A Character Sketch ~ Jean Valjean

A Character Sketch ~ Jean Valjean

From the Book, ‘Les Miserables’

Work by Victor Hugo, translated by Norman Denny

Sketch Written by Janelle A. Spiers

In the year 1862, Victor Hugo released one of the most anticipated novels of the French culture.  A volume twenty years in the making, Les Miserables shook the world with its pathos for the rich history of France, the poverty of the working people, and the political revolutions that stamped their names in the foundations of Paris and Waterloo. Hugo wrote about the common people, placing them in the hardships of the early 1800s and surrounding them with visions of love and revolution. From the street urchin Garoche, to the prostitute Fantine, to the well-spoken Enjorlas, Hugo swept the streets of Paris for his characters. His main protagonist, Jean Valjean, is no exception to the common life of 19^th century France, in fact, he is so average, he almost blends right into the seams of Paris’ history.   

There are two kinds of characters when it comes to their impressions of Jean Valjean, those who like him, and those who do not. Seldom is there a lukewarm spirit when Jean Valjean comes into question, although most of them would admit that he is quiet and odd. Jean Valjean is not accustomed to speaking more words that he needs, but it doesn’t mean that he is unintelligent. His mind is always turning in contemplation and deep thoughts that cannot be expressed in words, but the people do not know this. All that those around him know is that he is quiet, reserved, shy, perhaps, but above all, very strange. He has an air of mystery that entrances and turns away people who come into contact with him. Jean Valjean commands an authoritative presence, but at the same time, a gentle, humble spirit. He has been nicknamed ‘the beggar who gives alms.’ But when men meddle with him, Jean Valjean becomes a menacing, powerful man and can throw a good punch and disappear like a phantom. Men and women alike either come to him with their troubles or cower and sneer at his coming.

Jean Valjean appears to be a very poor man. He is dressed in rags and old torn clothes, and he has no carriage or permanent establishment.  He carries everything he owns in a small valise wherever he goes; the little case earned the name ‘his inseparables’ because they are never to be parted from his side. He is famous for an old yellow coat, which most dismiss him as a shabby scamp, but on further inspection, to the astonishment of one nosy old woman, a vast sum of money and disguises are hidden in the lining of his coat, adding further to his aura of mystery. He is neither an attractive nor an ugly man, and his eyes are drawn in thought and alluded sorrow. Jean Valjean has brilliantly white hair from an early age and it is often used to identify him. He has a pensive face and rarely smiles, but there is a strength in his eyes that is not easily missed.

The more acquaintances Jean Valjean acquires, the more they come to depend on him in some way or another. He is recognized as a generous man that gives money away easily, and without much question. Those who love him come to him in their need, but make an effort to repay him for his kindness. Those who despise him come with open palms, waiting to take what the old man will offer them with no thought for the giver himself. People see his actions as generous, albeit strange, and there is no doubt that though Jean Valjean is quiet and aloof, he has a loud heart. His actions speak far louder than his words and even the poorest men can recognize this about Jean Valjean.

After his father died when he was a boy, Jean Valjean was left orphaned and in the care of his older sister. He helped to provide for his sister and her children as he grew older, but despite his hard work, the children continued to starve. One night, Jean Valjean was arrested for stealing bread for his nieces and nephews. What would have been five years in prison for the felony became nineteen after four attempted escapes and additional sentences. When Jean Valjean was finally released from prison, he was required to carry a yellow passport informing anyone who wanted to see his papers that he was an ex-convict.

It is at this point that Jean Valjean is introduced into the story of Les Miserables. After being turned away from every inn on the road, Valjean is finally offered shelter by a bishop named Myriel, a highly devout and kind man.  Valjean steals the bishop’s silverware in the night and runs away, but he is caught by the police and returned to the bishop’s house. Bishop Myriel admonishes Valjean in front of the police for forgetting the silver candlesticks on the mantle, which he claimed to have given Valjean as a gift. To Jean Valjean’s utter astonishment, he is released and posses not only the silver, but also the entreaty to use the gift for good and not for evil. Bishop Myriel pleads Valjean to turn from darkness into light and claims he now belongs to God.

