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Quote: …… The child, whose name was Marius, knew that he had a father, but nothing more. Nobody spoke a word to him about him. However, in the society into which his grandfather took him, the whisperings, the hints, the winks, enlightened the little boy’s mind at length; he finally comprehended something of it, and as he naturally imbibed, by a sort of infiltration and slow penetration, the ideas and opinions which formed, so to say, the air he breathed, he came little by little to think of his father only with shame and with a closed heart.” (P. 162)

Marius has never seen his father but he certainly knows he has one. There's mystery in this novel because Marius has never known his father and he really doesn’t know how he looks or really is. Nobody really knows him or wants to know about him. Marius wants to see his father and be with him because he feels alone and wants someone to help him. There is a mystery behind Marius’s father.

JA

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Quote: “At this moment a fifth uniform dropped, as if from heaven, upon the four others…

Jean Valjean, himself, saw and understood, and, silently, he stripped off his coat, and threw it upon the pile with others.” (P. 307)

Jean Valjean had the chance to escape from the barricade using the uniform which he had given to a man to save his life, instead he was compassionate  and gave the uniform to a man who really needed that uniform to save his life. Jean Valjean felt relieved when he helped a random guy instead of escaping again. He was finally changing his personality, Cosette was really affecting him and thinking that he might lose Cosette made him more attentive. Valjean wanted the best for Cosette and seeing her happy was everything for him.

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Quote: ““True? What! You will keep me? You won’t drive me away? A Convict! You call me Monsieur and don’t say ‘Get out, dog!’ as everybody else does……””

““I am a priest who lives here,” said the bishop. “A priest,” said the man. “Oh, noble priest! Then you don't ask any money?......”” (P. 18)

Jean Valjean was taken out of prison so he was looking for shelter where he could stay. He ask tons of people through the city and everyone rejected him because he was an ex convict, but suddenly a bishop offered him to stay with him. Jean was so happy to see that there was someone that wanted to help him. This is an act of compassion because the bishop was the only person that was desire to help an ex convict. Compare to the other people the bishop was very generous.

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Quote: ““So you don’t like it that I am happy?”

Jean Valjean grew pale. For a moment he did not answer, then, with an indescribable accent and talking to himself, he murmured:

“Her happiness was the aim of my life. Now, God may beckon me away. Cosette, you are happy; my time is full.”” (P. 371)

Jean Valjean consider Cosette as his only child that he has raise since she was young, so he loves her a lot. Valjean wants to see Cosette happy at any time but losing Cosette for her happiness is a very difficult, Cosette wants to be with Marius but if she goes with him, Valjean will lost her and probably never see her again. Valjean finally agrees and wants Cosette to create her own life and be happy. He feels some relief when he notices how content she is with him.

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Quote: ..... When he came near them, however, he saw that it was indeed the same man, but it seemed to him that it was no longer the same girl. The woman whom he now saw was a noble, beautiful creature, with all the most bewitching outlines of a woman, at the precise moment at which they are yet combined with all the most charming graces of childhood, that pure and fleeting moment which can only be translated by these two words: sweet fifteen….” (P. 190)

Marius seemed to be affected by the look of the girl that was with Leblanc. It seemed that love at first sight happened to him. He was astonish to see how beautiful was the girl. He felt some compassion for the girl and started looking for her. For Leblanc and the girl whose name was Cosette it seem that Marius was creeping on them and he was chasing them. However it was only love that made Marius to desperately see the girl.

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Quote: “Jean Valjean found himself, with Marius still senseless, in a sort of long underground passage.

There, deep peace, absolute silence, night.

The impression which he had formerly felt in falling from the street into the convent came back to him. Only, what he was now carrying away was not Cosette; it was Marius.

He could now hardly hear above him, like a vague murmur, the fearful tumult of the wine-shop taken by assault.” (P. 317)

Jean Valjean felt bad when he saw Marius ill and hurt, he knew that if Marius died Cosette will be depressed and all bitter, so to prevent this he saved Marius life by carrying him to his grandfather’s house, Gillenormand where he was treated.

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Quote: “Unnatural state, if ever there was one. There were only two ways to get out of it. One, to go resolutely to Jean Valjean, and to return the man of the galleys to the dungeon. The other-

The place where Javert was leaning was, it will be remembered, situated exactly over the rapids of the Seine, perpendicularly over that formidable whirlpool which knots and unknots itself like an endless screw.” (P. 336)

Javert feels guilt for giving Valjean freedom and letting him escape. He wanted to pay Valjean for saving his life, this was one of the ways he tried to compensate Valjean for helping him. Also Javert thought that he just freed a convict and that he made the wrong choice of leaving him escape.

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Quote: “Jean Valjean put his hand on that of Javert which held him, and opened it as he would have opened the hand of a child; then he said:

“You have killed this woman.”

“Have done with this!” cried Javert, furious, “I am not here to listen to sermons; save all that; the guard is below; come right along, or the handcuffs!” (P. 103)

Jean Valjean is feeling culpable for Fantine's death because she died of a shock listening to harsh news. Fantine was told Valjean's real identity and she was overwhelmed, she couldn't believe it. Then she was told that he was arrested another bad news that affected her. Jean Valjean thinks her death happened because of his acts and the way she cared about him.

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Quote: “Gentlemen of the jury, release the accused. Your honor order my arrest . I am Jean Valjean.” (P. 90)

Jean Valjean changed his identity to Monsieur Madeleine because he was being chased by authority, so Valjean had to hide from everyone in the community. Another man similar to Jean Valjean was accused and taken to court because they thought he was the guy who committed all of his crimes. When  the real Jean Valjean noticed someone else was being accused for his acts, he was fair with the person and gave himself up to the court and was arrested. He dropped his fake identity and admitted everything including all the crimes he committed.

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Quote: “... When I reached this place this evening I went to an inn, and they sent me away on account of my yellow passport, which I had shown at the mayor’s office, as was necessary. I went to another inn; they said ‘Get out!’” (P. 16)

Jean Valjean has been taken out of prison now and everyone is judging him just because he is an ex convict and nobody wants him nearby. This is injustice because people are judging him without knowing how he is now. Maybe he changed his mind and became a good person that wants to help others and doesn’t want to steal or hurt other people. People are not giving him an opportunity to restart his life. He doesn’t have any place to sleep or live.

JA