LES MISRABLES SUMMARY

Chapter 9: Monsieur Gillenormand

M. Guillenormand, Marius`s grandfather, was 90 years old. He was depressed because he
missed so much his grandson. He thought he would never see Marius again. Suddenly,
Marius appeared dressed in a very poor condition. The young man returned to ask his
grandfather for permission to get married with Cosette. The old man denied it and the boy
left the house. He went to look for Cosette but he didn`t find her and felt very sad and
hopeless. Then, a little voice called him, it was ponine. She told Marius to go to the
barricade in the rue de Chanvrerie, where his friends were waiting for him.
Chapter 10: The Barricade
In 1832, started a revolution in Paris. Louse Phillippe 's reign was affected by many
protests. The violence exploded when General Lamarque, who was very popular with the
people, died. The fire started with two gunshot killings: an old woman and the commander
of the soldiers. Enjolras and some friends built a barricade in the rue de la Chanvrerie to
face the king's soldiers. Between their lines, the boys found a misterious man, who turned
out to be Javert: he was there as spy. They took him as a prisoner. Meanwhile, Marius was
walking through the crowds, ignoring the danger and someone fired at him but the bullet
was deflacted by a hand of a child. He didnt noticed that and then arrived to his friends'
barricade and joined them on the defense. The shooting was fierce and many people died.
When the soldiers threatened to blow up the barricade, Marius, who was standing at the
foot of the barricade, holding a flaming torch above a barrel of gunpowder, smiled and
lowered the torch towards the gunpowder. the soldiers left the barricade running. When
things got calmed, ponines little voice appeared again to Marius. The Thnardiers girl
was dressed like a boy and had her hand shot. She was bleeding to dead so she asked to
Marius to give her a kiss on her forehead when she died and then handed him a letter from
Cosette. ponine died, so Marius kissed her and read the letter which contained Cosettes
new address. For a little while, he felt very happy but then realized that he would died too,
so he wrote her a letter, explaining he had not gotten the permition from his grandfather to
marry her and saying goodbye. He asked a boy to deliver it.
Chapter 11: The letter.
Jean Valjean and Cosette had quarreled. He felt devastated when he discovered that Cosette
had written a letter to Marius. He decided to follow the man who was trying to separate her
from his side, he recognized him as the young man in the Luxemburg Gardens. Valjean was
thinking at the doorstep when he saw a boy searching for a number between the houses.
The boy was trying to deliver a letter to Cosette. Valjean took the letter, which came from
the barricade in the rue de la Chenvrerie, and read it: the man who wrote it was going to
die. Valjean felt joy for a few minutes, but then he felt that he had to save the man whom
Cosette loved. So Valjean left the house dressed in his National Guard uniform.
Chapter 12: Fight to the dead.
At the barricade, Enjolras decided that all the married men to go home. There were five of
them and four National Guards uniformes to dress, from four dead soldiers, in order not to
be discovered as rebels. Meanwhile, Valjean arrived dressed in the fifth uniform they

needed, he give it to the boys and told them they can leave. The battle continued.. The
battle continued.
Valjean recognized Javert among the prisoners and asked Enjolras, permission to kill the
inspector. He allowed him to take the spy. Valjean pulled Javert behind him into an alley,
then he cut the ropes that tied him and said that he was free to go. Javert was speechless.
Valjean fired his gun into the air, pretending he killed Javert. The barricade was defeated,
Marius and Enjolras were left outside and Marius received a shot in the shoulder. Someone
took him before he lost his consciousness. Enjolras was the last to die.
Chapter 13: The Sewers of Paris
Valjean grabbed Marius before he fell, and carried him, unconscious, through a small alley.
They seemed to have no scape. Valjean had an idea: to move the stones, near the smaller
barricade, in order to open the grille. Minutes later he found himself in a long underground
passage, with Marius lying across his shoulders. They continued the journey through the
sewers, Valjean felt sick with the terrible airless smell. He found a letter in the pocket of the
dying man, which contained the address of his grandfather, where his body should be taken
in case of dead. Valjean was hopeless when he saw ahead of him a light. He ran towards the
light, but he realized that the opening was closed with a strong iron gate. He was very tired
and disappointed, but then he saw a man. It was Thnardier, who didnt recognize Valjean.
He offered Valjean to split the money he had found on Marius pockets in exchange of
unlocking the gate. Valjean gave thirty francs to him and the thieve opened the gate.
Outside, Marius and Valjean were found by Javert, who helped Valjean to take Marius to
his grandfathers house. When they did that, Valjean asked Javert to allow him to go to his
house. Javert granted it and accompained to his house front door, afterward Javert killed
himself jumping into the river.
While that happened with Javert, M. Gillenormand was crying at his grandson dead body.
By surprise, Marius slowly opened his eyes. "Marius, my child, grandson! Your'e alive after
all!" the old man cried.
Sylvia Gmez Bowen
Level 6.