#jean valjean takes his revenge

[ruedesfillesducalvaire]

I'm feeling a little insane about Javert recognising Éponine at the barricade, whereas the people who should actually know and care about her repeatedly fail to recognise her!!!

here's her own father, Thénardier, not recognising her (4.8.4):

At the same moment, he perceived a pale girl standing before him. The man underwent that shock which the unexpected always brings. He bristled up in hideous wise; nothing is so formidable to behold as ferocious beasts who are uneasy; their terrified air evokes terror. He recoiled and stammered:— “What jade is this?” “Your daughter.” It was, in fact, Éponine, who had addressed Thénardier.

and here's Marius not recognising her (4.14.6):

The fire-pot allowed him to distinguish a blouse, torn trousers of coarse velvet, bare feet, and something which resembled a pool of blood. Marius indistinctly made out a pale head which was lifted towards him and which was saying to him:— “You do not recognize me?” “No.” “Éponine.”

but Javert, who knows her only as a juvenile delinquent he's arrested before—Javert recognises her, even after she's dead.

Javert gazed askance at this body, and, profoundly calm, said in a low tone: “It strikes me that I know that girl.”

I would also venture to say that the fact he brings it up at all, especially at such a critical moment (he's literally about to be shot as far as he knows), illustrates that he is actually bothered by this on some level.

(this train of thought was prompted by @secretmellowblog's excellent post about Javert + Éponine parallels)

[ueinra]

LES MISÉRABLES (1972)

Sometimes I forget that “You annoy me, kill me rather.” is a real line.

Also I love how Valjean seems careful not to get Javert hurt here.

[ueinra]

When you spend your whole life to catch him and then he find you captured :

this is literally what Javert looks like here lol, a face that says u annoy me, kill me please

[schmergo]

My bizarre real-person headcanon: Josh Groban and Ben Platt are mortal nemeses. Here's the timeline behind this theory, beginning with the known and branching off into the possible future. 2017: Josh Groban makes his Broadway debut in Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet to much critical acclaim. At the Tony Awards, Ben Platt, starring in Dear Evan Hansen, wins Best Actor and Dear Evan Hansen beats Natasha/Pierre for Best Musical. 2023: Josh Groban makes a triumphant return to Broadway, headlining a revival of Sweeney Todd. Surely this will be his year? Nope. Ben Platt's limited run production of Parade transfers to Broadway, making his own triumphant return to Broadway after a hiatus of the same length. Neither wins the Tony Award this year (J. Harrison Ghee does), but Parade wins Best Revival of a Musical over Sweeney Todd. Later in 2023: Josh Groban goes full method and immerses himself in the murderous, vengeful instincts of Sweeney Todd. Revenge against Ben Platt will be his! But he can't be too obvious about it. He's playing the long game. 2028: Surprise! There's a revival of Phantom of the Opera announced! Both Ben Platt and Josh Groban are considered as potential Phantoms. Unknown to anyone, Josh Groban has been perfecting his own Phantom-like skills of appearing and disappearing into thin air, throwing his voice, and murder. Oh yeah, and he plays the pipe organ. He gets the role! But wait, what's this? Hugh Jackman was eaten by a crocodile mere weeks before he was supposed to headline the new Broadway production of The Greatest Showman? Ben Platt heroically steps in to save the day and takes the title role! He wins the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, but not Best New Musical (the critics say, "We love Ben Platt but this show is clearly just a vehicle for Hugh Jackman [RIP].") The Phantom revival wins Best Musical, but something terrible happens at the Tony Awards! There's a technical glitch when the Phantom performance is due to start and they move it to the end of the awards ceremony. But right as everyone's marveling at the artistry of the production at the delayed performance, something Totally Unpredicted happens. The chandelier crashes... INTO BEN PLATT!!! 2030: Ben Platt survives the chandelier attack but he loses his entire memory and has to relearn everything, including how to sing! He can no longer recall the moment that the chandelier crashed into him-- nor the moment that Josh Groban looked at him from the stage and mouthed 'Long live the king!' In a startling and bold act, Ben Platt returns to Broadway in a one man autobiographical show about living with amnesia and relearning to perform. He wins the Best Actor Tony Award! Josh Groban is away doing Phantom in Europe. 2040: There's a high profile immersive revival of Les Miserables on Broadway! The producers consider both Ben Platt and Josh Groban for Jean Valjean. But Josh Groban gives off such an in intense murderous energy when they find him in the same room as Ben Platt that they get a brilliant idea and offer him the role of Javert and Platt as Valjean. The production is a hit. The tension between Platt and Groban is off the charts. When it's time for the Tony Awards, both are nominated for Best Actor in a Musical (ala Colm Wilkinson and Terrence Mann in the original Broadway production). On the day of the Tony Awards, an astonishing thing happens: Platt and Groban TIE for the Best Actor in a Musical Award! The crowd goes wild! Everyone is cheering! The theatre... the cheers... it triggers something long-buried in Ben Platt's mind. Suddenly, he remembers the night the chandelier fell on him at the 2028 Tony Awards.... Josh Groban was looking right at him as it happened.... Ben Platt snaps and begins to clobber Josh Groban onstage. In his fit of rage, he doesn't see Josh Groban pull out a gun. Is this finally the end of this age old rivalry? BUT WAIT, WHAT'S THIS? IT'S J. HARRISON GHEE (SNUBBED STAR OF THE REIMAGINED REVIVAL OF LA CAGE AUX FOLLES) WITH A STEEL CHAIR!!!! At least, this is what I imagine.

