Marius (character)

See also: Marius

Literature

Marius Pontmercy is a character of the novel the Poor wretches of Victor Hugo.

Biography of the character

Marius, the young first of the Miserable , is born in 1810. His/her father is the soldier Bonapartiste Georges Pontmercy who fought heroically with Waterloo where Napoleon shouted to him “You are colonel, you are baron, you are officer of the Légion of honor” . The bravery of Pontmercy was worth to him to receive a blow of saber in full figure before crumbling on the battle field in the general rout. Whereas abominable Thénardier, bandit of corpses the June 6th 1815 in Waterloo, excavates the colonel, the confusion of seriously wounded Pontmercy, believer whom this man tried to help it, will weigh later heavily in the life of Marius.
Georges Pontmercy married, under the empire, with the girl junior by the middle-class rich person royalist Gillenormand Luc-Spirit, reticent with this marriage. The couple had only one son.

In 1815, at the time of the death of the mother of Marius, the grandfather makes a blackmail with his son-in-law to obtain the guard of his grandson, threatening to disinherit this one if he refuses. Georges Pontmercy, put in residence at Vernon (the Eure) by the Restoration and impoverished by the mode of Louis XVIII, yields to his father-in-law and sacrifices himself in the interest of his son. The grandfather cuts all relations with Georges Pontmercy going until him to prohibit to re-examine his son. Nevertheless, the father, in spite of his supervised residence and outdistances it, will regularly make the voyage from Vernon with Paris to only see his child with the mass of the church Saint-Sulpice. This man gash who cries, hidden behind a pillar, will draw the attention of a marguillier of the parish, the Mabeuf father who will be caught friendship for him. Later, the Mabeuf father will play a part in the life of Marius, poor student with Paris.
Mr. Gillenormand qualifies his son-in-law of “shame of the family” and will never refer but to him that to make fun of its “baronnie” made by “Buonaparté”. So the child will have that a little developed idea of this father whom he does not know.

Marius is thus raised by his grandfather and his aunt, an old maid whom one calls the elder one “Miss Gillenormand”. They live in Paris, initially in the district Saint-Sulpice, Rue Servandoni, which they leave in 1827 to settle in the district of the Marais, to the “6, Rue of the Girl-of-Martyrdom”. Marius has 17 years and his grandfather the idolâtre.

Whereas they have just settled in the Marsh, Georges Pontmercy falls seriously sick and writing to Mr. Gillenormand to request the visit of his son. Marius arrives too late at Vernon, his father is deceased in a fit of delirium while going to the front of him. Georges Pontmercy left him a letter:

“the emperor made me baron on the battle field of Waterloo. Since the Restoration disputes this title to me which I paid of my blood, my son will take it and will carry it. It goes without saying that it of it will be worthy.” “This same battle of Waterloo has, a sergeant saved me the life. This man is called Thénardier. In lately, I believe that it held a small inn in the surroundings of Paris, with Chelles or with Montfermeil. If my son meets it, it will do in Thénardier all it although it will be able. ”
It is all of which he will inherit his father to which the sale of furniture will hardly be enough to pay the burial.

One day, while turning over by chance to the church Saint-Sulpice, Marius becomes acquainted with the Mabeuf father who teaches him that his/her father came often here to see it. Marius, who undertook studies of right, will start to devour all the literature devoted to the Empire, the republic and his heroes. He will be dazzled and will discover which was his/her father and will start to adore it while carrying from now on his mourning.

An ideological upheaval will take place in him and the royalist who he was in fact will become a democrat-Bonapartist which will be opposed to its royalist of grandfather and will separate them.

