#javert/eponine parallels

[secretmellowblog]

Feeling normal about Javert and Eponine today

[i-ideate]

javert according to mr hugo

[moreaujeans]

idk what to do here folks im out of colors

[acewithobsessions]

everyone talks about the parallels between Javert and Eponine (rightfully so) but what about the parallels and juxtaposition of Javert and Grantaire?

Nobody loves the light like the blind man.

Two men died because the light they saw was going out.

One was noble, bold. One, in the dead of night.

One, on his feet, reaching for the light, redeemed. One, falling farther and faster than he ever could have believed.

One, the people of France, the wretched and the poor; climbing higher than anyone expected. One, the rule of France, twisting itself into pieces when faced with the thing it swore to uphold.

Nobody loves the stars like the man whose sky is black and cold.

Javert was lost and trapped. Grantaire had never been so full, so free.

[thatlegallyblondebitch]

ok this is my second time typing this because tumblr hates me but here are some of my takes on Les mis after seeing it for the 8th? 9th? time live

1. stop with the cosette hate! ok so in everyday/heart full of love reprise, Marius is depressed because all his friends are dead and cosette says “don’t think about it”. BUT PLEASE REMEMBER this is a girl who spent most of her early childhood being heavily abused, most of which she seemingly blocks out (i.e. when talking to JVJ she says “in your eyes I am just like a child who is lost in the woods” versus “still just a child who is lost in the woods” - remember, they meet when she is a child lost in the woods, which is why JVJ looks at her like that. so therefore, she presumably doesn’t remember/blocks out her trauma.) and she also moves around quite often in childhood with no warning. she grows up without friends or real stability. the only thing she has is JVJ, who she loves. So yes, when Marius is traumatized, of course she’s going to tell him to not think about it and just focus on the good/what you love because that’s literally what she does.

2a. Marius is not a pencil pusher! stop making him one! he has some harder edges - he is literally in a revolution. yes, he is soft for cosette, but he still is a revolutionary (by musical standards). so when Javert asks for a witness in Confrontation/Robbery, it makes no sense that he would volunteer. yes, he is down bad for cosette, but I don’t think it makes sense that he’d be like super excited willing to talk to the police.

2b. Never EVER have him give the Thenardiers money in wedding (this varies Marius to Marius). they were horrible to his dead best friend. they are trying to blackmail him. he just fought in a revolution, he’s not going to take it lying down and pay them. he’s gonna beat the shit out of them. and not throw money at them after.

3. The Thenardiers are everyone’s favorite and I do love them but the more I see the show and/or think about it too long, the more I genuinely hate them. they are horrendously abusive to cosette and eponine. like they are just genuinely bad people. the interesting thing about the show is that everybody is doing what they think is right/morally upstanding from their set of morals, even though these different sets clash. Everyone has some sort of redeeming quality in that way, except for them.

4. This show is also built on parallels/mirrors in the characters - or at least the core 7 (JVJ, Javert, Fantine, Marius, Cosette, Eponine, Enjolras). the JVJ/Javert one is obvious (godliness - what is right by the standards of god), but there are tons between Fantine and Cosette, Fantine and Eponine, and JVJ and Marius, and a bunch of other pairings. I could expand but I am tired of typing rn and I want to see what other people see/think. the music and motifs are good giveaways for some, but others are more subtle.

anyways I could make like 55 more points about this but these are just what I think are the most important and that I can think of rn.

[pain-and-chocolate]

javert valjean parallels this, eponine javert parallels that.

yes, 100%, but what about javert enjolras parallels? conventionally attractive, unwaveringly devout to their causes, broke out of the molds of their families…

discuss

[alicedrawslesmis]

I know I just said I didn't want to just be complaining about everything so I'll try to word this in a more constructive way asdfghjkl

It's hard to be an Eponine fan in a world where the musical -and On My Own specifically- is sooooo mainstream. Because imo as much as On My Own itself is kind of a half-decent, if simplified, encapsulation of Eponine's struggle with her love for Marius if you analise the lyrics in isolation, the musical as a whole, her role in the narrative as the unrequited love diva (I'm also simplifying here. I don't think this is super fair to the anglo musical, but compared to the book there's no question of how they reworked her into a glamorous 80s diva contralto because musical theatre has usually very strict gender roles), did her so dirty. So dirty. And imo often her character is reduced to her pining in fandom as a result. And I don't like that, personally.

I love that girl so much. I love that she is just young enough to still be a child but adult enough to be aware of her social role. She has one foot in the gamin life and one foot in the adult world. I love the tragedy that is the fact that she likes the beauty and pomp of high society girls and wish she could have silk shoes but knowing she can't.

