Jean Valjean
Jean Valjean is the protagonist of Victor Hugo's novel *Les Misérables* (1862), a convict who serves nineteen years for stealing bread, then breaks parole and builds a new life as a factory owner and mayor.
His pursuit by the obsessive Inspector Javert drives the plot.
The character has become a symbol of redemption and the possibility of moral transformation: He's like Jean Valjean—a completely different person than he was twenty years ago.
French nineteenth-century novelist
- MariusSulla's great rival
- ParisFrance's chief city
- barricadeObstacle blocking a path
- 1832A specific year
Cosette · Fantine · Javert · revolution · France · Seine · convict · candlesticks
- fatherhoodState of being dad
- guardianProtective caretaker of another
- protectionGuarding against harm
- selflessnessPrioritizing others over oneself
devotion · renunciation · Marius · confession · letting go · anonymity · poverty · love
Adopted false name
- disguiseIdentity-concealing alteration
- mayorElected head of municipality
- convictJailed offender after trial
- paroleeConditionally freed prisoner
fugitive · transformation · reinvention · assumed name · hidden past · false papers
Bases for tapers
- salvationDeliverance from harm
- forgivenessReleasing resentment toward offenders
- atonementCompensation for wrongdoing
- transformationThorough change in form
mercy · grace · conscience · moral awakening · repentance · silver · soul · reformation
- manhuntSearch for a suspect
- fugitiveOne fleeing authorities
- parole violationBreaking early release terms
- chaseRapid following of quarry
evasion · hiding · relentless · obsession · cat-and-mouse · escape · Seine · rooftops
Enslaved person rowing warships
- superhumanBeyond typical ability
- cartVehicle for hauling
- liftingRaising something heavy
- enduranceSustained effort capacity
labor · chains · muscular · iron grip · rescue · extraordinary
Victor Hugo
French nineteenth-century novelist
Cosette · Fantine · Javert · 1832 · revolution · France · Seine · convict · candlesticks · galley
Cosette
- fatherhoodState of being dad
- guardianProtective caretaker of another
- protectionGuarding against harm
selflessness · devotion · renunciation · Marius · confession · letting go · anonymity · poverty · love · rescue
alias
Adopted false name
- disguiseIdentity-concealing alteration
- mayorElected head of municipality
- convictJailed offender after trial
parolee · fugitive · transformation · reinvention · assumed name · hidden past · false papers
candlesticks
Bases for tapers
- salvationDeliverance from harm
- forgivenessReleasing resentment toward offenders
- atonementCompensation for wrongdoing
transformation · mercy · grace · conscience · moral awakening · repentance · silver · soul · reformation · spiritual rebirth
Javert
- manhuntSearch for a suspect
- fugitiveOne fleeing authorities
- parole violationBreaking early release terms
chase · evasion · hiding · relentless · obsession · cat-and-mouse · escape · Seine · rooftops · sewers
galley slave
Enslaved person rowing warships
- superhumanBeyond typical ability
- cartVehicle for hauling
- liftingRaising something heavy
endurance · labor · chains · muscular · iron grip · rescue · extraordinary
- Fictional DadsHomer Simpson, Darth Vader, Mufasa, Fred Flintstone, George Jetson
- literary charactersSherlock Holmes, Scout Finch, Elizabeth Bennet, Macbeth, Huck Finn
- French LiteratureVictor Hugo, Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, Dumas, Jules Verne
- French CharactersCosette, Javert, Athos, Porthos, Aramis
- legal fictionlegal drama, courtroom drama, crime fiction, detective stories, To Kill a Mockingbird
- Musical CharactersElphaba, Javert, Cosette, Fantine, Marius
Jean ValjeanWalter White
Macbeth · Anakin Skywalker · Michael Corleone · Dorian Gray · Javert
Jean ValjeanJavert
bounty hunter · prosecutor · prison warden · Sherlock Holmes · authority