Valjean saves Javert's life for some very simple but heartbreaking reasons. Valjean is not like Javert, he does not harbor the same resentment or the drive to win. He merely wishes to live his life in peace.
However, when Valjean lets Javert go, he abandons his dream of a peaceful life. He has already assumed that he will die at the barricades. Valjean has already come to trade his own life for Marius', in order that his adopted daughter Cosette may marry Marius. Valjean realizes that Cosette has grown into a woman, and now a husband will make her happier than a father.
Thus, Valjean does not barter for his freedom, or attempt to make any deals with Javert. Valjean even gives Javert his address, intending to submit to the police should he survive. Valjean's reason for living was Cosette, and if she can be provided for, he is willing to step aside.
Because he was so conflicted, he couldn't bear it. All of Javert's life, he had believed strictly in black and white: Once a convict, always a convict, therefore always a bad man. But Jean Valjean spared his life, and on no conditions and with no hatred or bitterness toward him, simply understanding and forgiveness...it turned Javert's life upside-down. He couldn't bear the fact that all his life he'd been wrong, that he'd be hunting a man who was a convict yet a better man than he...how could he turn his back on his way of thinking for his entire life? His beliefs were shattered...so he committed suicide, jumping off the bridge to spare himself and Valjean of Valjean's arrest.
Javert believed his whole life that without exception, anyone that didn't brake the law was a good person and that anyone that broke the law was a bad person and as such deserved to suffer and belonged behind bars. This philosophy was what he based his whole life and everything he did on. When he found out he was wrong he couldn't live with everything he had done and decided to end it all.
In the novel "Les Misérables," Jean Valjean helps Javert by saving his life after Javert is captured by revolutionaries at the barricade. Valjean's act of mercy towards Javert makes him question his beliefs about justice and mercy, ultimately leading to Javert's internal conflict and decision to let Valjean go free.
PROLOGUE: 1815, DIGNEJean Valjean, released on parole after 19 years on the chain gang, finds that the yellow ticket-of-leave he must, by law, display condemns him to be an outcast. Only the saintly Bishop of Digne treats him kindly and Valjean, embittered by years of hardship, repays him by stealing some silver. Valjean is caught and brought back by police, and is astonished when the Bishop lies to the police to save him, also giving him two precious candlesticks. Valjean decides to start his life anew.1823, MONTREUIL-SUR-MEREight years have passed and Valjean, having broken his parole an changed his name to Monsieur Madeleine, has risen to become both a factory owner and Mayor. One of his workers, Fantine, has a secret illegitimate child. When the other women discover this, they demand her dismissal. The foreman, whose advances she has rejected, throws her out.Desperate for money to pay for medicines for her daughter, Fantine sells her locket, her hair, and then joins the whores in selling herself. Utterly degraded by her new trade she gets into a fight with a prospective customer and is about to be take to prison by Javert when "The Mayor" arrives and demands she be taken to a hospital instead.The Mayor then rescues a man pinned down by a runaway cart. Javert is reminded of the abnormal strength of convict 24601 Jean Valjean, a parole-breaker whom he has been tracking for years, but who, he says has just been recaptured. Valjean, unable to see an innocent man go to prison in his place, confesses to the court that he is prisoner 24601.At the hospital Valjean promises the dying Fantine to find and look after her daughter Cosette. Javert arrives to arrest him, but Valjean escapes.1823, MONTFERMEILCosette has been lodged for five years with the Thenardiers who run an inn, horribly abusing the little girl whom they use as a skivvy while indulging their own daughter, Eponine. Valjean