Whenever a novel has a happy ending through some kind of spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation, the readers generally feel glad to see the protagonist redeemed. This fact is reflected when people read the heartwarming story of Les Misérables. The author, Victor Hugo, focuses on the good, merciful aspect of human nature and writes a story about the struggles of a ex-convict, Jean Valjean, and his experiences for redemption. This masterpiece on moral reconciliation through the portrayal of the character of Valjean makes a point that humans still innately possess the qualities of philanthropy.
The ending of Les Misérables moves many readers because of their feelings of compassion towards a human who is truly trying to make a difference in the world. In the beginning of the book, Valjean is an ex-convict who just got out of prison and who cannot control his instinct to rob others for his own good. Two acts change Valjean forever. The first most obvious reason is, as many readers know, the forgiveness and kindness of the Bishop Myriel. The bishop unlike others, who reject Valjean solely on the fact that he is an ex-convict, embraces Valjean and not only offers him a place to stay, but also helps him out of trouble when Valjean is caught for robbery. He urges Valjean to embrace the ways of god and to redeem himself by helping others of need. The second act is when Valjean unintentionally steals from a young boy purely out of instinct. After he realizes what he has done, Valjean is horrified of what he has become and then vows to spend the rest of his life to others who are in need.
The rest of the story, in a simple sense, is an extension of Valjean’s struggles to redeem himself. He always acts out for the benefit of others even when those people are people who are against him, most notably Inspector Javert and the Thenardiers. To Javert, Valjean saves his life when Javert is captured by students in the uprising. To the Thenardiers, Valjean gives them huge amounts of money under the impression that they are very poor people, while in fact, they have large amounts of money due to Valjean’s generosity. In the end, Valjean dies surrounded by Marius and Cosette who are like son and daughter to him. He dies knowing that Marius and Cosette will be happy with each other and that he can finally rest in peace without any worries. Death surrounded by the people he loves most is Valjean’s final redemption and this is where the readers feel relieved. Victor Hugo writes a masterpiece of human nature and makes a point through the character of Valjean that humans innately possess the qualities of philanthropy.
First off, I am not exactly sure what prompt you are responding to. Number 1 possibly? This could very much change my response. But, I will write as though that is what you were answering.
ReplyDeleteTherefore, to begin... your essay is very thoughtful and thought provoking. I love the play Les Misérables, so it was very interesting to read your paper. The main suggestion I have is to make sure you answer all parts of the prompt. In your essay it was difficult to find the description of the standards of that society. You do a very nice job explaining Valjean, but I think having a little more background on the society would a) answer the question better and b) help explain the rest of your paper.
The other thing that confused me a little is how you started your first body paragraph by talking about the ending. If I was you, and in order to help the reader, I would put mention of the ending toward the end of your paper. For me, this just helps the organization and I think you could switch your two body paragraphs without a problem.
Finally, I find it is important to have a concluding paragraph. It helps to wrap your ideas, thoughts and paper up. This paper ends a tad abruptly and therefore, I lose some of your important points.
Hopefully these suggestions are somewhat helpful!
For starters, I really like this post as a whole. For the most part it does a good job identifying how the Valjean changes throughout the play and how he redeems himself morally by the end of the play.
ReplyDeleteLike Sarah however, it seems to me that you neglected to share how exactly societal expectations shaped Valjean. You made it clear that he does indeed change drastically and even pinpoint the main events that instigate change, but by not talking about how society fosters change, you are not fully adressing the entire prompt.
Besides that, i really like the way you answered the rest of the prompt. You were specific with your details while not letting them become to specific so that they bog down your whole response.
Since we aren't sure what prompt you answered for sure I'm going guess that you chose prompt one like Mitch and Sarah did. Your thesis is strong and clearly states your argument. And you intro paragraph is structured correctly.
ReplyDeletecontent
Though you addressed how Valjean was changed you didn't really address the society's demands or expectations. Since this is a part of the question it's crucial to have in the essay. However the way you answered how he changed was descriptive enough and entertaining.
In all I think you are essay is informative and interesting. You can tell that you are well versed in the piece of literature. But next time just remember to answer every part of the question.