Let's talk about Jean Valjean.

Hi again, everyone!
In accordance with all appearances, I had, in fact, disappeared from the face of the earth for several months. After flying my X-wing into uncharted galaxies, helping to bring truth, justice, and lots more truth to all who needed it, and fighting an intergalactic battle, I’ve finally returned.
I had a lot of time on my hands while flying into outer space. So I read Les Miserables, like every sensible pilot. And in case you couldn’t tell from the topic title, I want to talk about it. Primarily about Jean Valjean, who is just fantastic, but, in general, about the entire book and why it worked.
First of all… why did it work?
Am I just abnormal, that I decided to read a 1200-page novel for fun, and that it held my attention the whole way through? (If that’s the reason, I believe it.) I mean, Les Miserables flies in the face of everything we are taught as writers, like, “Start the action in the first sentence.” Hugo apparently never heard that one, judging by the fifty pages of description of the bishop before there’s any plot. And “Keep the action going. Don’t give us ten-page commentaries on Life in random places.” Or, “Don’t have a drunk guy perform a ten-page soliloquy.”
I think, though, that it was the characters who kept me reading.
So if you haven’t read the book, tune out now, and go read it. Because there are spoilers.
First of all: Jean Valjean. Let’s just talk about how great Jean Valjean is. Talk about a multi-dimensional character. Dude is a ex-convict and thief who becomes a mayor and then a father and then a lonely old man and then breaks your heart in the last couple of pages by dying. I mean, what a fantastic character! From the very beginning, his struggle to re-enter society captured my attention, and the Bishop is amazing, and how about that “paying-it-forward” with Valjean rescuing Fantine? (That was stream of consciousness. I apologize.) But we see this utter selflessness that draws us toward Valjean.
Secondly, I think it’s fantastic that Hugo chose to write about the underdogs. An unmarried mother who becomes a prostitute, an ex-convict, an abused child, an unwealthy dreamer, a street urchin, some rebels, etc. He really showed us “the miserable” as they are, and inspired my sympathy for the people in our society who are often overlooked.
Thirdly, how do y’all feel about Marius, Cosette, and Eponine? At first, Cosette was my favorite, and I wanted to keep her and make everything okay. And then she grew up and became a beauty and caught Marius’ attention, and at first I was happy for her because I remembered who she once was, but once I met Eponine, I stopped caring about Cosette as much.
As for Marius, I also liked him at first, but once he got to the state of “Too-infatuated-with-Cosette-to-even-deal-with-the-world,” I stopped caring as much. I would’ve been okay with him dying at the barricade, to be honest.
And Eponine… After Jean Valjean, Eponine was my favorite character, because she was so empty and I wanted her to succeed, but no one else cared about her. I really wanted Marius to fall in love with Eponine. But alas, it could not be. Anyone else of my opinion? Or is it just me?
And now, Javert. Best villain ever. (Feel free to dispute me on that one, because Gollum is pretty close, and there are probably lots of other epic villains out there.) I couldn’t actually hate him because he wasn’t evil. He misunderstood justice, thinking that there could be no mercy in Justice. Because Jean Valjean understood the nature of Christ, he was able to be well-rounded– justice and mercy. He was able to redeem Fantine, redeem Cosette, and redeem himself. But, because Javert could not understand redemption, he didn’t know what to do when shown mercy. I ended up just feeling really bad for him, because he could’ve been so much more, but he didn’t know how. But, again, he isn’t a one-dimensional character. All of Hugo’s characters are so deep.
Please tell me your thoughts on Les Miserables. Because I could go on all day… Thenardier, Gavroche (*sob*), Azelma, Enjorlas, Jean Valjean, Jean Valjean, Jean Valjean… but I want to hear what y’all have to say. Why did the book hold your attention? Should I rewrite the musical? (I want to. 🙂 But it’s not a super-serious consideration.) Who’s your favorite character, and why?