Les Misérables: Law and Love - April 2015

Les Misérables, published by Victor Hugo in 1862, is a novel considered to be one of the greatest works of the 19th century. It depicts the lives of ordinary people in France during the June Rebellion of 1832. This book also reflects Hugo’s personal experiences and memories. The culmination of the author’s seventeen years of work is this amazing novel where one of the main themes becomes the importance of love and compassion. By creating a very diverse set of characters in his book, Hugo illustrates his idea from many different angles and using many different life stories. The two main characters that Hugo follows with his theme throughout the novel are Jean Valjean and Javert. Their relationship transcends the fabric of the book, representing the opposite views and values of Jean Valjean and Javert; love, kindness, and compassion vs. law, impartiality, and mercilessness.