Three years pass and Jean Valjean, who has taken up the alias of Monsieur Madeleine, is a wealthy and influential businessman that has just been elected for mayor. He has followed the Bishop’s wishes and seeks to make up for what he has done. When an impoverished young woman named Fantine is hurled into Valjean’s life, he tends her and tries to comfort the forlorn woman. In her anguish and sickness, Fantine tells Valjean about her young daughter whom she had to give up. She entreats Valjean to bring the girl to her so that she can care for her daughter. But before he can do so, an astonishing event occurs. Monsieur Madeleine is informed that Jean Valjean has been arrested, tried, and found guilty and sentenced to death. The real Valjean rushes to court and gives himself up for the wrongly accused man, but everyone finds his story so crazy he is not arrested at that moment. An officer named Javert, a man who has been hunting Valjean for his entire career, arrests him upon his return to his city. Fantine dies from shock when the man who had saved her is pronounced a criminal.

After faking his death in an accident aboard a prison ship, Valjean makes good on his promise to Fantine to take care of her daughter, Cosette. He takes her away from the Thenardiers, the cruel family Cosette has been forced to live with, and he tends to her like his own daughter. They live in sundry different places throughout the city of Paris, because Javert is unwilling to believe that the notorious Jean Valjean is dead and continues to hunt him. For many years, Valjean and Cosette hide in a convent until Javert loses his trail completely. Cosette grows up completely unaware of her true parentage and any history of her father, because she was too young to remember a time without Valjean.

When they finally move to a tenement house in Paris, Cosette is a lovely and attractive young woman. Hardly any time passes before she has caught the eye of a gentleman named Marius, and he hers. Valjean is unaware that Cosette and Marius are madly in love and that Marius sneaks into his garden to talk with Cosette until several suspicious incidents compel him to move. As the Revolution swells and rallies the French to action, he moves to another part of Paris, only to discover how much the two love each other.  When he receives a letter intended for Cosette, Valjean discovers that Marius plans to go to the blockade and die in glory and in heartbreak because of their sundered love. Valjean also goes to fight at the blockade, but it is uncertain if he planned to save Marius, or let him die, for he is jealous of the affection that Cosette has for Marius; it used to all belong to him.

At the blockade, two important events shape the rest of Valjean’s history. The first is that Javert, the police officer, has been caught as a spy and Valjean is given permission to kill him upon his own request. But when he takes Javert out to shoot him, he releases the man and gives him his life and freedom, knowing full well that he might be arrested later. The second important moment is that Marius, wounded and unconscious, is rescued by Valjean and taken through the sewers to freedom. But before Valjean can make it to safety, Javert finds him again and demands his arrest. Valjean asks to take Marius back to his family first, and then return to tell Cosette goodbye, and afterwards allow himself to be arrested. Javert honors his request and lets Valjean go up to his apartment to speak to Cosette, but when Valjean returns, Javert is gone. Troubled by the conflict of conscience and law, Javert lets Valjean go free, but finds himself so disgraced as a man of the law that he commits suicide by jumping into the Seine.

Valjean permits Cosette to marry Marius, who lives despite his injuries. But after the wedding he tells Marius of his history, his life as a convict, and Marius is appalled. He tries to limit the amount of time Valjean spends with Cosette, until Jean Valjean stops coming entirely. At this time, Marius realizes that he had made a grave misunderstanding about what crimes Jean Valjean had actually committed and discovered that Valjean had in reality saved his own life. Hurrying to his apartment, Marius and Cosette find Valjean sick and dying; they are too late to save him.  In his final hour, Valjean and Marius are reconciled and Valjean tells Cosette her mother’s name. He dies in their embrace, under the light of the Bishop’s candlesticks.

Valjean is constantly haunted by his guilt. After repenting and reshaping his life because of Bishop Myriel’s mercy, Valjean strives earnestly to do good. However, he is hounded by his past life; he cannot escape his past even if he can escape the law. Valjean’s two faults are a lack of self-esteem and a guilty motive for some of his generosity.  He lacks the freedom to accept his forgiveness and pardon so that he can be separated from the chains of his past. Instead, he is a slave to what he witnessed in prison and how he got there. In addition, he is motivated to do better than he had in the past, but his motive is one of coercion more than out of love.

