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Les Misreables


            In Les Misrebales, by Victor Hugo, the character Jean Valjean, an ex-convict; raises a little girl, whose mother died at a young age, until he dies. Marius, a poor law student, is in search for Cosette, and his grandfather will not help him. This helps support the theme of society's structure turns good people into beggars and criminals. .
             First this quote, that was said by the narrator, when Jean Valjean just escapes from Javert. "Jean Valjean had the peculiarity, that he might be said to have two knapsacks; in one hand the thoughts of a saint, in the other the formidable talents of a convict." This shows that Jean has two different personalities, or sides, to him; the good, and the bad. "The thoughts of a saint" is saying that he is good and righteous in thought. "Saint" is used to portray the image of a holy, spiritual person. Next, "Formidable talents of a convict" allows the reader to believe that he has been in prison. "Convict" is a word that is attached to bad, evil people. When one thinks of "convict" they think of a criminal. "Talents" reveals that he learned a lot of skills while in prison, and could use those skills whenever he wants. So the "saint" part of his personality comes before he was in prison, while the "convict" comes from prison. Jean Valjean was only in prison for stealing bread to feed his family, and after jail he started to steal again. Thus he was a good person, but jail turned him into a thief and criminal.
             Next the narrator says, "Marius went away without saying where he was going and without knowing where he was going, with thirty francs, his watch, and a few clothes in a carpet bag," this is said when Marius leaves his grandfather. First, since Marius did not know where he was going, one gets the impression that he is a wanderer or vagabond. Those kinds of people are beggars and/or criminals. "Thirty francs" is not a whole lot of money to have when traveling, so he is poor and can not get any more money.


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