[wanderinghedgehog]

I can’t believe I almost missed Jean Valjean Takes His Revenge day.

[thebrickinbrick]

Index Post of Brick Illustrations

4.12 Corinthe

4.12.1 A History of Corinthe from its Foundations Part One Part Two

4.12.2 Preliminary Gayeties Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five

4.12.3 Night Begins to Descend Upon Grantaire Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four

4.12.4 An Attempt to Console the Widow Hucheloup Part One Part Two

4.12.5 Preparations

4.12.6 Waiting

4.12.7 The Man Recruited in the Rue de Billettes

4.12.8 Many Interrogation Points Concerning a Certain Le Cabuc Whose Name May Not Have Been Le Cabuc Part One Part Two

4.13 Marius Enters the Shadow

4.13.1 From the Rue Plumet to the Quarter Saint-Denis

4.13.2 An Owl’s Eye View of Paris

4.13.3 The Extreme Edge

4.14 The Grandeur of Despair

4.14.1 The Flag: Act First

4.14.2 The Flag: Act Second

4.14.3 Gavroche Would Have Done Better To Accept Enjolras’s Carbine

4.14.4 The Barrel of Powder

4.14.5 End of the Verses of Jean Prouvaire

4.14.6 The Agony of Death After the Agony of Life

4.14.7 Gavroche as a Profound Calculator of Distances

(4.15 The Rue de l'Homme Armé - omitted)

5.1 The War Between Four Walls

5.1.1 The Scylla of the Faubourg Saint-Antoine and the Charybdis of the Faubourg du Temple - omitted

5.1.2 What Is To Be Done in the Abyss If One Does Not Converse? Part One Part Two

5.1.3 Light and Shadow

5.1.4 Minus Five, Plus One Part One Part Two

5.1.5 The Horizon Which One Beholds From the Summit of a Barricade

5.1.6 Marius Haggard, Javert Laconic

5.1.7 The Situation Becomes Aggravated Part One Part Two

5.1.8 The Artillery-Men Compel People To Take Them Seriously

5.1.9 Employment of the Old Talents of a Poacher and That Infallible Marksmanship Which Influenced the Condemnation of 1796

5.1.10 Dawn - omitted

5.1.11 The Shot Which Misses Nothing and Kills No One

5.1.12 Disorder a Partisan of Order

5.1.13 Passing Gleams

5.1.14 Wherein Will Appear the Name of Enjolras’s Mistress

5.1.15 Gavroche Outside

5.1.16 How From Brother One Becomes Father - omitted

5.1.17 MORTUUS PATER FILIUM MORITURUM EXPECTAT

5.1.18 The Vulture Become Prey Part One Part Two

5.1.19 Jean Valjean Takes His Revenge

5.1.20 The Dead Are in the Right and the Living Are Not in the Wrong

5.1.21 The Heroes Part One Part Two Part Three

5.1.22 Foot to Foot Part One Part Two

5.1.23 Orestes Fasting and Pylades Drunk Part One Part Two

5.1.24 Prisoner

Other Posts

A preview with cat pictures

Posters

“He could be your brother.”

The retreat

The first assault

Defensive line

Places

“Think or pray.”

[lenievi]

I decided to translate the Czech version of Javert's Suicide from the musical.

[translation of Stars]

---

What is this? Oh, God, who is that fool? He could get rid of Javert and yet he rid him of the shackles. He already had me in the palm of his hand, why didn't he use it? The Redeemer, now to be in his debt! He let me live/go****, the bullet cut through the air, whether it was a trick, whether he renounced (his) revenge, (let) the God judge.