However, because of his guilt Jean Valjean has a powerful moral compass. His conscience refused to let him be silent when another man was accused of his crimes. It would have been very easy for Valjean to let the man be punished for his own actions, but he chose to give himself up and not make him pay the price for his own sins. Another result of this is when Valjean told Marius about his life. He could have hidden his secrets, no one would have known him as he truly was, but he was so haunted by his guilt and conscience that he chose to tell Marius. Another merit of Valjean’s was his heart. It’s uncertain if he gave away money, sacrificed time and resources, and made good on his word because of his guilty conscience and he felt that it would redeem him, or if after the bishop’s commission he honestly sought to help others. Knowing the character of Valjean, it is likely that both factors played into the actions of Jean Valjean.

            And then there is the power of Valjean’s love. He so earnestly loved Cosette as his own that to be separated from her was to die. Having never known the embrace of a woman, or the love of a mother, or the friendliness of a sister, Cosette was to him all those things.  It physically pained him to be removed from her and he physically diminished. His death was hurried by his separation from Cosette. It is certain that no guilty conscience was the cause of his great love for her.  In his compassion for her mother, Jean Valjean took in a tiny waif that would prove to be the best thing that had ever happened to him.  His jealousy may be understood when Marius began stealing parts of Cosette’s affection away from him.

            Victor Hugo’s, Les Miserables, paints a gripping picture of the hardships of the 19^th century in the slums of Paris.  Jean Valjean’s troubled past is rippled into a troubled future, where poverty and political overthrow take the freedom and privilege of every man, woman, and child. Written for the people, Hugo left them a memoir of prestigious influence that still affects the world as we know it.  From the orphan Cosette, abused and mistreated, to the wicked Thenardier and his greed, Hugo captures a picture of days gone by, but certainly not days we can not relapse into.  With his main character, Jean Valjean at the heart of this story, Hugo does not leave his troubled characters in despair; he gives them the chance of redemption. Like Jean Valjean, we must learn from our past and let it inspire our future, because in a world such as this, what have we but life? In the words of Jean Valjean, “It is nothing to die. It is frightful not to live.” (1197)

Happy Birthday, Charlotte Brontë!

One of my favorite novelists in classic English literature is Charlotte Brontë, most commonly known for her work, Jane Eyre.  She was born on April 21, 1816, the third of six children.  Anne and Emily Brontë were her sisters that also published novels, and all three of them wrote under pen names.  Charlotte went on to publish four novels, but only Jane Eyre ever became popular.

“No sight so sad as that of a naughty child," he began, "especially a naughty little girl. Do you know where the wicked go after death?"

"They go to hell," was my ready and orthodox answer. 

"And what is hell? Can you tell me that?" 

"A pit full of fire."

"And should you like to fall into that pit, and to be burning there for ever?" 

"No, sir."

"What must you do to avoid it?" 

I deliberated a moment: my answer, when it did come was objectionable: "I must keep in good health and not die.” ~ Jane Eyre 

“Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilised by education: they grow there, firm as weeds among stones.”  

“But life is a battle: may we all be enabled to fight it well!”  

“We know that God is everywhere; but certainly we feel His presence most when His works are on the grandest scale spread before us; and it is in the unclouded night-sky, where His worlds wheel their silent course, that we read clearest His infinitude, His omnipotence, His omnipresence.”  

“The human heart has hidden treasures, In secret kept, in silence sealed; The thoughts, the hopes, the dreams, the pleasures, Whose charms were broken if revealed.” 

“I'm just going to write because I cannot help it.”  

“Men judge us by the success of our efforts. God looks at the efforts themselves.” 

Dracula ~ A Book Review

Dracula

Book By Bram Stoker

Review by Janelle A. Spiers

“Never did tombs look so ghastly white. Never did cypress, or yew, or juniper so seem the embodiment of funeral gloom. Never did tree or grass wave or rustle so ominously. Never did bough creak so mysteriously, and never did the far-away howling of dogs send such a woeful presage through the night.”

~ Bram Stoker, Dracula

“There are darknesses in life and there are lights, and you are one of the lights, the light of all lights.”
   ~ Bram Stoker, Dracula

WARNING:  Please be aware that if you continue reading this Book Review, you may be subject to reading spoilers and or secrets of the original book.  However, all attempts shall be made to hide the crucial points, in the event that this review encourages you to read this book.  Any information divulged will be deemed by the author of this review necessary to the review, or, not capable of ruining any major surprise. 

