Javert has attempted to infiltrate their ranks as a spy, but he has been discovered and lashed to a pole. Fantine, shocked to learn her daughter is still with the Thénardiers, dies on the spot. Visit BN.com to buy new and used textbooks, and check out our award-winning NOOK tablets and eReaders. Given the stranger’s behavior when he took Cosette away in Montfermeil, Thenardier is confident that he can extract a high sum from him—a goal that he equates in importance with recovering his pride and taking revenge on the man. His self-righteousness has given place to sorrow, and he thinks about Marius with more affection and less bitterness. Once again, Marius’s obsession with finding the young girl and continuing the happy summer of his love prevents him from clearly understanding the situation around him. If … See Plot Diagram Summary Part 1: Fantine Les Misérables begins in 1815, in Digne, France, an obscure country town, with the story of a saintly bishop.Monseigneur Bienvenu takes his Christianity to heart and gives to the poor all the wealth allotted to him by the Church. Jean Valjean is an ex-convict who was imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread. The boy is gone. Finally, a fresh and enigmatic inscription on his garden wall adds to his preoccupation: "16 Rue de la Verrerie" is simply Marius' address, which he has written on the wall so that Cosette will know where to find him, but to Valjean it is a sinister sign. This direct interaction invites his generosity. Her firmness alarms the thieves, who reluctantly abandon their project and scatter in the night. The next day, Marius sees Eponine again. The porter, one of the few who has retained a love for Valjean, is now rewarded for this loyalty by being present and able to assist Valjean in his escape. Based on the classic novel, Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo, and the classic Broadway stage show of the same name, Les Misérables is the story of Jean Valjean, a prisoner who breaks parole, and the police inspector, Javert, who tries to hunt him down for breaking parole. Les Miserables Volume 1, Book 8: A Counter-blow Summary & Analysis | LitCharts. They exchange only a few words. While Eponine stands guard outside, Cosette gives Marius a piece of news that is the equivalent of a death sentence. Marius takes advantage of his position as a lawyer (not that he’s practiced as one) in order to justify his story and gain greater legitimacy as he tells the inspector what is admittedly a somewhat vague tale. Still, Marius’s somewhat self-absorbed reaction in the face of the girls’ desperation suggests that he hasn’t entirely matured. Had he seen M. Gillenormand recently, Marius might be more hopeful, for the old man has been undergoing a transformation. Les Miserables: Volume 3, Book 8 Summary & Analysis Next. Valjean is completely unaware of Marius' visits. He cannot know the existing relationships between the Jondrettes and the father and daughter, although we as readers can probably guess. It’s quite likely that he is in fact the workingman Marius spotted. Valjean’s motivation in laying the burning chisel on his arm is not entirely clear. The next day, after a restless night, he resumes his wanderings, but without really knowing why, he takes Javert's pistols with him. The narrator thus suggests that, even as his crimes continue to haunt him, Valjean can still justifiably gain from his past. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from Shmoop and verify that you are over the age of 13. Javert essentially forces Valjean to give up the ruse he had carefully cultivated, that Cosette was in fact present. (including. They hear the porter downstairs swearing that no one has entered the house all day. Marius recovers from his wounds and, with the blessing of Gillenormand and Valjean, marries Cosette. E-Text of Les Miserables. Les Misérables Summary. Their romance is cut short when Valjean decides that he and Cosette must leave France and move to England, because of the social upheaval. Abruptly he is transfigured, embraces Marius, seats him in an armchair, and listens with the deepest sympathy to his love story. The young man comes when the old man has retired. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class.”, LitCharts uses cookies to personalize our services. Upon the occasion of the archbishop's next visit, the prioress recounted the affair to his Grace, making something of a confession at the same time, and yet boasting of her deed. Though Jondrette is apparently looking for the philanthropist’s generosity to bring him out of his misery, getting the funds out of him now becomes Jondrette’s one obsession, such that he’ll make the hovel look even more wretched, with a sobbing young daughter to boot, just to ensure greater generosity. He will go to see his grandfather and appeal to his pity. Valjean subsequently understands that his past has finally caught up with him, and accepts this. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our. Part 2: Cosette: Book IV-Book V, Chapters 1-5, Part 5: Jean Valjean: Book I, Chapters 1-10, Part 5: Jean Valjean: Book I, Chapters 11-24, Part 5: Jean Valjean: Book II-Book III, Chapters 1-9, Part 5: Jean Valjean: Book III, Chapters 10-12, Book IV, Part 4: St. Denis: Several times he has seen Thénardier roaming the neighborhood. Now, even if Marius is unable to fully grasp how the Jondrettes know the father and daughter or why they feel so hostile towards them, he is now certain about what the Jondrettes are planning—or at least that they’re planning nothing good. The prisoner says that all these men are wretches, but his life is not worth defending. The political unrest has made the police extremely vigilant, and he is afraid of becoming an accidental victim of their investigations. VOLUME I, BOOK FIRST--A JUST MAN; VOLUME I, BOOK SECOND--THE FALL; VOLUME I, BOOK THIRD--IN THE YEAR 1817; VOLUME I, BOOK FOURTH--TO CONFIDE IS SOMETIMES TO DELIVER INTO A PERSON'S; VOLUME I, BOOK FIFTH--THE DESCENT; Read the E-Text for Les Miserables… The first evening after his arrest, the porter prepares. Alone, this frail creature challenges the entire gang and even when threatened with death declares she will rouse the whole neighborhood at the first hostile move. The two old men had gone to fetch Cosette from the fruiterer's in the Rue du Chemin-Vert, where Fauchelevent had deposited her on the preceding day.