No! If I owe a debt to a thief then all laws are smoke. Either it will be night or light and day, [right or left]* and nothing in between. We go after each other, take it as it is, either Valjean or Javert!

Why was it he who took actions with me** as if he was something more than me, as if he was washing away my sins when he gave me my life, that long-time rival. And at the same time he took my life, it was his right. I wanted to die and I'm still here, yet only a little step away from hell.***

If the wrongdoer should become honourable, (if) crime should be forgiven where would the moral order be?

Why do I have doubts today? When I have never known them before. Such a tough guy and now I'm reeling and my certainties, those are gone today. And what if I've lied to myself and the God is with him? That man gave me life just like that, and with that he killed me, just with that.

I failed, unfortunately,** you know it, stars in the darkness. I wanted to soar too but I did not reach you. I'll leave this wretched/sinful**** world, where Jean Valjean is a saint. There is nowhere else to go,***** stars, I'm coming (there) to you.

*in here words that are used on horses to tell them to go to left or right are used, and because it's either left or right, they're used as an idiom to mean complete opposites, people who can't agree with each other, who have opposite points of view

**this line is the same as the one Valjean sings after he meets the Bishop for the same melody

***I'm not using the capital letter here because it doesn't refer to the literal Hell but to "the place of the dead". In Czech, the plural for "hell" is used here and that indicates that it's not the literal Hell (blame the Bible for that). In my opinion, Javert himself doesn't sing that he's a step away from the literal Hell, but that he's a step away from the death anyway (while suffering because Valjean let him live). After all, at the end, he'd going up to the stars. (the plural for "hell" in Czech is used to mean the underworld as well, hence not real Hell... so maybe I should have used "a step away from the underworld" idk it might carry across the meaning a bit better) But anyway, the English "Instead I live, but live in hell" also doesn't mean the literal Hell here (imho anyway), so it's like that-ish (probably an unneeded explanation but anyway)

****there are tiny changes depending on a theatre.

*****literally:

There is no other there / stars, I'm coming there to you

original lyricist: Zdeněk Borovec

[gavroche-le-moineau]

Translation notes for LM 5.1.19: Jean Valjean Takes His Revenge

First, I just wanted to highlight two skipped sentences in the Hapgood translation, at the point where we see Éponine. The section in French reads:

“Quand ils eurent enjambé ce barrage, ils se trouvèrent seuls dans la ruelle. Personne ne les voyait plus. Le coude des maisons les cachait aux insurgés. Les cadavres retirés de la barricade faisaient un monceau terrible à quelques pas. On distinguait dans le tas des morts une face livide,...”

The sentences in bold are omitted from the Hapgood translation:

“When they had crossed this barrier, they found themselves alone in the lane. No one saw them. [missing sentences] Among the heap they could distinguish a livid face,...”

With the missing sentences it would read something like:

"When they had crossed this barrier, they found themselves alone in the lane. No one could see them anymore. The bend in the houses hid them from the insurgents. The dead bodies pulled away from the barricade made a terrible heap a few feet away. Among the pile, a pale face could be distinguished..."

Second, I wanted to talk about the famous line, “You annoy me. Kill me, rather.” / “Vous m’ennuyez. Tuez-moi plutôt.”

As a non-native French speaker, the verb "ennuyer" has always given me a bit of trouble in interpretation due to its wide range of translations into English. I would love any input from someone who has a more intuitive grasp of French about what they feel this word expresses in different contexts!

The verb comes from "ennui," a feeling of weariness or dissatisfaction. In French to English dictionaries, you will commonly see the translation as both "to bore" and "to annoy" (along with verbs like "to bother, concern, trouble, worry"). A fun fact for any valvert shippers out there is that in Hugo's time it was also used to mean "to feel nostalgia for" or "to feel annoyed by the absence of something" though it should definitely be noted that the construction of the phrase would have to be different for it to have this meaning (Je m'ennuie de vous). Nevertheless, these are all sentiments that float around the context of this particular word, making it, for me anyway, somewhat difficult to translate.

[dnickels]

More seriously loving the chapter title "Jean Valjean Takes His Revenge". You have to imagine it was an incredible fakeout for the readers of the day, horrified that our man JVJ might throw away his years of working to salvation for something as base as cold-blooded murder. But it is a kind of revenge, in the "living well" sense. He can prove definitively he's a man worthy of grace, that he lived up to his second chance, that he has the total self-mastery needed to show mercy in that moment instead of getting in a few cheap shots against an enemy totally at his mercy. He doesn't even take a swing for all the shit he put up with in M-sur-M. And obviously Valjean doesn't know it, but his ultimate act of mercy and self-sacrifice will be his enemy's complete undoing. The themes are rich!

