How Does Jean Valjeans Change

Jean Valjean rose from the darkness of his past as a vile person to become kind and generous thanks to the help of the Bishop. Or did he? It is in my opinion that the main protagonist of Jean Valjeans change of heart is mainly thanks to Petit Gervais who acted as the test to the Bishops agreement with Jean Valjean that changed Jean Valjean so drastically. It is evident that the Bishop did have a major role to play in Jean Valjeans change as he began the process. Which is easily seen in the movie “Les Miserables” that we watched as seen in the quote “But remember this, my brother. See in this some higher plan. You must use this precious silver to become an honest man. By the witness of the martyrs, by the passion and the blood, God has brought …show more content…
While the Bishop may have planted the seed to create the “new” Jean Valjean Petit Gervais was the water that sprouted the seed. That test being the loss of Petit Gervais’s forty souls piece where he exclaimed to Jean Valjean “My souls! My forty souls pieces!” Where Jean Valjean has no clue to what the young Savoyard is hollering about as he did not see the coin underneath his boot. After Jean Valjean realized what he had done he searched for the young Savoyard exclaiming “Petit Gervais! Petit Gervais! Petit Gervais! As his cries died away into the mist, without even awakening an echo.” Where he then began to cry for the first time in nineteen years and had a moment of insight where as stated “the light grew brighter and brighter in his mind an extraordinary light. His past life, his first offence, his ling expiation, his brutal exterior, his hardened interior….” This is the point where in the novel “Les Miserables” that they portray the change in his heart excellently; compared to the movie where they don’t even touch on the subject. Which Jean Valjean then splits from the path of darkness into the path of the light “God” where he then arrives at M____sur M____. Where he then uses the silver given to him to become a righteous and benevolent man. After which his past still haunts him through the rest of his life, but he does find the higher purpose that he has been saved for by the grace of God. That being the care of his …show more content…
Well the use of this innocent child could easily be a symbolic use of purity in the novel to express the importance of the need for Jean Valjean’s change of heart as it is. As Petit Gervais completes this task more efficiently that the wandering priest that Jean Valjean then meets after he has the incident with Petit Gervais as the priest would not have the impact on Jean Valjean as intended. The wandering Savoyard could also be an angel sent by God if you look at this as a Christian allegory whom is meant to change Jean Valjean’s ways since the Bishop has paid for his eternal soul and sent it to the path of light away from the darkness of Jean Valjean’s past where he has become evil and sour. Though the test of Petit Gervais is not the only thing that test Jean Valjean in both the movie and novel as the incident with the man who was captured, and believed to be him. Where Jean Valjean then saves the man from a lifetime of slavery by exposing who he is “I know these men, Monsieur le President, and they know me. I am the man you want. I am Jean Valjean” and in turn damning himself back into the pit of despair from whence he came before he met the Bishop. That incident though was the right decision as he then escapes to raise Cosset into a beautiful young woman. As well as save the life of Marius at the barricade who