Term Paper on "Les Miserables Victor Hugo Is Remembered Today"

Term Paper 8 pages (2753 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Les Miserables

Victor Hugo is remembered today as one of the most notable and revolutionary writers of French literature. The social consciousness displayed in many of his novels is evidence of the conscience developed over a lifetime of involvement in politics and revolutionary thought. Combined with this is Hugo's inner humanistic quality that denied self-preservation in favor of a protective attitude towards those being oppressed. This noble trait often led him to deny opportunities of comfort in favor of a more humanistic goal. In this respect, Hugo parallels many of the qualities of Jean Valjean, the main character in Les Miserables.

Hugo used his literary power to influence political thinking of his time, as well as to raise consciousness regarding the poor, children and other victims of the political upheaval caused by the French Revolution. The author has come to represent the literary movement of French Romanticism. This movement, with its imagination, subjectivity, freedom of thought, and idealization of nature fused itself well with Hugo's humanistic and somewhat rebellious personality. Together with this Hugo's political views leaned towards social liberty, which he combined in his idealism, and he saw 1830 as the year marking the emergence of both (Kirjasto).

Hugo and his contemporaries, like many today, saw the role of the artist as social commentator and director. Hugo fulfilled this role admirably by adhering to the political views he held even in the face of significant political opposition. He shows his strongly principled character by never shying away from subject matter that may prove socially and politically inflammatory. The same strong principles can be seen in Jean Valjean, the main character of Les Miserables.

Valjean, like many people in Hugo's time, was the victim of social injustice (Yevtushenko). He served the ridiculous sentence of nineteen years for stealing a loaf of bread to at least momentarily satisfy his and his family's hunger. This is a comment on the society of the time by the author. Social justice was non-existent in the face of an ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor; the powerful and the powerless. The natural response of the main character to such treatment is not rehabilitation, but a tendency towards even further criminality. Indeed, he goes so far as attempting to rob Monseigneur Myriel, the Bishop. When the bishop shows him kindness and forgiveness in return only for a promise to become a good man, this touches Valjean deeply. This is Hugo's comment on the need for humanity and kindness in his world. The author's assessment is that kindness would breed further kindness. The power of this kindness is then shown later in the life of Valjean, as he becomes the Mayor of Montreuil-sur-mer, which is transformed to a center of manufacturing prosperity and a safe haven for all who enter (Kirjasto).

Hugo thus addresses the issues of his time while suggesting cures for the degeneracy and crime evident everywhere. Like Valjean, Hugo uses his principles and his power as a literary figure to affect the changes he deems necessary in his world. The most important parallel between the author and his main character is thus the fact of their kindness and compassion in relation to the social upheaval of their time and the suffering it caused to the innocent. Hugo thus also sought to adhere to his principles both in politics and in literature (Yevtushenko).

His literary and political ideals thus fused in the image of Hugo as a Romantic martyr when he was exiled in 1851. This followed the author's attempt at entering politics during 1848, which was unsuccessful due to the hypocrisy and betrayal of the younger Bonaparte. Hugo's extreme criticism of the new regime was then responded to with the penalty of exile (Kirjasto). Hugo nonetheless never ceases his criticism and refuses to disguise his disgust at the treatment of the poor, prisoners, and convicted. These conditions are all described with accuracy in Les Miserables. Indeed, Valjean's situation is by no means unusual for the France in which Hugo lived. Valjean suffered as a result of poverty and saw one simple crime as his only resort. For this he was punished excessively and treated with unremitting cruelty until he became the criminal he was perceived as in the first place. This, according to Hugo, was the unfortunate cycle to which too many of his fellow French were subject to. He heavily criticized the politicians of his time for this situation, particularly by means of characters such as Javert and the Thenardiers who victimized Cosette. Valjean then represents Hugo in his struggle to bring justice to those who are oppressed (Yevtushenko).

Hugo then saw his role as Romantic artist as encompassing three facets, which together formed what he referred to as "the complete poet." These include humanity, nature, and the supernatural. Of course in Les Miserables the most prominent facet of the three emerges as humanity. Hugo's political involvement, as touched upon above, is a testament to his humanistic values. When his biography is examined, this becomes further evident in his efforts for the poor and the oppressed not only from a distant, but as a part of the French Revolution itself. Much of his material for Les Miserables was accumulated from his experiences rather than theoretical research (Kirjasto).

Victor Hugo was born into a fairly distinguished family, his father having been an officer in Napoleon's army. Victor Hugo's father, Leopold, was an enthusiastic politician, and further served as governor of a province near Naples, and later distinguished himself as an officer by taking charge of three Spanish provinces.

Victor Hugo's greatest inclination during his younger years was towards literature. He began writing tragedies and poetry during his early adolescent years. In 1819 he founded the Conservateur Litteraire with his brothers, and published his first collection of poetry in 1822. These won him the early distinction of a royal pension from Louis XVIII.

Hugo published his first novel in 1823.

In marriage, Hugo married within his military background, and took Adele Foucher, the daughter of an officer, as his wife. Hugo's political standing was never firm, although some of his poetry took the royalist side and defended his father's role in Napoleon's wars. In the 1820's he was furthermore influenced by liberal writers, while also attacking the injustices suffered at the hands of monarchist regimes. It was thus his literature that put him in touch with the political realities of his world and later provided material for the book Les Miserables, as well as many other works. Later in his life he became a Republican supporter. In his political career, he was made a pair de France in 1845, a very distinguished position. After the 1848 revolution and the formation of the Second Republic, he became a member of the Constitutional Assembly and the Legislative Assembly. It was from this position where he led rioting workers to storm barricades (Kirjasto).

Victor Hugo's initial political tendencies thus leaned towards the aristocracy (Yevtushenko). His developing social consciousness however led him to declare himself as a plebian hero during the 1850's. This was also reflected in his writing, where he addressed the causes of poverty and other social issues, as mentioned above. His primary concern was the common people, and especially the poor, whom the rich were using for their own benefit. Hugo however saw potential within the misery, much like Valjean did, and worked to bring the consciousness of this potential to the people he cared about. His mist significant and virtuous characters were therefore also the poor; hence the title of Les Miserables. The misery in the novel parallels the misery in the society of Hugo's time, but also the ability of the human spirit to triumph over such misery. Jean Valjean is the ultimate embodiment of such triumph in the novel. It is through his frequent victories over the system, embodied by Javert, that this triumph is demonstrated and finally comes to its vibrant conclusion in Valjean's final victory. Even Javert is forced to admit that there is no charge against Valjean apart from the fact that he is a good man (Yevtushenko).

The 1950's were tumultuous years for Victor Hugo and his family. Napoleon III's coup d'etat in 1951 for example led Hugo to believe that his life was in danger. Combined with his opinion that Napoleon was a traitor, this resulted in Hugo's self-imposed exile to Brussels and later Jersey, from which he once again moved to Guernsey in the English Channel. This is the period that much inspired Les Miserables and other works focusing on social injustice and political corruption (Yevtushenko).

It is a testament to Hugo's refusal to give in to the hypocrisy he perceived in the state that he did not return to France once Napoleon III granted amnesty to all political exiles during 1859. This is the time during which his Les Miserables was published amid an international advertising campaign. Once again it can be surmised that the book's message was received as intended: critics were divided,… READ MORE

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