[pilferingapples]

in the musical, near the end, why does valjean give javert his address and tell him where he can find him, if he knows that'll it'll probably lead to javert arresting him, which will mean cosette will be alone?

To be clear, he does this in the book too!

Jean Valjean cut the martingale which Javert had about his neck, then he cut the cords on his wrists, then, stooping down, he cut the cord on his feet; and, straightening himself up, he said to him: “You are free.” Javert was not easily astonished. Still, master of himself though he was, he could not repress a start. He remained open-mouthed and motionless. Jean Valjean continued: “I do not think that I shall escape from this place. But if, by chance, I do, I live, under the name of Fauchelevent, in the Rue de l’Homme Armé, No. 7.” Javert snarled like a tiger, which made him half open one corner of his mouth, and he muttered between his teeth: “Have a care.” “Go,” said Jean Valjean. Javert began again: “Thou saidst Fauchelevent, Rue de l’Homme Armé?” “Number 7.” Javert repeated in a low voice:—“Number 7.” -LM 5.1.19, Valjean Takes His Revenge (Hapgood translation)

As to why he does it...well that's a really good question, and it's one of those things that is fodder for endless discussion! Some known emotional factors: - he already feels his life is over, since Cosette will be getting married and "leaving"him - he doesn't think Cosette will be alone if he lives, since he's going to bring her Marius, and he expects Marius to take care of Cosette now - he already feels like he can never truly escape the bagne, as we see in his confession with Marius. So he may feel he's just yielding to the inevitable? More options: - he's really trying to save Javert's life (he is!) and thinks offering his address will help convince Javert to leave -maybe he's not so confident of escape himself, and thinks he won't be there to be arrested--and this way at least someone will tell Cosette where he was? - Other Options Up To The Reader! Basically it's hugely up to interpretation! Which is fascinating, right? Such a big moment in the story, and Hugo basically turns to the audience and invites us to try and understand why Valjean makes his choices here the way he does. And then the musical follows that cue!

So what are your ideas about it, Nonny? :D

[hermes-whistle]

LES MISERABLES 22/23 CAST REVIEW

Wednesday, November 30th, 2022

ACT 2

Cast:

Nick carnell-Jean Valjean

Hayden Tee-Javert (temporary replacement)

Haley dortch- Fantine

Matt Crowle-Thénardier

Christina Rose Hall-Madame Thénardier

Hazel Vogel- little Cosette

Cora Jane Messer- Little Eponine

Christine Heesun Hwang- Eponine

Addie Morales- Cosette

Gregory Lee Rodriguez-Marius

Devin Archer-Enjorlas

Kyle Adams- Grantaire

Gavroche- Harrison Fox

Well uh, unfortunately my theater decided that they weren't gonna flicker the lights to let us know to go back to our seats so I missed all of building the barricade and eponine giving the letter

On my own

-"Now I can make believe he's here" that tone she had was gorgeous

- I couldn't focus on most of the number because some kids behind me decided to get chips during Intermission because they were bored

- the blocking feels a bit stiff

-the lights where pretty tho

-again unfortunately I couldn't pay attention due to the kids behind me

-bUT oh my God when that barricade comes out with all the fog, one of the best scenes ever

At the barricade

-seeing the boys climb over the barricade was funny ngl

-the barricade bits are blurry in my head sorry yall

Javerts return/little people

-it looked like javert picked up a stick and started drawing

- this is a Gavroche Stan page

- gav tried jumping off the barricade like enj does

-gav flipping javert off might be my favorite thing

-marius in the back literally went like :0

-meanwhile after that grant picked gav up for "your the top of the class" after enj had his whole speaking bit he came over and ruffled gavs hair

A little fall of rain/ night of anguish

-during the small battle scene or whatever happened (I'm sorry I'm writing this In a car and can't remember so) ep moved marius and got shot perusal, she had a very small scream but it was at the same time the gunshot went off so it wasn't as noticeable

-she basically stumbled off the barricade with marius

-the way he said "oh god it's everywhere" was chilling tbh, he sounded scared almost

-miss girl basically falls onto him and then he carefully lays her down

-towards the end Gav ran over, taking a few moments to realize what happened

-Enj and grant then walked in (more like enj strutting) gav then clung to grants leg once ep actual died

