthwhile. From a theater major’s point of view, Les Miserables is certainly one of the greatest novels ever written. This movie made me appreciate France and its history even more.