Jean Valjean

Jean Valjean is one of the main characters of the novel the Poor wretches of Victor Hugo.

Biography of the character

Jean Valjean is a pruner of Faverolles. He was born in 1769. He lost his parents when he was young and it is his/her Jeanne sister who raised it. His/her father was called like him, Jean Valjean or Vlajean, contraction of “Here is Jean”, and was also pruner. He is deceased by cutting down a tree which fell on him. His/her mother was called Jeanne Mathieu and she died of the continuations of a badly neat milk fever.

25 years (in 1794)

After the death of his/her brother-in-law in 1794, it is with him to nourish the family. His/her sister has seven children, youngest is the one year old and oldest, eight. Valjean is of a force herculéenne and it is very skilful with the shooting, but it can neither read, nor to write. It gains only 18 pennies in the season of pruning, the remainder of the year it does what it can while working like farm hand, herdsman,   etc

26 years (in 1795)

At 26 years, in 1795, one winter very cold involves the Valjean family in the food shortage.

“  One Sunday evening, Maubert Isabeau, baker on the place of the church, in Faverolles, prepared himself to lie down, when he heard a violent blow in the roasted and glazed front his shop. It arrived in time to see an arm passed through a made hole of a punch in the grid and the pane. The arm seizes a bread and carried it. Isabeau left in haste; the robber fled with all jambes  ; Isabeau ran after him and stopped it. The robber had thrown the bread, but it still had the ensanglanté arm. It was Jean Valjean.  ” .

27 years (in 1796)

In 1796, to 27 years, Jean Valjean is condemned to five years of Bagne for this vol. the punishment is also heavy because it is known that he was somewhat poacher. Its chain is shoed the 22.4.1796 with Bicêtre the day when “  one shouted in Paris the victory of Montenotte gained by the general-in-chief of the army of Italy, that the Directory to the Five hundreds, of the 2 floréal year IV, calls Bauna-Parte.  ” . 27 days (thus, on May 19th) later, it arrives at Toulon. With the bagne, it will be number 24601.

One will know almost nothing any more of his sister. Only, in the fourth year of its imprisonment, Valjean learns that his/her sister lives with Paris, street of Geindre. She works in a printing works, street of the Shoe, and has nothing any more with her but the youngest boy. This child with the chance to be able to go to the school but his mother starts to work at six hours and the school opens only at seven hours. Consequently, the child must wait one hour on the street. It is the last thing which one will know of the family of Jean Valjean.

At the end of four years (then in the first months of 1800), Valjean tries to escape, but it later is captured two days. He is condemned to three years more. At the time of its second escape bid, in 1802, it tries to resist, consequently of what it is condemned to five years moreover, including two with the double chain. It tries to escape still twice in its tenth (1806) and its thirteenth (1809) year but does not manage to consume its escape and receives, twice, a prolongation of three years sorrow. With forty years, therefore in 1809, he learns how to read in the school of the bagne.

46 years (1815)

After nineteen years of imprisonment, it is finally released in early October 1815. It leaves the bold bagne and the spirit full with resentment towards the company which him because so much difficulty. It included/understood what it did of evil but, for a so small crime, it found the punishment exaggerated. He only aspires to be avenged for this company.

One gives to him the yellow passport of the released convicts and his wages for nineteen years: with a half-penny, after 19 years, that should make 171 francs, but because of various local reserves one gives him only 109 francs and 15 pennies. It feels stolen. The yellow passport does not facilitate the things, because it discredits it with the eyes of the others. Thus, it is paid only half when it works and it is expelled inns where it asks to spend the night. Four days after its release, it stops with Digne. After being driven out of and being everywhere wandered all the day, it will find asylum the evening in the bishop, called Monseigneur Bienvenu, this last charitablement accommodates it while knowing its condition of former convict. It offers the supper to him and a good bed. But Valjean yields to its bad instincts while stealing its fleeing and silver cutleries to him with in the middle of the night.

