Les Miserables: Jean Valjean Jean Valjean was an alluring hero of Les Miserables
for many reasons, one of which was his drastic conversion from a miserable
criminal into a heroic, peaceful man. Jean Valjean seems like a three
dimensional character at first. But deep inside his emotions he shows a defined
viewpoint on life making him a flat character. One of the most compassionate
things he did was guarding Cossette and treating her as if she were his own
daughter. He is the main character, therefore there would essentially be no plot
without him. His several journeys span across a length of twenty years. He is an
extremely strong man. Sometimes his strength was a burden put upon him. His
charisma and superhuman qualities make his character a figment of romanticism.
Valjean was born a decent human being. Unfortunately he was born into poverty,
which forced him to steal in order to survive. After getting caught stealing a
loaf of bread he was imprisoned. A few years later he is caught after escaping,
he is then sent to the galleys for 19 years. He later escapes from there to goto
a town where he was not wanted. Still a criminal he steals some silverware from
a kind priest who gave him shelter. When caught, the police ask the priest if
Jean stole the silverware. To everyone's surprise the priest said it was a gift
this started his conversion toward a good life. After this he tried to live a
peaceful life. He sta rted a new factory in a new town employing several. Then a
man in a city nearby was arrested under the name Jean Valjean. Jean was faced
with a tough choice. Rather than letting the other man take the wrap for him, he
chose to admit his identity to save the innocent man. Later, he rescued Cossette
from her harsh life with the Thenardiers. He acted as her father while she grew
up. Throughout these years. Jean was faced with obstacles that made him choose
between right and wrong. He always chose the right path. From this Jean
expressed that he only saw right and wrong, black and white, which made him two
dimensional. His life was lead one way, his personality proved to respond one
way, and his relevance to the story was set out in one way. This way was the way
that things were done justly in his mind. His relevence to the entire structure
of the story set aside from being the main character was crucial. He was
portrayed as both the hero and the miserable.