A Famous Musical: Les Miserables

24601. A very significant number in the musical. It is the prison code for the main protagonist Jean Valjean. I had made a mistake on the original order of the numbers believing it was 26401 in which I assumed was the authors code for “Too Sick For Only One”. This would make sense since “Jean” is Latin for “The Lord is gracious” and “Val” is Latin for “Worth; Health or Strength”. So, Jean Valjean would roughly translate to “The gracious Lord gives me strength O gracious Lord.

” After conducting more research, I had found that 24601 was actually June 24 1801, Victor Hugo’s believed date of conception. This sequence of numbers would later be used as a point of reference in modern television shows like the Simpsons when Marge was in prison or Deadpool when Firefist was in prison. Coincidentally, a very old video game I religiously play to this day called StarCraft gave the main character these same exact numbers. These numbers have come to represent someone who is being persecuted.

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Les Misérables has had more than several different adaptations during its evolution. The original Novel was written by Victor Hugo in 1862. Nearly half a century later it would appear as a Silent Film which was produced by J. Stuart Blackton in 1909. Yes, literally a time in filmography where pictures would fly across the scene with no words. I was not able to find this film and watch it. Two decades later Richard Boleslawski created a film with words but no color. This film has to be my favorite of all the Les Misérables adaptations because the acting was great and they did not sing every word they spoke! In fact, this 1935 adaptation was the only film that was not a musical.

In 1937, Orson Welles brought the world a radio series of Les Misérables. The radio version was a seven-episode season that lasted 3 months. The last film adaptation that I watched was the 2012 adaptation starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, and Anne Hathaway. This film added a few more lyrics of its own to the original Libretto, but it still maintained the flow of the plot and made the character Gavroche easier to admire.

To grasp a better understanding of the script, one must delve deeply into the psyche of the characters, the plot of the story, and the era from which it was made. The musical starts in an 1815 Digne, France. Jean Valjean is being tried in court and sentenced to 5 years in front of a lady justice statue who has a blindfold covering her eyes (The statue is allegoric and will later have a symbolic meaning towards the end of the plot). He was arrested for braking into a house window and stealing a loaf of bread for his sister’s starving son. Very severe sentencing which was extended to 14 more years for his failed attempts to escape. “Don’t look ‘em in the eye. How long o Lord before you let me die? Look down look down You’ll always be a slave. You’re standing in your grave” (Hugo) Jean speaks blasphemous towards the lord for failing him. He calls for the lord to put him out of his misery seeing as him being a slave in prison is no worse than being dead. Jean’s time has finally been served and he is now eligible for parole. Officer Javert explains to Jean that he is not a free man, but merely a corrupted criminal being put on a longer leash.

Jean Valjean learns this to be the truth when he first looks for work a small farm. “They check my papers and they find the mark of Cain. In their eyes I see fear. We do not want you here” (Hugo) He is discriminated against for being a known law breaker. This is where the now famous numbers 24601 become extremely symbolic for an individual who is being persecuted. The laborers give him half the pay they would normally reward the average worker because of his criminal history. Jean is subjected to inhumane treatment by innkeepers and police officers until the Bishop of Digne invites him into his home. By the grace of the Bishop, Jean is afforded food to eat and a bed to sleep. Conflicted by the Bishop’s kindness, Jean rationalizes his relentless years of despair by stealing the valuable silvers in the house and making off with them into the night. When he is returned at the footsteps of Bishop of Digne’s door by police, the Bishop praises the officers for doing their duties but insists that he had given Jean the silverware as a gift. “I have bought your soul for God.” (Hugo) Jean is given redemption for the second time at the discretion of the Bishop who sends Valjean on his way with two more silver candle holders under the premise that he use these gifts to become an honest man. The Bishop told Jean Valjean that the candles alone could sell for 200 francs so I did the research online to check the equivalency of what it be worth today. When I calculated the numbers 200 francs in 1815 would be equal to an estimated 3,500 dollars in 2020. The spending power of 3500 in 1815 would be the equivalent to 50,000 dollars in 2020. (Edvinsson) With the other pieces of silver not factored in, that would give Jean Valjean roughly a 60-70k take which is enough to open a small business like he did. Bishop of Digne was almost like God himself having the ability to cleanse Jean’s soul of corruption.

