Jean Valjean has finally been introduced, and his story is absolutely heartbreaking. The political system at the time was extremely intense, and the punishments given to people were unfair, to say the least. Poverty, while not a crime in and of itself, was treated as such when it came to the law. Being poor was almost the equivalent to a death sentence, and those who were poor had to do everything they could to survive. Hugo describes Jean Valjean's family of seven children and his sister with whom he lived with as being “a sad little group, engulfed in poverty and always on the verge of destitution.” So, Jean Valjean resorted to stealing in order to provide for his family, and because of that, he ended up in prison for 5 years. Over time, the punishment grew, and long story short, he spent 19 years in prison. Victor Hugo makes a case for Valjean by mentioning that while he was wrong for his crime, it was ultimately the political system that caused Valjean to resort to those measures to survive. A man who was willing to work yet was unable to find employment shouldn’t have been in that predicament in the first place. Valjean’s life was full of sadness and unfairness. I don’t blame the guy for hating everything and giving up hope in the world. I’m curious to see how his story plays out and what happens with him. (Mind you, I’ve never read the story, nor have I seen the musical in its entirety. So I have ZERO clue as to what will happen! ) Stay tuned for more of my thoughts as I read Les Miserables by Victor Hugo by the end of the month! make sure to follow on here and ig (thelovelythings505) for more classic literature and les Misérables content! 🤎
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