Divine Intervention and Biblical Symbolism as Seen in Les Misérables
Summary:
In this novel, the characters are given second chances to renew their lives through divine interventions. They are given a chance to choose between good or evil, God and law, right or wrong.
Divine Intervention and Biblical Symbolism as seen in Les Misérables
Morality and revolution are two focuses presented in the Catholic Bible. These two ideas, hand in hand, also mold the thematic structure of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables. Hugo's need to educate the public on truths and modernized religion led to the usage of his characters in this novel as a tool to subject the reader to his ideas and views. In this novel, the characters are given second chances to renew their lives through divine interventions. They are given a chance to choose between good or evil, God and law, right or wrong. Also, throughout the story, religious connections through objects and characters are continuously being interwoven, causing the constant struggle between righteousness and evil to strengthen. Hugo pushes forward the notion of religious rebirth in oneself through experiences emulating the plight of Christ and also his teachings. The use of Divine intervention in the lives of the characters, combined with direct symbolic parallels to the Catholic Bible provide the reader with a poetic synopsis of Hugo's religious and moral beliefs, essentially opening the door to moral examination and spiritual reformation.
Divine intervention in the life of Jean Valjean is seen for the first time at the beginning of the novel. Upon his release form the prison of Toulon, Valjean encounters the discriminating townspeople of Digne. The harsh environment outside of the prison walls only pushes him farther down the path to evil and hatred, but upon knocking on the door of Monseigneur Bienvenu, bishop of Digne, Valjean finds himself being ushered out of the darkness. Without hesitation, the bishop welcomes Valjean into the house of God. The Bishop offers an asylum to Valjean when everyone else turns him away. " 'You need not tell me who you are. This is not my house; it is the house of Christ. It does not ask any comer whether he has a name, but whether he has an affliction. You are suffering; you are hungry and thirsty; be welcome. And do not thank me, do not tell me that I take you into my house. This is the house of no man, except the man who need and asylum" (Hugo 16). The sincerity of this man opens the eyes of Valjean to the goodness of God through man. The purity of the Bishop's intentions awe Valjean and at the same time, he is frightened by the divinity of the Bishop. Valjean knows nothing other than hatred for mankind (22), and now the compassion shown to him by the bishop causes him to question his own morality. Valjean sees the Bishop's faith in God in the actions he does and also in the faith the Bishop puts in him. Through the Bishop, Hugo is able to construct the paragon of a faithful follower of God. The Bishop lives his life through the words of the Gospels. "'For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,'"(Mathew 25:35). The Bishop's actions are found in the Gospels of the New Testament and are in direct correlation with the hospitality that the Bishop has given Valjean. Valjean as a troubled soul allows himself to be subjected to the holiness of the Bishop, amazed and fearful at the same time.
Through the Bishop, Hugo preaches to his reader the ways of a follower of God, the true nature of God. The Bishop speaks the gospels almost through paraphrase, " 'But listen, there will be more joys in heaven over the tears of a repentant sinner than over the white robes of a hundred good men.' " (Hugo16). God reaches out to Jean Valjean, imploring him to repent and to change his ways of life, to change his path to evil to a path to righteousness. The Bishop dining with the evil and hideous Jean Valjean is strikingly similar to that of Jesus dining with the Tax Collectors and sinners in the house of Matthew. Christ explains, " 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. But go learn what this means: 'I desire mercy not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous but the sinners' " (Matthew 9:12). The need to have faith and repent is the true nature of God, not to punish those seeking forgiveness. Valjean, as a sinner with hate in his heart, is being drawn to the house of the Bishop, to lead him to deliverance. Therefore, Valjean knocking on the door of the Bishop is not a mere coincidence. Out of the darkness, a mysterious woman guides Valjean to knock on the door of the bishop, and then is never spoken of again (10). Clearly, it is the work of God guiding Valjean through the streets of Digne to the doorstep of salvation.
