Key themes
- The redemption of Jean Valjean — and the society that makes him possible
- Law, mercy and the inflexibility of Inspector Javert
- The poor of Paris and the revolution that was supposed to save them
About this book
An ex-convict's long road to redemption set against the misery and barricades of nineteenth-century France.
Published in 1862, Les Misérables took Hugo seventeen years to write. It immediately caused a sensation across Europe. Hugo described it as a novel about the relationship between misery and society.
Discussion questions
- Jean Valjean's transformation begins with an act of grace from the Bishop. How does Hugo develop this transformation — and what is he saying about the conditions required for redemption?
- Javert pursues Valjean across decades with absolute conviction. How does Hugo develop Javert — and what does his ultimate crisis say about the relationship between law and mercy?
- Fantine's fate is one of the novel's most devastating strands. How does Hugo use her story to make his argument about the cruelty of the social system?
- The Paris uprising of 1832 is the novel's historical climax. What is Hugo saying about political revolution — about what it requires, what it achieves, and what it costs?
- Les Misérables is enormously long. What does the scale allow Hugo to do — and are there sections that serve the argument less well than others?
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