-rip bad bitch, you will be missed

-IM SO SORRY THE WAY THEY CARRY HER OFF IS SO FUNNY

- FELT LIKE I WAS WATCHING THE QUEENS FUNERAL OR SMTH

-"her name was eponine,," lawd that was a kick to the gut huh

Valjeans revenge

-wake up babes daddy is climbing

-javert is back on stage (I don't know if he left)

-the hesitant 'he belongs to you'

-jean pushes javert down onto his knees facing the audience

-javert stayed looking forward while Jean approached him from behind (📸)

- he kept shaking his head as Jean was talking, he then grabbed the gun and forcibly put it in his hands then made Jean angle it at him

-Jean seemed clearly upset about this and the way he says "you are wrong,," sounds like he was trying to remind himself that

- he then continued to grab onto his jacket while saying "clear out of here"

- the gunshot scared me and my mom, we knew it was coming but it's so loUD

Drink with me

-once Grant starts singing and goes to the middle, Enj now looks over and starts getting off the barricade

-"marius, rest please" was very gently said

-the boys gave a small cheer when grant started singing

-grant lightly shoves one of the boys

-once he sees enj his mood changed

- during "can it be your death means nothing at all?" Enj clearly tried to hug him and grant pushed him away then walked away

-gav was standing right by enj and then held onto his leg

-grant goes over where the sewer is and puts his head against it, enj looking down and told gav somthing

-gav then ran over and hugged grant for behind (more like his legs since grant was tall) and he then put his hand over gavs arm

Bring him home

-chills the whole song

-nick gave it all ON A RANDOM WEDNESDAY NIGHT

-he really does sound like he's begging for marius to be alright

-enj is at the left top of the barricade, has his head slightly tilted down watching (I can't blame him)

-grant and gav are still sitting against the sewers, it was dark where they where but I think grant was holding him while he was sleeping

-the way my soul actually left my body at his last note

-breath support is all I gotta say

Second battle/Gavroches death /Final battle

-I don't remember much pre gav dying sorry

-everyone is dead silent the second gavroche starts singing

-Enj holds out his arms for gav then puts his fist up for "you better run for cover when the pup grows u-" and then he's shot

-gav falls onto enjs shoulder, enj took a second to hold onto him and slowly turned around clearly looking upset before giving him to grant

-everyone looked horrified at what they just saw

-grant held him close to his shoulder

-eventually when the shooting did happen Jean ran over and took gavs body and took it off stage then returned

-Randy Jeter was really slaying for the loud hailer

- the "until the earth is free" note gets faded into the music

-I don't know if it was on purpose or not but when enj is supposed to be kicking people down from the other side he nearly fell off, thankfully one of the fake boards was there and he pulled himself back up

-enj waving the flag has got to be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen omg, he was waving it very desperately

- the first one to go is Enj, before he starts falling grant starts trying to get up the barricade to grab him, only missing his hand by a little bit

-I'd like a moment to appreciate Jean basically t-posing while laying unconscious on the ground

-grant is the last one to die

-jean woke up then crawled over to marius whispering "shhh your okay please get up, get up" and then drags him off stage

-javert comes running over the barricade, the live fire torch looked so pretty for the scene

-when he got down he watched as the barricade opened

-Enj was vibing on the cart upside down per usual

-only one of his arms was hanging which is important in a second

-Javert walked over to Gavroche, prays over his body then lets the other dude pick him up

-gav gets thROWN in

-when the cart starts getting rolled off, enj was a little too far off the edge of the cart so it looked like he was gonna fall off, his other arm now fell off the cart

sewers/dog eat dog

-okay this scene deadass is my guiltly pleasure

-I got a tiny bit dizzy with the back screen visual

-the way Thénardier draggs one of the boys by the ankles💀

-I just love the song, it's so groovy

-valjean let go of marius and he just fell like the tower of terror

-when Thénardier goes over by marius he takes his hand like singing and puts it on his cheek acting as if it's his own hand

- "only the moon looks down" is still one of my favorite vocal moments, it scratches an itch in my brain

-"vALJEAN😧😧😧😧 AINT THE WORLD A REMARKABLE PLACE😧😃😧😃😧😃😧"

-marius seems to be like slightly awake

-I TRIED SO HARD NOT TO LAUGH WHEN IT CUTS 3 TIMES TO HIM CARRYING HIM DIFFERENT WAYS

- instrumental was such a bop

-javert is already waiting in the dark by the time Jean comes out

-once Jean looks over and sees him, javert points a gun at him (is this a new thing?? I don't remember seeing it before in boots)