Valjean learns the true meaning of mercy when he symbolically steals the silver from above the Bishop's head. In the Catholic bible, silver is also mentioned as an accomplice to Judas in betraying Christ. Silver is seen as a temptation to betraying, a path to evil. (Matthew 26:14). When Valjean is returned to the house by police, instead of thinking the silver is stolen, the bishop blesses the soul of Valjean, "Jean Valjean, my brother, you belong no longer to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I am buying for you. I withdraw it from dark thoughts and from the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God!" (Hugo 30). The Bishop's use of "my brother" allows their connection to God and each other to be unbreakable. The Bishop buying the troubled soul of Valjean and surrendering it to God symbolically signals to Valjean to submit to change. Paul Benichou states in his introduction, "And in the person of the saintly Bishop who, on a plane far above the religious hierarchy and Roman Catholic law, incarnates the spirit of the Gospel, it is God himself who attracts the convict" (XIV). The word of God in the gospels that are living through the actions of the Bishop are enough to spark change in the soul of Valjean.
Jean Valjean through his spiritual reformation, allows himself to do as the Bishop has done to him and live the word of the Gospels. The help Valjean gives to those in need give him the strength to proceed on the path to righteousness. Cosette, the daughter of the prostitute, Fantine, is taken under the wing of Valjean, as his daughter. Her miserable life in the evil stricken Inn of the Thénardiers was swept away as the majestic figure of Jean Valjean helps her carry her burden. The image of a child drawing water from a well in the dark forest allows Hugo to perpetuate an almost Christ-Like image of Jean Valjean. "The Lord, the Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation" (Isaiah 12:3-4). Through this passage, the symbolism of Cosette and the water bucket becomes clear. Cosette draws a heavy bucket of water (Hugo 136), signifying the burden and pains that the Lord will soon carry away. In the very instant when the pain and the burden was too much for Cosette to carry, her burdens were taken from her by Jean Valjean (138). This establishment of good and evil births the conflict between the Thénardiers and Valjean. Hugo description of the conflict between the Thénardiers and Jean Valjean proves to be one of higher powers; Jean Valjean's divinity is evident in the presence of evil. "As demons and genii recognize by certain signs the presence of a superior God, Thénardier comprehended that he was to deal with [Jean Valjean,] who was very powerful" (155). Valjean through divine intervention serves as Cosette's guardian. This conflict is as supernatural as it is realistic.
The love between Cosette and Jean Valjean served multiple purposes. Cosette's need for salvation was equaled to Valjean's need to complete his spiritual and moral revolution. "The Bishop had caused the dawn of virtue on his horizon; Cosette evoked the dawn of love" (Hugo 161). The love Valjean has for Cosette overwhelmed him, his life now had meaning and his efforts were only for her. "If I have a faith [in God] that can move mountains, but have not love, I have nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:2). The effects of the Bishop were not enough; love restored his will to do good, reminding him of his path to virtue. Hugo stresses that the love for Cosette was essential to Valjean, or temptation to return to his evil ways will arise once more. The love for Cosette will serve as a reminder to him of the goodness of mankind, amidst all the temptation and evil. "Love came and again he grew strong. Alas, he was no less feeble than Cosette. He protected her, and she gave strength to him. Thanks to him, she could walk upright in life; thanks to her, he could persist in virtuous deeds" (164). The mutual need for each other allowed the connection between Valjean and Cosette to grow strong. Through Jean Valjean's Divine intervention, the life of Cosette has been altered. "The coming of this man and his participation in the destiny of this child had been the advent of God" (162). Hugo clarifies that the coming of Valjean into the life of Cosette is as the coming of Christ to mankind. He delivers her from evil and because of her faith in him, saves her life.
Hugo's desire was to enlighten the soul and broaden the mind through the religious aspects of his novel. The timeless novel preaches on well being and spirituality for the benefit of mankind. As long as "ignorance and misery remain on earth" (Les Misérables Preface), the world's people will look to this novel and find a new sense of awakening and morality, a change in the soul through the experiences of the characters. . This epic story sparks not only the imagination, but also the questioning of oneself. Hugo's countless correlations to the Catholic Bible prove the intent of Hugo is to promote spirituality to the readers.
This is the complete article, containing 1,711 words
(approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page).