finds Cosette fetching water in the dark. He pays the Thenardiers to let him take Cosette away and takes her to Paris. But Javert is till on his tail...1832, PARISNine years later there is a great unrest in the city because of the likely demise of the popular leader General Lamarque, the only man left in the Government who shows any feeling for the poor. The urchin Gavroche is in his element mixing with the whores and the beggars of the capital. Among the street-gangs is one led by Thenardier and his wife, which sets upon Jean Valjean and Cosette. They are rescued by Javert, who does not recognize Valjean until after he has made good his escape. The Thenardiers' daughter Eponine, who is secretly in love with the student Marius, reluctantly agrees to help him find Cosette, with whom he has fallen in love.At a political meeting in a small cafe, a group of idealistic students prepare for the revolution they are sure will erupt on the death of General Lamarque. When Gavroche brings the news of the General's death, the students, led by Enjolras, stream out into the streets to whip up popular support. Only Marius is distracted by the thoughts of the mysterious Cosette.Cosette is consumed by the thoughts of Marius, with whom she has fallen in love. Valjean realizes that his 'daughter" is changing very quickly but refuses to tell her anything of her past. In spite of her own feelings for Marius, Eponine sadly brings him to Cosette and then prevents an attempt by her father's gang to rob Valjean's house. Valjean, convinced it was Javert who was lurking outside his house, tells Cosette they must prepare to flee the country. On the eve of the revolution the students and Javert see the situation from their different viewpoints; Cosette and Marius part in despair of ever meeting again; Eponine mourns the loss of Marius; and Valjean looks forward to the security of exile. The Thenardiers, meanwhile, dream of rich pickings underground from the chaos to come.The students prepare to build the barricade. Marius, noticing that Eponine has joined the insurrection, sends her with a letter to Cosette, which is intercepted at the Rue Plumet by Valjean. Eponine decides, despite what he has said to here, to rejoin Marius at the barricade.The barricade is built and the revolutionaries defy an army warning that they must give up or die. Gavroche exposes Javert as a policy spy. In trying to return to the barricade Eponine is shot and killed. Valjean arrives at the barricades in search of Marius. He is given the chance to kill Javert, but instead lets him go.The students settle down for a night on the barricade and, in the quiet of the night, Valjean prays to God to save Marius from the onslaught which is to come. The next day, with ammunition running low, Gavroche runs out to collect more and is shot. The rebels are all killed, including their leader, Enjolras.Valjean escapes into the sewers with the unconscious Marius. After meeting Thenardier, who is rubbing the corpses of the rebels, he emerges into the light only to meet Javert once more. he pleads for time to deliver the young man to a hospital. Javert decides to let him go and, his unbending principles of justice having been shattered by Valjean's own mercy, he kill himself by throwing himself into the swollen River Seine. A number of Parisian women come to terms with the failed insurrection and its victims. unaware of the identity of his rescuer, Marius recovers in Cosette's care. Valjean confesses the truth of his past to Marius and insists that after the young couple are married, he must go away rather than taint the sanctity and safety of their union. At Marius and Cosette's wedding the Thenardiers try to black mail Marius. Thenardier says Cosette's "father" is a murderer and, as proof, produces a ring which he stole from the corpse in the sewers the night the barricades fell. It is Marius' own ring., and he realizes it was Valjean who rescued him that night. He and Cosette go to Valjean, where Cosette learns for the first time of her own history before the old man dies, joining the spirits of Fantine, Eponine, and all those who died on the barricades.