-just gay old men arguing

-when Jean leaves with marius he looks back at him the same way javert did to him at the beginning, same places on the stage

Javerts suicide

-This is one of the scenes that is so so much better in person

-i personally think Hayden is one of the javerts that perform this scene best

-the stage is completely dark during the first Part

-but in the background you can see the bridge coming together on both sides which was so cool to see

-I definitely got more of a panic attack vibe from him instead of angry

-he kept on literally reaching out but his hands where extremely shakey

-javert was very slow about getting up on the bridge, he seemed hesitant

-"I am reaching but I fall" part was almost the exact same way nick as Jean performed it at the beginning with his hand reaching up

-once javert starts his final note I wasn't expecting the bridge to come out from Underhim and MANS WAS FLYING

-ofc he was up on wires but I never seen them and was shocked because I didn't know the scene is done like this (usually the bootlegs are taken from a weird angle for this scene)

-the visuals behind him are going down and eventually he gets pulled back into the darkness, the last thing you see is his hand reaching out

Turning

-interesting but sad scene transitions

-some of the women where dressed upperclass and half lower

-the little girl :((

-I'm not sure which actress is the one who says "what's the use of praying when nobody will hear??" But it was said very raw and emotional almost angry

-very beautiful song though

Empty chairs ar empty tables

-the tree is back

-yet another nice song transition

-love the performance but I don't have much to say???

-when le boys came in enj was the closest to him

-they pick up the candles, marius then waves his arm behind him like he was trying to make them go away during "don't ask me what your sacrifice was for"

-everyone blows their candles out except marius and enj

-enj is the last one to leave, marius looks over then enj blows his candle out then goes bye bye

-marius raises his candle at the end

Everyday/valjeans confession

-marius In his emo era then there's Cosette westing purple like hey lol

- cosette helps him walk over to the bench, once he sits down Cosette takes his cane and puts it behind the bench

- pretty vocals but everyday is kinda a basic song

-here comes the dilf, and he's got his limp again

-when he tells Cosette to go inside Cosette kinda looks between them like what's going onnnn and then leaves

-the change in tone when Jean talks to marius is interesting

-"who am i?" Idk man you tell me

-its 2:34 am when I'm writing this sorry I ain't remembering much

Wedding/beggers at a feast

-holy shit that is a very fast quick change for marius, I know he wears his coat over the wedding costume but sTILL

-again height difference between Cosette and him>>>

-Cosette's veil is gorgeous it's a shame it's only worn for like 5 minutes

- them dancing is the cutest thing ever and they kissed again before walking off the the side of the stage

- Marius introduces her to someone then goes over by the Thénardiers

-i was focusing on Cosette dancing

-the way the ensemble and cosette dance is interesting because they are clearly listening and moving to the tune

-Marius punching Thénardier was a slay per usual

-once they run off the plates drop ofc, overall the audience loved them

- the little hops during "among the elite"

- the line is back to "there goes a jew, this one's a queer but what can you do"

-the chaos that is the rest of the number>>>

Epilog

-Lmfao the change between songs

- he struggled for a sec to light the candles but got them eventually

-Nick made me appreciate jeans final solo part

-the chills I got when fantine comes out, I know she's an angel and she looked like one, she came out from stage right and had an orange haze casting over to her

-Jean looked relieved when he heard her, just ready to die

- Nick said a few times that his favorite line in the show is "she's the best of my life" and it shows 🥲🥲🥲

-Fantine got about 3 feet away, she was reaching out for him then Cosette comes running in

-this part is a bit of a blur since I was trying to get my phone out to get a small audio

- Marius comes in a few seconds after her, then he goes over behind the candles and looks at them until "you must forgive a thoughtless fool" then he sits by Cosette

- during the confession he slowly reached over and gave it to her, during "those who always loved you" He booped her nose again

- cosette is holding onto his hand until he gets up, more like he dies

-i wasn't paying attention to eponine I was trying to figure out why my camera didn't show the stage, turns out it was facing the wrong way

- "to love another person is to see the face of god" I'm not religious but that line always gets to me

-by the time Valjean gets up the chorus is starting, and the bishop comes out

-listen I know some people think it's stupid but I do like the Jean and bishop hug💔

-marius is holding Cosette and kissing her hair while rubbing her arm

-the ending just is so🤌🤌🤌 probably one of my favorite musical closers

Bonus if you made it this far

[ueinra]

The Ninth ''Classics Illustrated'' Les Misérables Comic, Illust by Rolland H. Livingstone (1943)

Obsessed with this Javert's facial expressions.