The next morning, Valjean is stopped by the gendarmes who bring back it in the bishop. This one, to save it, ensures the gendarmes that it made him gift of these covers. One thus slackens Valjean. The bishop gives him in more two silver candlesticks by saying to him that it thus repurchases his heart with the forces of the evil to give it to God and him rappelle  ; “  - Do not forget, never forget that you promised to me to employ this money to become an honest man. - Jean Valjean who did not have any memory to have promised anything, remained interdit.  ” .

Disturbed Worthy free Valjean. It feels in him a change caused by the act and the words of the bishop but it is not completely ready to give up being avenged for the company. He meets on his road a small Savoyard chimney sweeper, called Small-Gervais, to whom he steals forty pennies whereas he is in a state second. When it carries out what it has just done, it is desperate and, for the first time after nineteen years, starts to cry. It will be thus its last fixed price and it decides to become an honest man. But, with the eyes of justice, this flight in fact a recidivist.

Towards the end of the same year (1815), a man arrives at Montreuil-sur-Mer and saves two children of a fire. He then is very respected and, so one does not think of asking him for his identity papers. This man, who says to be called “  the Madeleine  father; ”, will become thereafter initially an industrialist, then Maire of the city. One tells us much on this very charitable man, it grows rich with his manufacture but never forgets the poor: “  He always had his pockets full with currency while leaving and vacuums in rentrant.  ” . He makes build two schools, he knows some much about the plants and on the animals, when one needs assistance, he gives readily a knack, he is very skilful with the shooting and he invites all the small Savoyard ones.

52 years (1821)

Soon, it is the object of all the rumors of the city, even more in year 1821, after the newspaper has advertisement the death of “  Monseigneur Bienvenu   ”. Two girls, yielding to their curiosity, finally ask him to see its room (object of all kinds of speculations) for finally being déçues  ; the room is quite ugly, except for two splendid money candlesticks.

54 years (1823)

Transferred to Montreuil-sur-Mer, the police inspector Javert which: “  in its youth had been employed in the chiourmes of the midi  ” , starts to have suspicions. He notices a certain physical resemblance between Mister the mayor and Jean Valjean. He notes that nobody knows from where he comes and, that Mr Madeleine made research with Faverolles, the native village of Jean Valjean. He also notices that he trails the right leg, leg to which one attaches the chain of foot of the convicts. Its suspicions are confirmed when he sees one day Mr. Madeleine raising a cart reversed on his driver, the Fauchelevent father. Javert knows one man having such a force, Jean Valjean. Following this accident, Fauchelevent remains handicapped, but the mayor finds to him an use of gardener to the convent of Small-Picpus in Paris.

Following a quarrel with the mayor who takes the defense of the streetwalker Fantine, Javert, overcome and made indignant, denounces with the authorities the mayor as being Jean Valjean.

In parallel, it is learned that Jean Valjean has just been stopped. Javert then requires a maintenance to the mayor and says to him to have denounced it as being the convict Jean Valjean, wrongly, since it has just identified the truth Jean Valjean which is made call Champmathieu. This one besides soon will be judged with Arras. Javert requires of Mr. Madeleine to be relieved of her functions because of its error but Madeleine refuses.

It is only now, which Hugo reveals finally the character of Madeleine: the reader undoubtedly guessed that Mr. Madeleine is not other than Jean Valjean. .

At the same time, it is necessary for him to deal with Fantine, that it makes look after in its hospital. He writes several times at the Thénardier, at which Cosette is, to push them to bring it to Montreuil-sur-Mer. But Thénardier, hoping to have even more money, retains it. Madeleine had just decided to go to seek itself Cosette, when Javert came to see it.

Valjean, is vis-a-vis a dilemma: To let condemn innocent to its place or denounce and be condemned at least to perpetuity. It is its conscience which makes it go to Arras without to have decided what to make. On its way, sticks are put to him in wheels, several times, it seems that he will never succeed, to be in time in Arras and it is also what he hopes for, but without chance. When Valjean arrives, one is pronouncing the judgment and it finally decides to denounce itself. It encounters initially the difficulty in making admit that a mayor was a bagnard  ; it should provide a great number of explanations before it finally is believed. In the confusion which follows, Valjean leaves for Montreuil without being prevented. Champmathieu, the Valjean forgery, is slackened.

