Valjean's Redemption

In the novel Les Miserables, written by Victor Hugo, Jean Valjean, a convict, in Paris 1815, is just released from nineteen years in prison. This is caused from him stealing bread to help his family, which gives Valjean 5 years of prison, and trying to escape numerous times which gives him another 14 years. Throughout the novel, Valjean is trying to escape the struggle of his past and become the man he wants to be which reveals the underlying message of Valjean’s redemption. The Bishop helps Jean Valjean become an honest man by giving him the candlesticks. As Valjean is wandering in the streets looking for a place to stay overnight, he comes across the Bishop whom he will stay with. There, he is called Monsieur, which “to a convict is a glass of water to a dying man of thirst at sea,” (19). Jean Valjean, a …show more content…
In the middle of the night, “the first thing he saw was the basket of silver, he took it,” (32). Valjean takes the silver from the Bishop because he is poor and it will get him money. When Jean Valjean leaves the Bishop’s with the silver, he is arrested and brought back to the Bishop’s house. To Valjean’s surprise, the bishop says, “here are the candlesticks; take them,” (33). In this moment, Valjean will be told the important lesson, “never forget that you have promised me to use this silver to become an honest man,” (33) . Because of the way the Bishop treated the stranger, Valjean, he is astonished to see that the Bishop gives him the candlesticks. When the Bishop tells Valjean to be an honest man, it will cause Jean Valjean to struggle to find his identity by being honest and to change his ways once