Bram Stoker wrote Dracula in 1897 and changed the fictional realm of horror forever.  Stoker’s haunting story of death, love, and fantasized monsters brings both inspiration and chills to the reader, thrusting them into a tale mixed to the brim with modern life and early European folklore.  Dracula has made such an impact in the literary world that Bram Stoker’s ideas have been used in many stories since that time.

Despite the grim circumstances and breath-taking drama, Dracula is a powerful story about good vs. evil.  The light of goodness, truth, and holiness are starkly and beautifully contrasted with the darkness of evil, lies, and horror.  Stoker wove a powerful, golden thread of redemption throughout his dark tapestry, so that no matter how dark the night or how desperate the character, there is always some hope left on which they can cling.  The idea of love being more powerful than fear is also present.  Each of the characters are challenged to decide how far they are willing to go for love for each other, and for life itself.

The unforgettable story begins with a man named Jonathan Harker travelling across the Carpathian Mountains to the castle of Count Dracula, where he will be helping with a legal affair.  After the frightening experience of trying to get to the secluded, mysterious castle, Jonathan finds himself the guest of an equally mysterious master.  As time passes, suspicion and fear begin to build, and Jonathan realizes that he is no longer a guest, but a prisoner; Dracula has locked him in the old castle.  A series of harrowing events plague Jonathan and he barely escapes with his life back to England where his fiancé awaits him.

But a long, arduous life has just begun for the heroes of this tale.  A shipwreck on the coast brings with it strange and deadly results and a young woman with sleepwalking issues suddenly begins to look more pale than usual.  With the help of two brilliant doctors and two other stout gentlemen, Harker and his newlywed wife, Mina, are faced with the fact that there is a mythical creature in their midst, and if they do not stop the threat, Dracula will destroy the world they know and love.

Jonathan Harker is a very steadfast, cool-headed man, but his encounter with Dracula and his eerie home leaves a great strain on him, especially when he thinks his life is at stake.  He spends the rest of the story with a burning passion to defeat the monster, but at the same time, he can lapse into a very weak and fearful state, typically more for his bride than himself.

Mina Harker is the faithful, “guiding star” for the men of this tale.  Her loyalty and compassion to her husband is equally, yet properly, shared with the other gentlemen who bond together to destroy Dracula.  When Mina is attacked by Dracula and her life takes a terrible turn, she longs to stay with those she loves, but she is willing to sacrifice herself in order to keep her friends safe.

Dr. Seward is a major piece of the puzzle and he is necessary to the destruction of Dracula.  He specializes in helping the insane and mentally disabled, and when one such man is found to be working for the Count, Seward manages to pry information from the man to help them in their conquest.

Perhaps the greatest protagonist is Abraham Van Helsing, a Dutch doctor and former teacher of Dr. Seward.  Van Helsing is the first one to discover what Dracula is and how he can be stopped, and despite the fact that no one believes him, he manages to prove Dracula’s true identity and the means to ending him.  Van Helsing is a quiet, thoughtful man with much faith and brain that ultimately result in the demise of Dracula.

Dracula himself is a creature of much discretion and sinister intent.  As a vampire, he is neither dead nor living, and is called “un-dead” as a result.  He preys on anyone and everyone but with so much secrecy that it is almost impossible to detect.  One of the most remarkable traits that Count Dracula possesses is that he is very patient and slow; with no fear of dying from old age, he has hundreds upon hundreds of years on his hands, and so every movement he makes is bold, but in no rush.

The writing style of Dracula is very unique.  Instead of constant narration, the entire book is split up into journal entries written by the main characters, gatherings of newspaper clippings, letters, telegrams, etc.  In addition, the ways the words are written or constructed vary, depending on which character is writing or recording.  However, on an overall note, the understandability of the story can be difficult, due to the older way of speaking and writing, also, based on the long, winding plot line and information that comes with it.