And also being super resigned to her class despite it, she doesn't believe she ever will have any of that. She resents that too, somewhat. The tragedy of her knowing that she couldn't be with Marius because of his social class and her accepting that (angrily? sadly?). I love her self-banishment as his guard dog because of this. I love her drunk sailor voice. I love how manipulative she is and that she isn't Marius's friend at all. He's just her one neighbor who wasn't a total asshole one time. He was, later. But not at first. And she can't be in his head and know he thinks she's kinda despicable because crime because Marius is a judgemental little shithead.

And Eponine isn't an idealist, she's resigned to her position. I understand why she gets paired with grantaire in fics but her canon narrative parallel is Javert, they both believe they are excluded from society from their outcast position and so become the watchdogs for it. Eponine a kind of guardian (in her own words a devil, not an angel) and Javert the same. That's why he's the one person who sees her in the barricade, he's the same as her. Marius saw her but that's only cause he had a use for her in that moment, as soon as she didn't he forgot all about it.

I think also Gavroche, with his ability to be kind of a figure above the narrative, with his gamin skills of being almost omnipresent is something Eponine used to have, but with her age she's starting to lose that. She's starting to grown old enough that she's required to be IN the world and not supercede it. Gavroche is also almost there, if he had been allowed to grow up he would've lost that ability too. They both inhabit this sort of magical surreal world superimposed on our own.

A lot of Les Mis and Notre Dame de Paris can be kinda described as magical realism, I would go so far as calling them urban fantasy. And characters like Babet, Thenardier sometimes, Gavroche, Eponine (and Javert sometimes as well) are inhabiting this magically charged layer. This reality that's imposed Over the real world.

Talking about that One Series Of Wizard Books is a bit passé rn so uh. Doctor Who. Particularly the initial New Who seasons before they got that huge budget. That's a good parallel to what I'm getting at. The real world is still the same but there are certain characters that inhabit this mystical overlayer and are able to transverse from one to the other (Javert can't really because he is stuck forever outside and the second he understands that you CAN'T be an unbiased outsider who only enforces the norm without participating he freaks out and literally dies about it). Eponine is right in the eye of the storm tho. She manipulates reality to get her way, to die with Marius, because that's as close as she can get to being with him. And she manipulates reality to protect him too. Contradictions be damned. She has many contradictory feelings that make her complex and cool and an awesome character whom I love and wish would stop being reduced to the glamurous mysical theatre role with a single black stain on her face and a beautiful actor and a big unrequited love song about a random boy (whose personality was also changed for the musical and I argue is probably the character that was most fucked up by it in the public perception because he's such an weird little self-insert of an even weirder guy. But I get it, the musical is long enough as it is).

Anyway, I wish eponine could be more of a mongrel, a little gremlin. A little rat child that's just beginning to grow into an adult and is self aware of her role in the narrative society. She's a teenage girl which already sucks to go through when you're not constantly starving and cold and being forced by your father to work and do con jobs. Marius is the object she attaches herself to, but it could've been literally anything. Javert did that with the social order, he protects and guards it. She just chose Some Guy instead. Which, we all have that one friend who does that too. Like girl you're too good for him. Come on let's get you sone ice cream. And clean clothes and a roof. Literally anything. Bread.

I think if Eponine had a roof over her head and like, food on the regular she would forget Marius exists. Same as Cosette if she had moved to England. Like he'd be that one intense crush they had as teenagers. Can't say the same for him tho. He would hold onto that for the rest of time.

[seesboy]

okay this is old art (late 2023) but i thought i might as well post it instead of leaving it to rot forever lolol

it's for an e/r persona 5 au that i never did anything with... these two pieces are the only art i did for it but here's some extra info: - enjolras takes the role of joker here, he's living above a cafe in paris run by valjean and works part-time there - les amis takes the place of the phantom thieves here, though not every member is actually part of the group (i.e. has a persona) - grantaire enters the picture when les amis becomes more well-known; he's extremely skeptical of them and doesn't think what they do will actually have an effect on society in the long run, and constantly debates enj about this (not knowing that he's the leader of les amis). later on he ends up in mementos somehow and enj is the only person around to protect him from the dangers there; this results in him getting almost killed by a powerful shadow and r ends up saving him by awakening his persona and helping him out. idk i know that's a little cheesy but it's the best 15-16 y/o me had (also it's meant to parallel That scene. except they live)