Valjean visits Fantine at the hospital and claims to have ammené his/her daughter. Javert comes to stop Valjean. Fantine, with half delirious, does not include/understand anything with the situation. Javert, irritated, reveals the identity of Valjean to him to make it conceal. Fantine dies under the shock of the revelations and especially owing to the fact that his/her daughter is always far from it. Valjean requires then of Javert three days to go to seek Cosette. But the police officer, foreigner with any humanism, refuses and stops it. Valjean, after having promised in front of the bed of died to deal with Cosette, is let stop quietly and, succeeds in even fleeing of the Prison the evening.

Three or four days later, after having succeeded in hiding its fortune which rises with 630.000 francs, it again is captured and condemned to death. But its sorrow will be commuted to life imprisonment taking into account the function of mayor whom it occupied and with the benefits lavished on the town of Montreuil-sur-Mer.

It is thus brought back to the bagne of Toulon, this time écroué under number 9430.

Two months later, the November 16th 1823, working on the vessel the Orion in roads of Toulon and after having saved a sailor, Valjean falls to the sea. As his body is not found, it is believed dead and it any more is not sought.

The evening of Christmas, a man in a yellow coat arrives at Paris. He seems to seek a housing. Later, one sees it in Montfermeil where it disappears in the forest. Small Cosette, sent in middle of the night by Thénardier to seek water with the source at the bottom of wood, meets it. It helps it to carry its bucket to the inn where it stops to spend the night there. All the evening, it does not leave Cosette of the eyes. It buys the working time of Cosette to Thénardier so that they lets it play. While protecting it from the blows of Thénardier, it offers to Cosette a splendid headstock. The next morning, he persuades Thénardier to let to him take along Cosette in theirs repurchasing 1.500 francs. The man and the young girl leave for Paris. Of course, “the yellow man” is not other than Jean Valjean. He had voluntarily dropped himself from the vessel Orion to the sea so that it is believed dead and to then be able to regain Paris.

Valjean and Cosette take refuge in one of the districts then most deserted of Paris, Boulevard of the Hospital, where they live hidden in the Gorbeau hovel, all that there is poorer of in order to passing unperceived. Cosette always does not know anything of its identity. They live happy there: Cosette plays, Valjean learns how to him to read and they often go for long walks in the twilight.

Javert, which one reminded Paris after the escape from Valjean to Montreuil-sur-Mer, discovers the track of Valjean  ; Thénardier told a history which they call “  removal   ” of Cosette and Javert hears of a “  Beggar, who makes alms   ”. It is by disguising itself while begging, that it checks that it is well Valjean when this one makes him alms.

Valjean recognizes Javert being introduced one evening into the house while being made pass for a new tenant. Valjean and Cosette flee the same night with Javert and a whole team of police officers to their cases. Javert finally believes to hold Jean Valjean who made the error engage in a cul-de-sac. But Valjean, raising Cosette, succeeds in crossing the wall and Javert loses its trace. This wall shelters the convent of Small-Picpus where Valjean finds Fauchelevent which he requests to help them. They decide to make pass Valjean for “Ultimate Fauchelevent”, the brother of the Fauchelevent old man. But a problem arises: To be allowed in the convent, it is necessary to enter there by the door and Valjean cannot leave because Javert supervises the district. The night, a sister has just died and the nuns want to bury it in the vault under the furnace bridge, which is prohibited by the government. Fauchelevent negotiates the operation with the Mother Superior in exchange of the admission of “his/her brother” like second gardener. The beer of the government, supposed to contain the skin of the died nun, leaves with Valjean in its place to be buried with the cemetery of Vaugirard while Fauchelevent leaves with Cosette hidden in its hood. “Ultimate Fauchelevent and its Cosette daughter” are then officially allowed in the convent: he like second gardener and it as raises religious school.