Marius leaves the residence of his grandfather and, while integrating the Latin Quarter, it will attend the revolutionary group of the ABC and will know misery. One is in 1830 and Marius has twenty ans.
Here, it is necessary to make a bracket to specify that the character of Marius is a reflection of Victor Hugo touched by the same political reversal plus an indubitable physical resemblance between young Hugo and student Marius: “Marius was at that time a beautiful young man of intermediate size, with thick very black hair, a high and intelligent face, the nostrils open and impassioned, the sincere and calm air, and on all his face I do not know what which was haughty, pensive and innocent As its mouth was charming, its most vermilion lips and its whitest teeth of the world, its smile corrected what all its aspect had of severe. At certain times, it was a singular contrasts which this pure face and of smiling voluptuous. It had the small eye and the large glance. ”
Marius, meanwhile, completed his studies and he is lawyer. But he survives by giving particular lessons. After lodgebeing lodged by his friend Coufeyrac then to have lived the hotel with its last under, it is constrained to rent a poor wretch room in the Gorbeau hovel of the Boulevard of the Hospital. Marius has two friends of which the young person Coufeyrac and a second, the Mabeuf old man. This last knows reverses of fortune and sinks little by little in misery. It remains not far from Marius since it saw in a small thatched cottage on the side of Salpêtrière, in what was still the village of Austerlitz.
Marius will draw the attention of two young girls in the months which follow because: “At the time of its worst misery, it noticed that the young girls were turned over when it passed, and it was run away or hidden, death in the heart. He thought that they looked it for his old clothes and that they laughed at it; the fact is that they looked it for its grace and that they dreamed some. ”
Towards the end of the year 1830, at the time of its daily walks to the Garden of Luxembourg, Marius often sees, sitted on one of the benches of one of the isolated alleys, an any thin young girl equipped in black accompanied by his/her father, a Mister with the very white hair. His/her friend Coufeyrac called them “Miss Lanoire and Mr Leblanc” . Six months later, in June 1831, when Marius takes again his walks in “his alley” of the Garden of Luxembourg, it recognizes Mr. Leblanc but not Miss Lanoire. It is a very pretty young girl of approximately 15 years and Marius recognizes the features of the gloomy young girl of last year. A certain day of summer, whereas their glances crossed until there with indifference, their eyes will be illuminated suddenly. Marius and the young girl then will exchange a dialog in love dumb which will not pass unperceived to Mr. Leblanc. Marius will enhardir himself until following them to their residence of the street of the West, which will worry Mr. Leblanc. From there, their appearances in Luxembourg will be spaced until they leave suddenly their residence. Marius loses their trace and the winter arrives without it finding it. In cause of despair, Marius frequent of Coufeyrac advantage and the group of ABC.
Another young girl will make irruption in her life one morning of February 1832. It is “a pink in misery” , the oldest daughter of its neighbors of misfortune, the Jondrette family. The father sends his daughters to make the begging a little everywhere and this is why it is presented in the room of Marius. If he did not notice this girl hitherto, she seems well to know it and calls it Mr Marius. It will be an important component of its destiny because Éponine, if it is well the girl of Jondrette, his/her parents are not other than Thénardier, of the shadies of the worst species which exploit their children. Marius vainly sought this Thénardier on the side of Montfermeil to respect the wish of his father and he is unaware of history at this time that Jondrette and Thénardier do only one. Éponine, already in love with Marius without it suspecting it, will help it to find its dulcinée of Luxembourg although in prey with the jealousy but without this feeling never taking the top when it is a question of defending the happiness of the elected official of sound cœur.
Marius, who saw “the misery of the child” in Éponine, will start to observe his neighbors and to discover gradually that Mister and Mrs Jondrette are dangerous individuals that nothing can racheter.
During peregrinations financed by his/her father, Éponine brings back one day in the family slum “the good Mister philanthropist of the church Saint-Jacques-of-High-Not the” which comes to make them alms. Marius, who posted himself at an observatory of his room from where it does not lose anything of what occurs in its neighbors, sees entering with stupor Mr. Leblanc and its unknown beauty of Luxembourg that it believed lost forever.
Jondrette seems to recognize Mr. Leblanc and invents a name of stage actor without employment, Fabantou, which does not fail to indicate to Marius that this Jondrette is an out and out scoundrel. He exploits a number of father the point to be expelled to encourage his benefactor to return the evening to even give the money of the alleged unpaid rents to him. Mr. Leblanc and his daughter from go away by hackney carriage, Marius wants to follow them but without success because it does not have any more money to pay the coachman. By regaining its residence it with the idea to ask Éponine to help it to find the address of the unknown ones. This one guesses that Marius is especially interested by the “beautiful young lady” but, even jealous, it accepts to help it. Since his room, Marius hears Jondrette which prepares an ambush for Mr. Leblanc. He seems to have identified this Mr. Leblanc who appears less limpid blow with the eyes of Marius. Jondrette requests a band of dangerous gangsters, the Owner-Iron ore, for its trap of the evening. Marius goes to the police station in order to announce to the authorities what is woven and the inspector Javert asks him to draw a blow from alarm gun when there is indeed beginning of aggression, which will start the intervention of sound équipe.
The come evening, Mr. Leblanc falls into the trap fomented by Thénardier and his band. But Marius will be in full dilemma when Jondrette declares with Mr. Leblanc who he is not other than Thénardier that he already met in the past in Montfermeil. The police force makes irruption in the bulge and captures the gangsters without however identifying the victim which succeeded in fleeing in general confusion, which will make say to Javert that “It was to be the best! ” Marius will be constrained to give up his room being in impossibility of explaining to the Javert inspector why it did not set off the alarm like agreed. The Jondrette family being imprisoned, everyone loses sight of the fact itself by deserting the Gorbeau.