more under the cut because idk how long this is gonna be

okay hi here's more general au stuff - other characters that mirror p5 characters in this au: cosette (futaba), eponine (yusuke), marius (yuuki; this kinda doesn't make sense but who am i to question 2023 me) - javert has the first palace here, but instead of becoming incapacitated like other targets he ends up being some kind of man on the inside for les amis. idrk where i was going with this i think i just wanted an excuse for some old man yaoi:tm: - second palace goes to the thenardiers and cosette would probably have an equivalent to futaba's palace, beyond that i didn't really think of much i don't have an idea of what most characters' personas would look like (if i imagined them to be a persona-user) or their arcanas but i do have some ideas about what type of elemental skills a few personas would use: enjolras - fire combeferre - ice courfeyrac - electric eponine - prioritizes physical skills jehan - light bahorel - nuclear joly - prioritizes support/recovery skills grantaire - wind or psychokinesis i think cosette would take the role of navigator here, i don't think it fits her too well in the context of les mis but it's perfect in the context of p5 if you want to do anything with this/based on this i give you my blessing 🙏 idk if anyone would actually Want to lol but this au's been abandoned for almost a year and a half by now so i might as well show it off and see what happens

[tjjamess]

the parallels and shared lines between Eponine and Valjean in the two different ‘a heart full of love’s

the parallels between Eponine and Javert’s expected deaths vs their actual deaths

Overall….someone get Eponine a happier life

[secretmellowblog]

For me the ‘canon homoerotic subtext’ between brick!Valjean and Javert is really more about the parallels between Javert and Eponine, who are explicitly set up as character foils.

Brick!Javert isn’t obsessed with Valjean like he is in adaptations. He’s not psychosexually obsessed with hunting him down; he really doesn’t seem to think of him as being any different than any other criminal—- he doesn’t think about Jean Valjean much at all until after Jean Valjean saves his life.

But after the barricades, Javert’s sudden weird desperate emotions about Jean Valjean are like a twisted mirror of his character foil Eponine’s weird desperate emotions for Marius.

Some guy takes pity on them, and extends them a bit of basic impersonal kindness— and they react by descending into this violently self-destructive suicidal admiration built on self-loathing. They’re both described as making themselves the “dogs” of Marius/Valjean, the dogs of people who barely remember they exist.

And anyway! I think there is potential to explore things there in analysis and fanfiction

[lifewillalwaysbe-lavieenrose]

GUYS!! I saw Les Mis! In Munich!!!

Let's recap!

The Cast:

Daniel Gutmann as Javert. He was incredible. Definitely my personal highlight. Everytime he sang his voice just ROARED. And he was menacing holy shit. Aggggggh I'm normal about him

Barbara Obermeier as Eponine. When I first heard her sing in Act 1, I knew she was gonna kill it in Act 2. And she did.

Merlin Farcel aka Enjolras. His voice was so perfect I LOVED all the high notes, BUT:

The beard. Sorry, but in my world Enjolras doesn't have a beard. Plus, it makes him look like Peter Maffay

Madame Thenardier was PERFECT (I don't remember who played her that night😭) She was so funny and the audience really loved her.

The Music:

At first, I felt a bit underwhelmed by the orchestra. To be fair, I listened to the 10th anniversary recording SO much, that I really got used to that grand orchestra sound.

There was an electric guitar and at one point an electric bass when Javert sang, which I really loved.

During Master of the House/ Beggars at the Feast you could really see the orchestra bopping their heads and having fun and that made me very happy

I really loved the brass section, they really stood out (That French Hurn during On My Own????!)

The Costumes:

I don't know why, but the Les Amis were wearing these caps all the time. I have never seen a production with them in it. Is this a historically accurate thing?? I didn't really like them, they looked very plastic/shiny and fell out of place

I cannot find a picture but in the beginning of Act 1 Valjean wore a pink vest and then a purple coat which both looked very cheap and which I both didn't like (maybe it was because of the light? The colors felt very unnatural)

Eponine's outfit. At first I thought it didn't look shabby enough. But it looks so badass I'll let it pass

Why don't you let Enjolras wear his red vest??

What is Marius wearing? Goofy boy

Big Mad Hatter vibes from Thenardier. I loved his and the Patron Minettes outifits, they looked very edgy

This is perfect. Perfect. I only wished he had undone his hair for Javert's Suicide (he did, but only for the last 10 seconds)

The Stage:

The stage had a turning middle and stairs that could be moved around, similar like in Hamilton.

They did a cool transition with young Cosette walking up the stairs and old Cosette walking down

Also, they had some cool staging with buildings moving around for Stars. But I feel like there was almost a bit too much happening in the background for this song.

I don't know why they didn't have the Barricades turn and show Enjolras hang upside down. It's such a cool/tragic moment!

During the Barricade scenes, the stage sometimes felt a bit empty. I mean, there were always like 15 people standing around. Maybe the Barricades were to small/not high enough

Empty chairs at empty tables. Where were the empty chairs and empty tables??

In Everyday/A Heart Full of Love Reprise single leaves started falling down on the stage (Like Valjean entering the Fall/Winter of his life) I loved that.