60,61 years (1829, 1830)

They leave the convent only with dead of the old man Fauchelevent, in October 1829. Cosette has just been 14 years old.

Jean Valjean buys several houses to easily be able to move in the event of problem.

One is at the beginning of the year 1830. Cosette often meets a young student, Marius, at the time of his daily walks with Valjean with the Jardin of Luxembourg. But it is only one day of June 1831 which Cosette and Marius will cross their glances in love in Luxembourg. They do not think any more but one of the other. Valjean is unaware of it initially, but Marius is rather awkward to follow them in order to discover where they live. It is there that Valjean starts to understand that Marius is in love with Cosette. It tightens traps to him into which Marius falls. Valjean decides to move and not to go back more to Luxembourg. But it does not suspect that Cosette is also in love, because it can hide it well better than Marius.

62 years (1831)

Valjean and Marius, more than Cosette, will live many events. In October 1831, at the time of a walk, Cosette and Valjean are the witnesses of a horrible scene. They see passing the Cadène, the departure for Toulon of the convicts connected by the neck. Valjean, frightened and petrified, does not manage to answer the questions of Cosette, it only intends it to say that she would die of fear if she met one of these men on her way.

One finds Thénardier which went bankrupt with Montfermeil in 1828 and which has remained already for several months with its family in Paris. One day of February 1832, Thénardier recognizes in the man who comes to make him charity in his slum, “  the beneficial Mister of the church Saint-Jacques-of-High-Not the   ”, that which had come to seek Cosette with Montfermeil. It prepares an ambush to force Valjean to give him money. With the favor of the general scuffle caused by the irruption of Javert and its police officers in the bulge, Valjean succeeds in fleeing without being seen by Javert. This last, which had been alerted by Marius, close to Thénardier, thinks that has best him perhaps escaped. These dramatic circumstances nevertheless made it possible Marius to find the trace of Cosette with the assistance of Éponine, the oldest daughter of Thénardier which is in love with him.

63 years (1832)

At the beginning of the month of June 1832, Valjean, increasingly anxious because of strange events, dream to be left for England with Cosette. The June 5th, it discovers that Cosette is in love while deciphering, thanks to a blotter which kept the print of it, the words of a desperate letter which she wrote in Marius.

This June 5th 1832, of the riots burst in Paris at the time of funerals of the Général Lamarque. Marius is without news of Cosette because the letter of this one was intercepted by Éponine, jealous. This is why Marius, attracted by Éponine, joined his friends risen on a barricade. But it will owe nevertheless the life in Éponine which will be sacrificed by receiving to its place the ball which was intended to him. Before expiring, Éponine gives the letter of Cosette to him.

It is by unsealing the response of Marius to Cosette which sleeps, that Valjean, initially jealous, decides to go to the barricade to discover which is this Marius. Over there, it is made useful without wounding anyone. It finds there Javert, prisoner of the insurrectionists, who was there for the espionner but which was uncovered by a kid, Gavroche, the son junior by Thénardier. When comes the moment to carry out Javert, Valjean proposes to do it. It involves it with the variation and saves the life to him by letting it flee and giving him its address then car in the air so that the insurrectionists believe that it cut down it.

At the time of the final attack of the barricade, Marius is seriously wounded and Valjean transports it unconscious on its back while escaping by the sewers. Arrived at the one of the exits unfortunately padlocked, Valjean meets Thénardier which hides in this tunnel because the police force is in faction outside. Thénardier, still using one of his stratagems, exchanges the key of the lock against a little money while surreptitiously tearing a piece of the coat of Marius whom it takes for a corpse détroussé by Valjean. As Thénardier had envisaged, Valjean is stopped by Javert which took again its service in the small hour.

Valjean requires of Javert to enable him to deposit the casualty with the address registered on the bit of paper found in the pocket of Marius. Javert grants to him. Lastly, Valjean also requires of him to be able to bid its farewell with Cosette, it what Javert still grants.