The plot skips forward to 1823 in Paris, France. Nearly eight years later and Jean Valjean, now disguised as Monsieur Madeline, is Mayor of the town as well as a wealthy factory owner. He takes on the duty of raising an 8-year-old girl named Cosette after her mother Fantine died of illness. Officer Javert began to grow suspicious of Monsieur Madeleine when he had shown blatant disregard for the law in aiding Fantine, a tormented prostitute beaten up by life. His suspicion flared further when he realized he hasn’t met a man as strong as Monsieur Madeleine since his last encounter with a parole violator named Jean Valjean in the prison he once worked. Javert using diabolical tactics, wrongfully arrests a man named Champmathieu who looks and has a similar fate as Jean Valjean in order to guilt trip Jean into confessing. After experiencing some extreme mental anguish, Jean Valjean admits his true identity.

“You know nothing of Javert, I was born inside a jail. I was born with scum like you. I am from the gutter too!” (Hugo) These are the words Javert imparted to Jean Valjean as they both stand over Fantine’s dead body. The style of poetry in this piece is called alternative rhyme scheme. It is generally throughout the entire musical with an ABAB count. This scene is a pivotal moment in the musical as Jean Valjean and Javert sing different lyrics simultaneously. This scene is beyond profound because both characters are so strong in their convictions that they are literally drowning out what the other is saying. The two are drawn into a stalemate from lack of reasoning which leads to Jean knocking Javert out for a quick escape. It was here that we learned our main antagonist Javert had a huge obsession with the law and authority most likely stemming from him trying to disassociate himself from his parents’ inadequacies. Jean then finds Cosette in the woods, pays her wicked tavern-owning caretaker Thenardier to take her off his hands, and swiftly leaves.

The setting is now 1832 in St. Michele. Another 9 years has passed since Jean Valjean and Cosette have relocated. This portion of the musical is reference to the state of affairs in France during this era. Many viewers watch Les Misérables mistaking the events happening during the French Revolution. The French Revolution took place in 1789 when absolute monarchs ruled France. (Bradford) Battles amongst different socioeconomic classes ensued from belief of unfair treatment. The famous “Let them eat cake” line was said by Queen Marie Antionette when there was a bread shortage in the country showed the level of ignorance the ruling class truly had. King Louis XVI and his wife were ultimately executed and France was a war zone until Napoléon Bonaparte took over in 1799. For 15 years Napoléon reigned a republic regime until he was finally beaten and exiled. King Louis XVIII reestablished the monarchy and that is exactly where Les Misérables takes place. Many characters in the Friends of the ABC revolutionary army shared the same spirit and sentiment as Napoléon Bonaparte believing he was more of a liberator than a tyrant. The Junes Rebellion was the actual civil war that Les Misérables was referencing which actually ended just as badly as it did in the musical. The author, Victor Hugo, actually witnessed Junes Rebellion in 1832 while scurrying to hide as bullets flew over his head! “There was a time we killed the king we tried to change the world too fast. Now we have got another king. He is no better than the last” (Hugo) These words were sung by a Gavroche, a young streetwise urchin who later joins the Friends of the ABC revolutionary army. Even a mere child understood the politics of the country and wanted to rebel.

Javert is once again on the heels of Jean Valjean through rumors of his appearance around town. Fate has turned when Javert is captured by the Friends of ABC revolutionaries. They leave him to the mercy of Jean Valjean in a closed room to do to him as he saw fit. “You've hungered for this all your life; Take your revenge! How right you should kill with a knife!” (Hugo) The knife that Jean Valjean pulled out after putting his gun away was showed the irony in the musical. The piece of bread that Jean stole years ago had a knife in it. This scene can be looked at as Officer Javert making a cruel joke right before his demise. Instead of killing Javert, Jean Valjean cuts the rope tied around his wrist and sets Javert free.

As Javert stands near a tall bridge in deep contemplation, he is conflicted with all the events that lead to this very moment. He questions why a devilish man like Jean Valjean would allow him to go free. He had every chance to finish Javert off but he washed his hands cleans and turned the other cheek. “D***d if I'll live in the debt of a thief! I am the Law and the Law is not mocked”. (Hugo) These are the final words he utters before falling down to his death. Allowing Jean Valjean to escape contradicted his core beliefs that all criminals are corrupted. This brought clarity to his rigid existence that he had be living his whole life. Like a computer Javert found his data to be incompatible with reality and shut himself down permanently. In conclusion, the construct of Lady Justice being blind only works in theory. In a perfect world impartiality would be would be the preferable choice, but in reality, thing DO CHANGE.