Abraham Stoker was born on November 8, 1847, in Dublin, Ireland, the third of seven children.  Stoker was bedridden for the first several years of his life from an unknown disease or illness, but by age seven, he was completely recovered and able to attend a private school; he never suffered from any major illness again.  In his early adulthood, Stoker married Florence Balcombe, who had been previously courted by his friend, Oscar Wilde.  The Stokers moved to London, where their only child was born, and Stoker became the theater manager for Henry Irving, a famous actor.  There he was introduced to notable people, such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and on traveling to America, president Theodore Roosevelt, William McKinley, and Walt Whitman.  Dracula was written in 1897, but never attracted much popularity until after his death on April 20, 1912.

Though the story and its characters are fascinating and enjoyable, some of the content may be unsuitable for young or sensitive readers.  There are a few instances of swearing, but they are mild and not used flippantly.  There is some romance between two couples without the book, but nothing intimate is ever recorded or hinted.  Several of the female vampires that appear in the story are described as intensely lovely and they act rather seductively in hopes of luring in prey, but the characters shun such creatures.

            The intensity of the story can be overwhelming.  Several beloved characters die, and one, who died a as a vampire, must be mutilated after death to keep her from attacking innocent children, which she had been doing.  Blood is a central theme and gory idea that fuels the story along, so it may be unpleasant to read.  There is also a mentally insane man who eats flies, spiders, birds, and wants to eat cats, as well, and his death may be distressing.

            The progression of Dracula’s stunning plot line is neat, concise and has left very little room for argumentation, barring the fact that vampires are works of fictitious imagination. All the characters, from gentle and graceful Mina to the intelligent and thoughtful Van Helsing are almost like living creatures that grow and live within the tale.  Bram Stoker has painted a breathing portrait of a world about to be undone by the un-dead.

            Dracula was not the first story about vampires, but by it, a path was forged through the uncharted territory of fiction that still progresses today.  One of Bram Stoker’s characters once said, “I want you to believe...to believe in things that you cannot.” Stoker tried to create a piece of far-fetched fiction into a tale that would seem so real it could bite you, and that is exactly what he did.   Dracula is an amazing, thrilling, haunting tale about the search for light in the darkest places, love in the most hopeless times, and peace from the dreaded monster, Count Dracula.  

(Based on a rating system entirely made up of pros and cons, I judge by different categories to ensure that the reader of this review can aptly choose if this book is an appropriate for themselves or others.)

Theme ~ Positive! (For excellent topics that are inspiring and applicable to life.)

Plot Line ~ Positive! (For a gripping, unmatched storyline)

Characters ~ Positive! (Very memorable and extremely consistent)

Writing Quality ~ Negative! (For difficult, archaic writing style)

Mature Content ~ Negative! (Intense and graphic sequences, more suitable for an older audience.)

Congruency ~ Positive! (For extreme consistency in plot, characters, and quality)

The total score for Dracula by Bram Stoker is 4 out of a possible 6 positive points.

Treasure Island ~ A Book Review

Treasure Island

Book By Robert Louis Stevenson

Review by Janelle A. Spiers

“It was Silver's voice, and before I had heard a dozen words, I would not have shown myself for all the world. I lay there, trembling and listening, in the extreme of fear and curiosity, for, in those dozen words, I understood that the lives of all the honest men aboard depended on me alone.” ~ Treasure Island

“One more step, Mr. Hands,’ said I, ‘and I'll blow your brains out! Dead men don't bite, you know,’ I added with a chuckle.” ~ Treasure Island

WARNING:  Please be aware that if you continue reading this Book Review, you may be subject to reading spoilers and or secrets of the original book.  However, all attempts shall be made to hide the crucial points, in the event that this review encourages you to read this book.  Any information divulged will be deemed by the author of this review necessary to the review, or, not capable of ruining any major surprise. 

Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson, has made a lasting impact on children’s fiction. From dark and frightening travellers to swash buckling pirates, Stevenson left us a thrilling tale that has inspired children of all ages since its first publishing.  Fanciful images of the uncouth Billy Bones, the shocking conversations of Long John Silver’s parrot, and the breath-taking danger young Jim Hawkins finds himself facing gives only one explanation: Treasure Island is indeed a treasure.

            Pirates, mutineers, and thieves make a book a tricky place to include a lot of moral guidance, but there are some pieces of gold to be found.  The main character is taught to be very respectful to his elders and especially thoughtful of his mother.  There is also a great amount of trust and betrayal swindled amongst the characters, but when it comes to the young hero, he is completely loyal to his word.  When Jim Hawkins swears to a pirate that he will not try to escape, he holds true to that, even though he had a perfect opportunity.