While waiting for Valjean in front of its residence, Javert is confronted for the first time of its life with a terrible dilemma. It is quartered between the crime to leave free the Valjean convict and the crime to stop this man who is not any more in his eyes the criminal that it pursues for a long time. In full conflict interior and unable to decide, Javert leaves the residence of Valjean and will commit suicide while precipitating in the the Seine. When Valjean leaves at his place, it is amazed not to find Javert there…

Valjean, released of Javert, makes pass the happiness of Cosette before his and can nothing do better than to grant so that she marries Marius. But, it is obvious that without it, he is not happy. He nevertheless will seek his 600  000 francs which will constitute the dowry of Cosette. He invents a new life with the eyes of Cosette and he abstains from going to his marriage, using an invented wound, not to make a scythe in writing by signing the marriage certificate. The night which follows the ceremony is a horror for Valjean. In its logic of redemption, it must reveal its true identity with Marius but it does not want nevertheless to lose Cosette forever. Following day of weddings, Valjean, now that he entrusted that which was its reason to live with another man, reveals in Marius who he is really. Initially amazed, this one, knowing how much Cosette likes “  its père  ”, makes it possible Valjean to return visit in Cosette each evening then it starts to doubt. It then makes an association between “  the convict évadé  ” and that which he remembers to be himself proposed to kill the Javert police officer of which he had the confirmation of the death at the time of the insurrection. By making research on the last life of Valjean, it finds the fact that Valjean was mayor with Montreuil, but making false conclusions, it believes to understand that Valjean killed “  the true Mr Madeleine   ” to seize its fortune. From where it concluded that the dowry of Cosette is of money dishonest person, although Valjean had sworn the opposite to him, and does not touch there. Marius decides that it is preferable that Cosette and he do not have any more a contact with Valjean and slowly starts to render comprehensible it in Valjean without him to speak directly. However, Marius always wonders about the identity of that which saved the life to him on the barricade.

64 years (1833)

In June 1833, Thénardier is presented under a false name (Thénard) to the residence of Marius and Cosette. It comes to sell “  a secret  ” with that which is now “  Mister the baron de Pontmercy  ”, because Marius with taken the title of nobility bequeathed by his/her father. Marius, already believing any knowledge on Valjean, is not too interested. Only, when Thénardier proves to him that all its conclusions on Valjean were false (in particular that “  Mr Madeleine  ” and Valjean were only one and even nobody and that Valjean thus did not assassinate “  Mr Madeleine  ”), he agrees to listen to it.

Marius of course recognized Thénardier, of which the “  secret  ” consists of a bunch of what this scélérat regards as “  preuves  ” monayables being able to discredit Jean Valjean. Contrary to waitings of Thénardier, these “  preuves  ” will be as many elements which not only will clear Jean Valjean but will reveal it like the saint who it became. When Thénardier shows the piece of fabrics taken on the coat of “  the man assassinated by Valjean  ” in Marius, all the light is done then on Valjean. More than the discovery of the identity of his saver, Marius measures the human dimension of Valjean and understands that it is sacrificed not to disturb the happiness of Cosette while expiant his faults.

Marius precipitates with Cosette at Valjean, but this one is with the threshold of the anguish. Jean Valjean finds the smile with Cosette with his knees and Marius near him. Contemplating the two candlesticks which symbolize its promise made with the bishop of Worthy, he dies happy close to that which was all its life and its redemption.

The final chapter of the book tells us, that with the Cimetière of the Father-Lachaise, there is a tomb without name and far from all the others. Only, somebody wrote these four lines on the pierre :

It sleeps. Though the fate was for him quite strange,
Il lived. He died when he did not have any more his angel;
La thing simply of itself arrived,
Comme the night is made when the day from goes away.