Les Miserables is about a former convict, Jean Valjean (24,601), and how he changes his life to help many, many people.Jean Valjean eight years after he breaks his parole, becomes mayor of a town. He promised to change and become an honest man. To fulfill his promise, he takes care for Cosette, a young girl who had been watched my an Innkeeper and his wife. Fantine, Cosettes' mother, payed the couple shelter her. The innkeepers were not affectionate to Cossete, and they mistreated her and made Cosette a worker and treated her like a slave. Fantine gets fired and Jean Valjean takes her to the hospital where she dies of illness. Prior to the death he promised to find Cosette and care for her. Meanwhile Javert, Jeans' parole officer, discovers Jean Valjeans' location. He has hunted him for the past eight years. Jean Valjean pays the innkeepers for Cosette and runs off to hide.Nine years after all that, Marius and his friends plan a revolution. Marius is secretly rich but acts poor because he believes it is unfair for everyone else. One day, Marius and Cosette meet eyes and have love at first sight. Epony, daughters of the innkeepers and is in love with Marius, becomes jealous. Later, Javert discovers where Jean Valjean has been hiding, and Cosette and Jean must flee. Cosette left a note, but epony decided to hide it from Marius. But he knew Cosette was no longer around. Later, the revolution had begun. Epony dressed up as a boy to enter the war and to help Marius. I am not going to give up the end for those who have not seen it. But if I made a mistake please feel free to edit. Hope you enjoyed it!Les Miserables follows the story of a convict on parole, Jean Valjean, and other poor people in France after the reign of Napoleon. Valjean is arrested for stealing a loaf of bread for his starving family. He is sentenced to five years in prison, but ends spending nineteen years there because he keep trying to escape. When he is finally set free he arrives at a town named Digne. (Referred to in the book as D-) When the town learns he is a former convict he denied shelter at an inn, a tavern, and a house. Finally, the bishop of the church allows him to stay at his house. Valjean steals all of his silver and is arrested. When he is brought before the bishop, he says he willingly gave him some silver and then gives him some more. When the police leave, he says he must use this silver to become an honest man. After stealing from a small child, he decides to change his ways. He eventually becomes a wealthy and generous business owner who goes on to be mayor of a town called Montriel-Sur Mer. A policeman in the town is named Javert, and he recognises Madeline (Valjean's Alias) as Jean Valjean when he uses his unnatural strengh to lift a cart of an old man named Fachevelent. His suspicons are cleared however when a rather stupid (but innocent) man is arrested because he looks like Valjean. Madeline reveals himself to be Valjean at the trail and runs back to Montreil-Sur Mer. There he promises a woman named Fantine that he will take care of her illegetimate daughter Cosette. She was currently under the care of a couple named the Theirdenairs who mistreated her. They had two other daughters at the time, Eponie and Alzema, who were treated very well as they were their biological daughters. Valjean is arrested before he can get her. In prison he fakes his death and arrives at the Theirdenair residence. He eventually gets Cosette but Monsieur Theirdenair wanted more money out of him so he follows him around for a few pages until Valjean scares him away. Cosette and Valjean move to a rented house where they spend some time until their landlord discovers that Valjean is a former convict, and he sells them to Javert. Javert had be spying on him as a beggar that Valjean frequently gave money. Valjean runs away to a convent (a place where only nuns may live) There he meets Fachevelent (the old man under the cart) and he is allowed to stay there if he helps the nuns bury one of there own. They spend many years there. The story then shifts over to a young man named Marius. Marius was given up by his father so he could live with his grandfather who the money to support him. Marius's grandfather, Gillanormand, didn't apporve of his father, Pontmercy, so he told Marius that his father hated him. Pontmercy would watch his son at church but was not allowed to talk to him. Marius's father eventually dies and his grandfather says he must go see him. In his father's will it says if he ever meets a man named Theirdenair he should help hom in any way possible. Monsuier Theirdenair saved Pontmercy at Waterloo by accident. Theirdenair is robbing the dead bodies when Pontmercy asks him to help him. He picks his pockets and moves on. Unkown to Theirdenair, Pontmercy would have not been found if he was not moved. Pontmercy belives