Jean Valjean

Human error is prevalent throughout all of life. Even when presented with the easiest of instructions, humans tend to mess it up. Though many of these mistakes come from failure or misunderstandings, there are other instances in which over-analysis comes into play. In Victor Hugo’s novel, Les Miserables, we are introduced to one such character. This man’s name was Jean Valjean. Although a former convict, Valjean was presented with an opportunity to change his life for the better. Very few former-convicts get such an opportunity, so just receiving this second chance is a blessing. That being said, the choices Valjean makes go against the good intentions that the bishop had for him. Valjean’s over-analysis of the bishop’s command hurt more people than it helped, like that of the factory workers, Cosette, and even himself.
In Hugo’s abridged novel, we skip a large portion of Valjean’s life after meeting the bishop. The next time we hear from him, Valjean is now a business owner who is revered among the people. Upon his ascendance to mayor, this reverence increases tenfold. Valjean …show more content…
She begins to question this life of hers, asking herself, “What’s the matter Cosette, have you been too much on your own? So many things unclear, so many things unknown.” (in text here) Any chance at a normal life was stripped away from Cosette, and what’s even more frustrating is how Valjean knows it. “Dear Cosette, you’re such a lonely child / how sad you seem. / Believe me, if it were in my power / I’d fill each passing hour. / How quiet it must be, I can see, with only me for company.” (in text here) Valjean understands the loneliness and the seclusion, yet he does nothing about it. Valjean’s choice to take the moral high ground has now spread beyond his employees to the child Cosette. This offense is worse, as this decision affects years of her