The model of the character

Pierre Maurin (flight of the bread)

Victor Hugo did not completely invent the character. He largely took as a starting point characters and situations realities. The starting model of Jean Valjean was called Pierre Maurin and was condemned in 1801 to five years of bagne for flight of a bread which it had flown to nourish the seven famished children of its sister: “  Then, while sanglotant, it raised its right hand and seven times lowered gradually it, and by this gesture one guessed that the unspecified thing that it had made, it had made it to dress and nourish seven small children   ” . In the novel, Jean Valjean does not make five years of bagne but nineteen years by the play of the various prolongations of sorrow for escape bids.

In the years 1840, Hugo attended the arrest of another bread robber. The sight of this poor fellow, who went barefeet in winter, had very moved it.

The rescue of the sailor

Also, the rescue of the sailor in chapter 3, “  That it was necessary that the chain of the manille had undergone a certain preliminary work to be thus broken of only one blow of hammer   ” of book II. (The vessel Orion) of volume II. (Cosette), is not invented. Hugo refers to the account which it received reporting the rescue of a sailor by a convict and who is practically written with the same words employed by Hugo. Only, the convict had not escaped.

Eugene-François Vidocq

The physics of Jean Valjean was inspired by Eugene-François Vidocq. Like this one, Valjean is extremely strong. Still another characteristic which binds the two men: Vidocq, like Valjean, always tried to become again honest man and it was only its past of convict who prevented it. When it was free, it was led to wonder (at least, according to its own assertions). Its only problem was of having to live under a false name. The rescue of the Fauchelevent old man is also an action made by Vidocq: in January 1828, when he was manufacturer with Saint-Mandé, he saved one of its workmen by raising the cart which had fallen on him.

Napoleon Bonaparte

These bonds are more in the dates: both were born in 1769; the dates of the imprisonment and the release of Valjean are those of the rise and the fall of Napoleon (1796, first countryside of Italy -1815, Waterloo). April 22nd, 1796, when Valjean leaves for Toulon, it is the date of the first victory of Napoleon. The years of the escape bids from Valjean are also important dates for Napoleon (1800 (Marengo), 1802 (Consulate with life), 1806 (Iéna) and 1809 (Wagram)). Napoleon dies in 1821, when Valjean still saw. But the bishop of Worthy dies in 1821. Valjean takes the same way to go from the Mediterranean to Digne as Napoleon; Napoleon is often mentioned in the first chapter of the second book (the one day evening of walk).

Victor Hugo himself

Among the actions of Jean Valjean are facts accomplished by Hugo himself:
  • the arrest of Fantine and " Mr. Madeleine" who opposes it. Hugo had attended the arrest of a streetwalker, who had, said one, attacked a middle-class man. Hugo, who had seen the quarrel, required that one gave it in freedom and obtained it. (Made told in Things seen )
  • Like Mr. Madeleine, Hugo also left with the full pockets and returned with the empty pockets.
  • Jean Valjean on the barricade being made useful without wounding anybody. It was in December 1851 the control of Hugo: " Not, I have says him. I will remain here without rifle. I enter only to half the civil war. I want to die well there, I do not want there tuer." (History of a crime)
They are not all the resemblances there, while seeking more deeply, one will undoubtedly find some still more.

Numbers

The two numbers of prison of Valjean have both of the significances:
  • 24601 is the 24. June 1801, dates it, where Victor Hugo had been apparently generated. That will go, because Hugo was born 8 months later and it is certain to be born a little too early.
  • 9430 can be translated like septembre/1843/ damages . It is in September 1843 that Hugo lost his Léopoldine oldest daughter, who drowned in an accident. And in the novel, in November 1823, Jean Valjean makes pretense drown while falling since the vessel Orion.

With the cinema

Jean Valjean was interpreted with the cinema and on television by the largest French actors and foreigners:

The character in the Poor wretches

Jean Valjean is the central figure who binds various stories of the cycle of the Misérables . Its psychological profile evolves/moves with the wire of time, constituting the proof of universal kindness, or the meliorability, the men that Victor Hugo seeks to show. Thus, all the men are equal, according to the republican ideal that Hugo seeks to make pass.

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