            When a drunken sailor stumbles into the Admiral Benbow Inn and tells young Jim Hawkins to keep an eye out for a man with one leg, life becomes a bit out of the ordinary for the innkeeper’s son.  Jim keeps a sharp eye out for a one-legged man, but instead, an old blind man appears.  Shortly after, following a quick and deadly duel, old Billy Bones is left dead in the inn and no one to claim his belongings. Jim finds a treasure map in the old man’s sea chest, and after securing the help of some wise friends, they all set off to find the treasure.  There’s one big problem, however; the one-legged cook aboard Jim’s ship may be hiding a secret that will cost the brave young character and his friends their lives.

            Jim Hawkins is the noble main character of Treasure Island, and it is he who tells the story in a first person narrative.  He is described as a boy, and though his age is never mentioned, he is probably a young teen.  With a lot of brain and brawn for his young age, he manages to save the majority of the loyal crew from mutineers, but he never boasts about his bravery or success.

            Long John Silver is the primary antagonist of this gripping pirate novel.  As he hobbles about on a crutch, with a talking parrot on his shoulder, he appears to be a pleasant cook for the ship’s kitchen.  However, he has a mutinous, greedy mind, and when he tries to take over the ship from the captain, his true colors are revealed.  He is possibly the most dynamic character of the book, because he doesn’t often get furiously angry, as most pirates seem to do.  He keeps a cool, even head, carries out his plan with deadly precision, and can almost be kind and caring to young Jim.

            The writing quality of Treasure Island is very fine.  Robert Louis Stevenson wrote the narrative simply and boyishly, as if a young lad were indeed recounting his adventures.  There are some pieces, which could be hard to understand, due to the archaic English that Stevenson used.  When characters talk, however, that’s when the real struggle begins.  Stevenson wrote his characters dialogue exactly as they might have spoken it in real life, and so when reading the pirates or uneducated people, the language is hard to understand, because it is not written nicely.  The well-to-do Englishmen are easy to follow, but for anyone else, it can be hard to know exactly what is being said.

            Robert Louis Stevenson was born on November 13, 1850, an only child to his parents.  Stevenson was often very sickly in his childhood and his illness continued until his death.  He was raised as a Christian, since his father was a preacher, but at a young age, Stevenson abandoned his early doctrine and became an atheist.  He published Treasure Island on May 23, 1883. Previously, it had been published periodically in a journal for children.  After years of writing, marriage, and traveling, Stevenson finally died in 1894, on December 4^th.  It is suspected that he died of a cerebral hemorrhage.

            Considering the piracy side of Treasure Island, the story is fairly clean.  There’s very little swearing, which is quite a pleasant surprise, and there is no romance or hint of intimate relationships.  Perhaps the only mature content would be the amount of death.  Quite a few characters die, either from sickness, wounds, or murder, however none of the deaths are graphic or overly morbid.  Some sensitive readers may not enjoy the story, but for young, adventure-loving readers, it should be safe.

            Another stroke of genius that Stevenson used was the complete congruency of his characters, plot, and writing style. Though it’s not a very long story, Treasure Island is completely consistent in character development over the course of the story.  The same is true for his well-executed plot line and writing style.

            From the cozy Admiral Benbow Inn, to the mysterious Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson left the world with one of the most familiar children’s fiction books in history.  His colorful tale of adventure, gold, and pirates have inspired many other people to follow in his legacy and write similarly.  Treasure Island is a book that will awaken the fading imagination and bring life, intrigue, and mystery back into the heart of any reader, young, or old.

(Based on a rating system entirely made up of pros and cons, I judge by different categories to ensure that the reader of this review can aptly choose if this book is an appropriate for themselves or others.)

Theme ~ Positive! (For excellent topics that are meaningful and applicable to life.)

Plot Line ~ Positive! (Memorable and exciting for all aged readers)

Characters ~ Positive! (Very memorable and extremely consistent)

Writing Quality ~ Negative! (For some difficulty, especially in dialogue)

Mature Content ~ Positive! (Topics should be suitable for a young or sensitive audience.)

Congruency ~ Positive! (For extreme consistency in plot, characters, and quality)

The total score for Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is 5 out of a possible 6 positive points.