Also, the parallel of Marius learning to walk again using a cane, and Valjean loosing his ability to walk using a cane. I never noticed this before!

There are SO many cool things about the staging I could talk about here. But I want to mention some other topics as well:

The "Spirit" of the Show:

There wasn't a single French flag to be seen. Some red ones, but no French flags.

In the trailer, the director said he wanted to create a more universal setting, speaking to everyone in the audience

I think that's a great sentiment but like. Everyone has French names. There were titles above the stage telling us the year and locations (Places in France) of the events. The title of the show is French.

So I think adding the flags (aka a bit more French nationalism?) would have seemed a lot more convincing for the cause of the students and the whole spirit of the show

But maybe this also has to do with the show being in German? I don't know and I'd really like to discuss it. Maybe someone here made a similar experience seeing it in another language

And last, but MOST importantly:

What about Valvert and Enjoltaire?

In the Confrontation, Javert and Valjean got really close to each other. And I mean fighting each other and then stopping just to sing directly into each other's faces.

Instead of running infront of the court in Who Am I, Valjean just goes to Javert and rips his shirt open? Okay, go off I guess

In Drink with Me, we have a platonic forehead touch between Enjolras and Grantaire. Sadly, that's all I noticed between them 😔

Also, the fact that Grantaire is supposed to be ugly/shabby/a drinker/a sceptic got totally lost, which really takes away from his character.

Conclusion:

All the actors were good, some of them were FANTASTIC. I'd watch it again just for the guy playing Javert, if I could. God, he was SO GOOD

The music was all it should be, maybe a bit too reserved (but again, this might be because I am so used to the 10th anniversary concert)

I really loved some costumes and I also really disliked some

The staging was great, some choices confused me (flags, barricades etc.)

Would I watch it again?

Absolutely!

To be clear, some of the things here might sound more negative than I actually mean. It's just that I have watched SO many different productions online, that I fixated on all the great performances and how I think they should be done. Of course everyone has different opinions here.

Okay thanks for reading if you made it here. Have a great day!

[genderfeel]

honestly crazy to me how much analytical mileage you can get out of directly comparing javert to sooo many characters, either as a parallel or foil. javert and valjean. javert and eponine. javert and enjolras. javert and grantaire. are you seeing the visions

[willowmaidsworld]

One day I'll write an essay on parallels between Jean Valjean and Javert and how Eponine is Javert's Cosette he fails to rescue (still breaks my heart)

But it is not this day!

[angstics]

thinking about how in lesmis paris parallels with montreuil sur mer. javert hunting valjean / thenardier hunting valjean (“he thought that man was me without a second glance” vs “these men who seem to know my crime will surely come a second time”). fantine dying in valjean’s embrace / eponine dying in marius’s (two platonic m/f relationships ooof) (among other parallels: “… / then i shall keep you warm / … / take shelter from the storm” vs “shelter me, comfort me”)

[euphraisette]

Èponine with bangs and jaw-length hair that she tucks behind her ears except for two locks that hang in such a way that they vaguely resemble sideburns (making the Javert parallels visual)

EPONINE WITH AMELIE HAIR????

[a-la-sante-du-progres]

A list of Les Mis headcanons I have because of adaptations, without any hint in the novel as far as I remember:

-Grantaire has dark curly hair (Les Mis 2012)

-Often in my mind R has Bladgen's face, just a bit rougher. Sometimes I can picture BBC's Grantaire (who was a very good one) but only in modern AUs, strangely.

-Grantaire has green eyes (Les Mis 2012 but it's a Mandela effect, Bladgen is blue eyed), I support also brown eyed R btw

-Grantaire wears green, even if the red waistcoat always features and has a great importance in my interpretation of the character (musical)

-Courfeyrac has brown curly hair (Les Mis 2012), but I support blonde!Courfeyrac as well because of his parallel to Tholomyes in the brick. His hair has to be curly anyway.

-Enjolras wears red (musical) but I support as well Enjolras who wears green, green is complementary to Grantaire's red + once I read green was the color of French Revolution. Anyway in canon era, mod it's a waistcoat or a vest, in modern AUs it's a long red coat (projection of my own coat?) or a red leather jacket.

-Javert has blue eyes. This one may be in the brick I can't remember. Javert is linked with the color blue in general, in my mind. IDK if it's especially from the 2012 movie.

-Courfeyrac and Combeferre are super close. This looks like born from the fandom but actually the idea is from the 2012 movie I think.

-I see Marius with Redmaine's face, bless him.

-Blonde Cosette but I also hate it, Hugo avoided the dark/light color scheme for Eponine and Cosette for a reason. So lately I'm trying to picture Cosette with brown hair.

-Joly has dark hair (Les Mis 2012), it's so weird to see him blond in the Arai manga