[psalm22-6]

I found that Brisbane's The Daily Mail used to hold weekly and monthly essay contests (with two divisions: seniors ages 16-21, and juniors for those under 16.) Books were awarded as prizes. The monthly contest had a theme, and the weekly contests were open-topic. Essays had to be under 750 words. In the first week of April 1926 the senior winner was Ailsa R. Dawson, writing on the subject "My Favourite Character."

My favourite character in fiction is Jean Valjean, the hero of Hugo's "Les Miserables." I have chosen him as my favourite character for several reasons. Jean Valjean is a convict who has been released from imprisonment. He is possessed of extraordinary strength, and his face bears the mark of his long, cruel imprisonment. Shunned as a wild beast by all with whom he comes in contact, his heart is embittered and his feelings towards his fellow-creatures warped and hardened. He is taken in by a godly old priest, who teaches him a little of the Lord's gospel — love. Later, to escape from his persecutor, Jarvis [sic], who dogs his footsteps relentlessly, he disguises himself as a priest. Father Madeline, as Valjean is now called, tries to atone for his life of sin and wretchedness, but Jarvis, finding out who ho really is, has him imprisoned again. Valjean, however, manages to escape, and is officially "dead," drowned, as they thought, in his attempt to get away. He returns to his old parish but again Jarvis finds him out. With the terrible fear of the galleys hanging over him, Valjean flees for safety to Paris, taking with him Cosette, the illegitimate daughter of a woman who has suffered cruelly for her child. After many narrow escapes from capture, he and Cosette find refuge in a convent. At last, when Valjean has his enemy's life in his hands, he lets him go unharmed. Even when spurned by Cosette's husband, he takes it as his lot, and then, at the end, begs only to be laid in a quiet, unnamed grave. My first reason for choosing Jean Valjean is that the story deals with customs and people of the middle ages. For me the middle ages hold a fascination that no other period of history offers. Again, Valjean's character attracts my interest more than any other man or woman I have read of. His life, haunted by the awful fear of capture and imprisonment, without rest from pursuit, never fails to make me cry when I read "Les Miserables." What depths there were in Valjean's character! What love, what pity, and what mercy! Have we anywhere a finer example of "Love thine enemies" than the time when Valjean held his tormentor's life in his hand. What a struggle he must have had between hate and mercy as Jarvis faced him! Never could be revenge more sweet. His life-long enemy and pursuer at his mercy! One instant and forever the shadow of capture would be removed from his path. But love triumphed, and Valjean returned good for evil. I admire Jean Valjean for his intense love for Cosette. He lavished all his starved affection on her, and though, towards the end of his life, she seemed to shun him, his love never wavered. Oh, that more of us loved as Valjean! For these reasons, then, I have chosen Jean Valjean as my favourite character in fiction, but no words can tell how deeply my feelings are stirred when I read that wonderful history of this remarkable man.

In the 70s an Ailsa R. Dawson wrote a book on the Cooloola region in Australia

[careful-disorder]

Paul Gauguin - Self-portrait with portrait of Bernard, ‘Les misérables’

“And that Jean Valjean, whom society oppresses, outlawed; with his love, his strength, isn’t he too the image of an Impressionist today? By doing him with my features, you have my individual image, as well as a portrait of us all, poor victims of society, taking our revenge on it by doing good...” Letter to Vincent van Gogh (October 1888)

[garbagecann24601]

Jean Valjean Takes His Revenge

Jean Valjean leads Javert out of the wine shop and into the alley. They pass by all the dead bodies, including Eponine’s, and Javert remarks that he thinks he recognizes her. 

Valjean pulls out a knife, and Javert says that it suits Valjean better than killing with a gun. Valjean unties Javert and tells him he’s free. He tells him his address and his alias. Javert tells him to kill him instead, but Valjean refuses, and Javert leaves. Valjean fires his pistol in the air.

Marius had recognized Javert when he was brought out into the sunlight. He was about to go intervene on his behalf when he heard the gunshot.

[benjaminmoorepaint]

in defense of marius/character analysis

Poor Marius…much maligned, misunderstood Marius. I think he's misunderstood at least in part because book!Marius and musical!Marius are so different, so maybe people get confused? Is he a goofy awkward loverboy or weirdo goth stalker?

The answer is neither, really! Compared to the Amis, Marius is a much more fleshed out and realistic character, and we see him grow and change from the ages of 17-23. But at his core, he is serious, extremely principled, and has a strong sense of honor. His principles provide most of the conflict for him throughout his story:

Independence (Debt is slavery! Refuses to borrow money until forced by his sense of duty; won’t work more than he needs to because he wants his time to be his own, not his employers. Politically, he eventually comes to understand Combeferre’s point about it too, though it contradicts the views he inherits from his father.)

