MAJOR Jean Valjean Valjean is the main character of the book.

He is what 20th century critics call an antihero in that he is an ordinary person who exerts extraordinary effort to not only sur i e! but to protect and defend those who are weaker than himself. Valjean is an ex-con ict who lea es behind a life of hatred and deceit and makes his fortune with his inno ati e industrial techni"ues. He finds fulfilment in lo in# his adopted dau#hter and helpin# people who are in difficult situations! e en when it means riskin# his own life and welfare. Valjean adopts pseudonyms to e ade the police and combines a con ict$s street smarts with his newfound idealism and compassion. His whole life is a "uest for redemption! and he ultimately finds bliss on his deathbed. %s a type he represents those who inspire chan#e but are also the ictim of its

resistance. Valjean also represents a sense of independence! a noble defiance of man$s law in fa or of &od$s law. Hu#o alludes repeatedly to reli#ious influences and to the presence of &od in the life of Valjean. %nd it is the laws of &od that seem to be assertin# themsel es for 'a ert when the human law fails him.

Cosette (osette! like Valjean! #rows up in an atmosphere of po erty and fear! but she is rescued from this life before her innocence #i es way to cynicism. )hou#h she spends a number of years under the tyrannical care of the )h*nardiers! she ne er adopts their cruel iews! which indicates that she possesses a fundamental decency and #oodness that they lack. +nce Valjean takes char#e of (osette$s upbrin#in#! she "uickly transforms from a dirty! unhappy child into a lo ely! well-educated youn# woman. ,or Hu#o! this transformation is so natural that he does not e en bother to walk us throu#h it and instead skips se eral years ahead. )hou#h she is obedient and fiercely loyal to her adopti e father! (osette also has her own personality! which emer#es as she enters adolescence and be#ins to hun#er for a

less sheltered life. -n this period of their li es! Valjean$s role temporarily chan#es from (osette$s sa ior to her jailer. (osette$s ability to truly lo e .arius! howe er! is due in lar#e part to Valjean! who has tau#ht her to trust and lo e. -n the end! (osette remains true to her upbrin#in#! and her lo e for .arius becomes her way of applyin# to her own life what she has learned from Valjean.

Javert 'a ert is so obsessed with enforcin# society$s laws and morals that he does not reali/e he is li in# by mistaken assumptions0a tra#ic and ironic flaw in a man who belie es so stron#ly in enforcin# what he belie es is ri#ht. %lthou#h 'a ert is such a stern and inflexible character that it is hard to sympathi/e with him! he li es with the shame of knowin# that his own &ypsy upbrin#in# is not so different from the back#rounds of the men he pursues. He li es his life tryin# to erase this shame throu#h his strict commitment to upholdin# the law. 'a ert$s flaw! howe er! is that he ne er stops to "uestion whether the laws themsel es are just. -n his mind! a man is #uilty when the law declares him so. 1hen Valjean finally #i es 'a ert irrefutable proof that a man is not necessarily e il just because the law says he is! 'a ert is incapable of reconcilin# this new knowled#e with his beliefs. He commits suicide! pla#ued by the thou#ht that he may be li in# a dishonorable life. )rue to 'a ert$s nature! he makes this decision not with any emotional hysterics! but rather with a cool determination. %lthou#h he is a man of lo#ic! he is impassioned about his work. )o this end! Hu#o fre"uently uses animal ima#ery to describe 'a ert! particularly when he likens him to a ti#er. -n the end! it is difficult to feel anythin# other than pity for 'a ert! who assumes his duty with such sa a#ery that he seems more animal than man.

Marius Pontmercy

2nlike the other major characters in the no el! .arius #rows up in a well-to-do household free of financial worries. 3onetheless! his family is split apart by politics! and it is not until he de elops his own personality that he is able to become whole. .arius$s loyalties are torn between his father! &eor#es 4ontmercy! who is a colonel in the 3apol*onic army! and his staunchly monarchist #randfather! .. &illenormand! who raises him. )he political differences between his father and #randfather threaten to tear apart .arius$s identity! as he learns that his conser ati e #randfather intentionally pre ented him from establishin# a relationship with his father out of fear that .arius would succumb to his father$s liberal political iews. %n#ry and confused! .arius adopts his father$s beliefs! but it soon becomes apparent that what he really needs is an idealism of his own. .arius be#ins to de elop truly only when he lea es &illenormand$s house! findin# himself and fallin# in lo e for the first time.

Fantine %lthou#h all of ,antine$s misfortunes are caused by the callousness or #reed of others! society always holds her accountable for her beha ior. -n this sense! she embodies Hu#o$s iew that ,rench society demands the most from those to whom it #i es the least. ,antine is a poor! workin#-class #irl from the desolate seacoast town of .ontreuilsur-mer! an orphan who has almost no education and can neither read nor write. ,antine is ine itably betrayed by the people she does trust5 )holomy6s #ets her pre#nant and then disappears7 the )h*nardiers take (osette and use the child to extort more money7 and ,antine$s coworkers ha e her fired for indecency. -n his descriptions of ,antine$s life and death! Hu#o hi#hli#hts the unfair attitude of ,rench society toward women and the poor. ,antine$s fellow citi/ens critici/e her for her beha ior and depra ity! but they also take e ery opportunity to make her circumstances e en more desperate. Hu#o$s portrayal of ,antine$s mistreatment distin#uishes the honest! hardworkin# poor from the parasitic opportunism of the workin#-class )h*nardiers. 8y juxtaposin# ,antine

with the )h*nardiers! Hu#o su##ests that po erty does not necessarily e"ual indecency. -n doin# so! he condemns a system that allows the indecent poor to sur i e e en as it crushes the honest and needy.

MINOR Gavroche 9ittle &a roche re eals Hu#o$s soft spot of the ne#lected waifs of 4aris. 9ike his sister! he is immersed in the criminal element of 4aris! but while he uses it to his own ends for sur i al! he is untainted by it. He is a bundle of spunk! of coura#e! and has a nononsense iew of ri#ht and wron#. He will steal from other thie es! but his andalism is often committed to the benefit of others in need. He is "uick to do fa ors and just as "uick to make sure he is in the middle of all the action. He is in enti e! "uick thinkin#! independent and non-jud#emental. -n short! he is the most lo able character of the no el.

Thenardier )henardier is the epitome of e il. % continuous bane to Valjean! he is also the chief representati e of the worst elements of ,rench society. He is the product of laws that turn misdemeanors into major felonies! the outcome of a society where the honest poor can barely sur i e. His own lack of character leads him into a life of crime where his style of li in# is e en worse than simply bein# poor. :et! he is cle er. He has the intelli#ence to rise abo e his circumstances! but chooses to use it for criminal ends.