that he did this purposefully. Marius is not saddened by his father's death because he belived that he hated him. One of the church workers tell him otherwise because he saw Pontmercy watching him in church and spoke with him. Marius then becomes almost a fan of his father. Gillanormad had very different poltical views than Pontmercy that he had imposed on Marius. Marius move out of those and begins to believe his father's poltical ideaology. Gillanormand becomes curios of where his son dissapears to and sends a realative to spy on him. The relative spots Marius putting flowers on his father's grave. Following a long argument, Marius is kicked out of his house. Marius makes friends with a group of students named Friends of ABC. They a planning a rebellion to give more benefits to the poor. Marius decides to start taking walks in the park. There he sees two people, he assumes to be father and daughter. He dubs the "father" Monsieur LeBlanc. (Mr. White) He believes the girl to be ugly. He is unable to make his walks after some time. He eventually resumes his walks. He sees Monsieur LeBlanc again with what he believes to be a different woman. He now realizes that this is the "ugly girl." Marius forms a crush for said woman. He starts to dress up for his walks. LeBlanc starts to suspect Marius and moves away soon after Marius follows them home. One day in his apartment, a woman comes and delivers him a letter from a man requesting money. She is his daughter and has a crush on Marius. The man's name is Jonderette. Marius, through a hole in his wall, sees Monsieur LeBlanc and his daughter arrive at the Joderette residence. Beforehand, Jonderette and his wife made the apartment look worse to earn pity. After LeBlanc leaves, Jonderette reveals that he plans to kill LeBlanc. Marius then goes to police station and reports to an officer named Javert about what he heard from Jonderette. Javert gives him a pistol to signal them when Jonderette began whatever he was planning. When Jonderette ties LeBlanc to the table, he reveals that his name is Theirdenair and that LeBlanc bought his daughter for much less money than he wanted. While Monsieur and Madame Theirdenair are monologuing, Valjean cuts himself free. Marius is torn between keeping his father's last wish and protecting Valjean. Javert arrives after a tip-off from Eponie (woman with letter) and Theirdenair and the Misses is arrested. Valjean escapes while Javert is arresting the Theirdenairs. We go back to Valjean with Cosette making a shocking realization, she is pretty. Around this time Valjean decides it is time for his daughter to see the world outside the convent. Thet move to a house named Rue Plumet. A son of the Theirdenairs, Gavroche, who does not particapte in the family crimes busts them out of prision. Gavroche was acutally abandonded by his parents and then two other Theirdenair boys were left to die. Madame Theirdaner has died in prision. Eponie, who was arrested despite her help, sadly informs Marius of Cosette's new address. Marius slips Cosette a love note and they soon fall in love. Valjean is nervous because of the young man lurking around his house at night and fears Javert might be on to him. Eponie, hoping to get Cosette out of the way of Marius, slips a note that commands him to move. Valjean makes plans to move to London. The Friends of ABC are erecting barricades and a grief-stricken Marius goes to assit them. Inspector Javert has gone to spy on the insurgents. Gavroche sees him for what he is and he is tied up. Marius scares off the first wave of French soilders by thearting to blow up a barrel of gunpowder. Before theartening to blow-up the barricade, Marius was almost shot but was protected by a young worker. When Marius finds the worker he discovers that is was Eponie who shielded him. Before she dies, she tells him about how she made Valjean and Cosette move away. After she dies, he kisses her on the foreheead and moves on. He writes a note explaing his death to Cosette and tells Gavroche to give it to her tomorrow. Gavroche, however, decides to head off that night. Valjean reads the letter and decides he must go and save Marius, even if he is jealous of him. Valjean had became a member of the National Gaurd during his stay at Rue Plumet. He suits up in his uniform and heads for the barricades. The Friends of ABC are suffering heavy losses and decide to let four men escape under the cover of four National Gaurd uniforms. There are five man with families and they must choose four. Valjean arrives and donates his uniform. Gavroche is killed while collecting ammo. When he dies, the scene moves to the abandoded Theirdenair boys that Gavroche had helped. He did not even know that these were his brothers. They are seen fighting a duck for a wet crust of bread. The author never explains what happens to them later, but this lack