It is in April 1832 which Éponine will find the trace of Marius thanks to the Mabeuf father to lead it to “the address” that it found as he had asked it to him. She will accompany it in front of the residence by her unknown beauty which lives with his/her father in a house in the middle of a large garden of the street Plumet.
Marius will approach one evening his beautiful, Cosette, whereas she walks in her garden. The two in love ones will live to them “Idylle secret street Plumet” with the eyes of all except with those of Éponine which them épie without their knowledge. Divided between jealousy and love, it will be the “watchdog” of the house street Plumet by defending some the come access to her father and Owner-Iron ore one night with an aim of the cambrioler.
Mr. Leblanc who is, as one will have guessed, Jean Valjean, will be worried by various events around him like this message thrown by an unknown, “Move” (Éponine, which exchanged its rags of girl against those of a boy). He will notice also suspect movements in his garden and a change of attitude of Cosette. One will not have any to him more to suddenly leave its house of the district of the Invalides for its other remains located at the 7, of the Rue of Man-Armed in the Marsh. Its project being to leave for the England with Cosette because it always fears to be found by Javert.
Accustomed to the inopportune removals, Valjean leaves the street Plumet the June 4th without preventing and Cosette will not have that time to write with haste its new address and to require of a “young workman” who trailed street Plumet (Éponine) to carry it to Marius Pontmercy. In parallel, Marius is turned over in his Gillenormand grandfather to ask for the authorization to him of marry Cosette. The grandfather will be misled while refusing, believer that it is only one passing fancy of no importance and its grandson, ulcerated once again will leave the residence of the grandfather accablé.
The objective of Éponine is not to give the letter to Marius but contrary to seizing this occasion to separate it from Cosette. When Marius comes the evening from the June 5th street Plumet, it finds the house closed and understands that Cosette and Jean Valjean left precipitately one does not know where. It is ploughed up when it intends a voice to shout to him that his/her friends await it the barricade of the street of Chanvrerie because funerals of the Général Lamarque started a insurrection carried out in particular by the group of ABC.
Not having more anything to lose, Marius goes to the barricade with the idea to die there. But the destiny will decide some differently since Éponine will not be able to be solved to see its unhappy beloved and will die in his place on the barricade after him to have given the letter of Cosette. Marius, despaired by the refusal of his grandfather, writes an answer for Cosette and request with the young brother of Éponine, Gavroche, to carry the letter to Miss Cosette, 7, rue de l'Homme-Armé. In this despaired letter, Marius announces in Cosette that it will die on the barricade since his/her grandfather refuses the marriage. It is also a means for Marius of withdrawing Gavroche from the dangers of the barricade because it knows that this one is Thénardier that his/her father asked him for aider.
Gavroche gives the letter to Valjean because Cosette sleeps. Meanwhile, Jean Valjean deciphered the written letter by Cosette with Marius on a blotter. It is a painful discovery for Valjean which will go to this barricade in order to understand which is this Marius that its protected, its reason to live, likes more than all with the monde.
Marius will be surprised by the arrival of Valjean at the time when the events of this June 6th 1832 will precipitate on the barricade which will be taken by storm and where everyone will die including Gavroche Thénardier that Marius will not have succeeded with sauver.
On the other hand, Marius, seriously wounded and unconscious, will be helped by this angel of mercy which is Valjean without it knowing with which it will owe the vie.
Marius of will awake in the house of his grandfather and it will recover slowly from its wounds with happiness to receive the every day the visit of Cosette and Jean Valjean. The marriage will be celebrated the February 16th 1833.
Marius will be confronted with a strange revelation on behalf of Jean Valjean that it suspect of a doubtful behavior. He will think of having the certainty of it when Valjean teaches him that he is a convict in rupture of round of applause and that Cosette is not his/her daughter. Marius is terrified by this man. Not being able to measure the way of the redemption of Valjean which passes by the abnegation, Marius thinks that it is preferable to cease any relation with lui.
But in June 1833, Marius receives the visit of a certain “Thénard” in which it recognizes this villain of Thénardier come to calumniate Valjean in order to tap money with the “baron de Pontmercy” since Marius took again the title bequeathed by his father. Wishing to respect the wish of his father towards Thénardier, Marius agrees to listen to it and the remarks of Thénardier will have the opposite effect with that which he discounted. Marius will measure the true human dimension and the sacrifice of Valjean at the same time as he will doubt that Thénardier really could save its père.
Marius and Cosette will arrive too late at the bedside of Valjean which will expire in their presence.

First lines of the letter of declaration of love of Marius with Cosette

“the reduction of the universe with only one being, the dilation of only one being to God, here is love.

L' love it is the greeting of the angels to the astres.

Comme the heart is sad when it is sad by the love!
Quel vacuum that the absence to be it which with him only fills the world! Oh! as it is true that the loved being becomes God. It would be understood that God out of jealous barrel if the Father of all had not obviously made creation for the heart, and the heart for the amour.

Il is enough to a smile foreseen over there under a white crepe hat with bavolet lilac, so that the heart enters the palate of the rêves.

Dieu is behind all, but any mask God. The things are black, the creatures are opaque. To love a being, it is to return it transparent.

De certain thoughts are prayers. Moments ago when, whatever the attitude of the body, the heart is with knees. ”

With the cinema and on television

Marius was in particular incarnated with the cinema and on television by:

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