Duty (The main one, and what drives most of his decisions throughout the book. He sees his main duty to be to his father and his final wishes. This is so important to him that he borrows money from Courfeyrac to fulfill what he thinks is his duty to help the Thénardiers. He only goes out at night to make his clothes look black is because he’s in mourning for his father, a culturally expected thing at the time, as is his filial duty. Despite being a republican at the end of the book, he still takes the title of Baron because his father wanted him to. Etc.)

This one is a little harder to define, but I would call it honor, combined with a kind of chivalric sense of respect. (Purity?) Despite leaving his grandfather for not respecting his father, he still respects the man, somehow. Won’t touch Valjean’s money because he’s afraid it may have been ill-gotten. This explains his weirdness around women, too; he is offended by Courfeyrac’s insinuations, outraged that an old veteran *might* have seen Cosette’s stocking, and of course horrified by Gillenormand’s suggestion to make Cosette his mistress. We are frequently reminded how chaste his love for Cosette is. He is, essentially, Tholomyès’s polar opposite.

Loyalty— to his friends, to Cosette, and to his father.

He is also—and this is important—EXTREMELY impulsive.

Marius is not the kind of guy who thinks decisions through. His choices are almost always based on emotion. It is not logical to leave home at seventeen to live in poverty. It is not logical to wax poetic about Napoleon in a room full of radical republicans. It is not logical to resolve to die after learning your girlfriend is moving to England. He is the DEFINITION of doing things “as a matter of principle.”

And this is not an inherently bad trait. His impulsiveness saves the barricade. It’s worth noting that Enjolras, the personification of logic, did not (and would not) think to do this because his mind doesn’t work that way. It’s a terribly risky move and he would not want to risk his men if the soldiers called his bluff. But it works. Marius saves the barricade.

This is probably another reason Enjolras names him a chief of the barricade, because he recognizes Marius has something to offer that he doesn’t.

(Side note: I’m not sure where the idea that Enjolras is irritated by him comes from. He clearly likes Marius.)

“But what about Valjean? The way Marius treats him is undeniably fucked up.”

It sure is, if you know all the facts like we, the readers, do. But in typical Valjean fashion, when Valjean tells Marius the truth, he does not, in fact, tell him the whole truth. He says nothing of his life as Madeleine, of Fantine and his promise, of the Thénardiers, of Javert; in short, he tells him pretty much nothing other than the fact that he is an ex-convict.

But here’s the kicker: Valjean doesn’t know what Marius already knows about him. He has no idea that Marius saw the whole Gorbeau robbery happen while helping Javert, and for whatever reason, he forgets or doesn’t mention that Marius saw him “execute” Javert at the barricade. So from Marius’s point of view, Valjean is a. possibly still involved in crime, as evidenced by his presence there, and b. a murderer who killed Javert for revenge. Thinking this, Marius already knows that Valjean is leaving things out in what he tells him. He worries that what else he didn’t say could be even worse.

Which isn’t to say Marius is completely faultless in this—he’s learning, but his idea of honor can’t comprehend that a convict like Jean Valjean could have raised Cosette.

(Marius) had not yet come to distinguish between that which is written by man and that which is written by God, between law and right. (...) He found it quite simple that certain breaches of the written law should be followed by eternal suffering, and he accepted, as the process of civilization, social damnation. He still stood at this point, though safe to advance infallibly later on, since his nature was good, and, at bottom, wholly formed of latent progress.

But Valjean doesn’t really give him a chance. And when he does discover the truth he immediately begs for forgiveness, though of course it’s too late.

“But you!” cried Marius with a wrath in which there was veneration, “why did you not tell it to me? It is your own fault, too. You save people’s lives, and you conceal it from them! You do more, under the pretext of unmasking yourself, you calumniate yourself. It is frightful.”

“I told the truth,” replied Jean Valjean.

“No,” retorted Marius, “the truth is the whole truth; and that you did not tell. You were Monsieur Madeleine, why not have said so? You saved Javert, why not have said so? I owed my life to you, why not have said so?”

And I’m always sad that that’s something Valjean never gets to learn—by hurting himself, he hurts the people who love him! But that’s a subject for another post (or fix-it fic.)

Is Marius perfect? No, even by the end of the novel he’s not—but that’s the point. He and Cosette are the future. Their character arcs aren’t finished yet.