of information could have been purposeful. He could of wanted the reader to know that there was always someone out there who was cold, hungry, and alone. Javert is planned to be shot and killed and Valjean offers to do the honors. In a place where no one can see, Valjean lets Javert go. Javert is shocked a criminal would do such a thing. The barricades are completely destoryed and the last two men to die are Enjoras, the leader of the revolution, and Grantire, his drunken friend. Meanwhile, Valjean is carrying an unconsious Marius thourgh the sewers of Paris. Valjean, Marius, and the five men are the only ones still alive. Theirdenair is busy robbing the bodies from the battle when he sees Valjean and Marius. He tells Valjean he will let him out of the sewers if he has half of what he robbed off his dead body.(Marius) Valjean gives him the forty francs that was in his pocket. Theirdenair gives him the keys. Looking at the address book he discovers that his name is Marius Pontmercy and that he should be delivered to his grandfather's house. As he climbs out of the sewer, Javert is waiting there to arrest him. Valjean begs Javert to let him return Marius to Monsiuer Gillanormad. Javert, suprisingly, grants this request. After he is returned home, Valjean asks to say good bye to Cosette. Javert agrees again. After Valjean and Cosette have said their good byes, he goes to return to the carriage, but Javert is gone. Javert commits suicide by jumping into the river Senie because he has hunted down an honest man. Before he dies, he leaves a note at his police station on how the law system could be improved. Marius makes a full recovery and, thanks to Valjean's wealth from his time as a mayor, Marius and Cosette are soon married. Valjean pretends to have a broken hand so he doesn't have to sign the marriage license. (Former criminals were not allowed to sign legal documents.) He confesses to Marius how he is really a criminal and Marius immeadiately rejects him. Valjean asks him not to tell Cosette, and he agrees. Valjean is only allowed to see her once a night. He falls into a deep depression and eventually refuses to even leave his bed. Around this time, Theirdenair arrives at Marius and Cosette's residence and tells Marius he knows something about Cosette's father. He tells Marius Valjean is a criminal. When Marius already knows this, he tells him that Valjean is also a murder and posed as a mayor. For evidence he was a mayor, he shows him a newspaper clipping about how Valjean had helped Montriel-Sur Mer. For evidence he had killed someone, he showed Marius a scrap of his own clothing. When Valjean was in the sewers, Theirdenair took part of Marius's clothing to blackmail him later. Marius then reailzes that Valjean was not evil and he even saved his life. Marius pays Theirdenair and he uses it to move to America where he becomes a slave owner. They reach Valjean just as he is dying and he tells Cosette of her real mother. Valjean also writes down his secret to sucess in business at Montriel-Sur Mer for Marius to use. He also requests that he be buried without a name on the headstone. He dies in their embrace.ENDNOTESLes Miserables is 1000 pages long when unabriged. The condesed version is only 900 pages. I have given you the condesed version of the condesed version. The full edition goes into more detail for Gavrohce, Fantine, The Friends of ABC and the battle at the barricade, and the bishop who saved Valjean's soul.Les Miserables is also a musical. It is one of my favorites and you can watch it on YouTube.
There are hundreds of archetypes in Les Miserables. Some include: Light and darkness- these archetypes are expressed throughout the book. An example is when Bienvienu gives Jean the silver candlesticks. The color silver is light. Bienvieu is giving goodness, and hope to Jean. The Devil Figure- The devil figure in Les Miserables can be thought of to be the Therdinanders. They are described as souless and evil people. They are selfish and all they want it money The Divine Child- Cosette is the divine child. She is innocent and she didn't let her time spent with the Therdianders transfrom her into a horrible person. She also saves Jean from becoming a criminal again. Jean now had something to live for.
Myriel shows kindness and compassion towards Valjean because he believes in the power of redemption and mercy. He sees Valjean as a person in need of help and chooses to offer him a chance to change his ways and start anew. Additionally, Myriel's actions align with his Christian values of forgiveness and love thy neighbor.
Laisse les tranquilles
Translation: Écoutons-les
"laissez les bon temps (rouler)" is a translation from "let the good times (roll)"
The English translation is: let the good times roll.
"and let the good times roll"
Laisser les bons temps rouler
Laissez les bon temps rouler.