Les Miserables

I haven’t finished yet. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever read it again so I chose to read the unabridged version. That makes over 1200 pages. I have finished volume 1 which is 200 pages.

1. Who are the miserable ones that the title refers to? Who in our society today are downtrodden as these are?
   1. The people who are starting so far down at the bottom that they cannot find a way to help themselves. They are not given opportunity to be members of society, they are unfairly punished with no assistance or even freedom to take care of their daily needs. What they do is so crushing and consuming that they have no time to have a spirit or to experience life, all is drudgery.
   2. The modern-day slaves in the book Not For Sale and the poorest in all societies are the people who experience this today.
2. The characters are complex. Many are likeable, but not necessarily good (or they are good, yet not so likeable). Examine one or more of the characters, looking at his or her choices, and what they represent on a more universal level.
   1. I admit I haven’t read the entire book, but even when I finish I suspect my favorite character will still be Monseigneur Bienvenu. I agree with Carrie’s post on that. I was glad the book started with his character because I was so intrigued and convicted by him. And he lives with such integrity that when Valjean shows up it is no effort at all to treat him the way he does.
3. What do you think that the theme of Les Mis is?
   1. Grace and greed. Either want to protect and keep for ourselves and are jealous of any others (even when they experience good), or able to see that none of it has value unless shared.
   2. I think Valjean shows what the result of grace can be. He was just a young man trying to survive before he went to prison and something worse when he got out. But with the grace and love that he received from the Bishop and the true faith that he received we see he became a successful businessman able to help so many others.
4. How would you classify this novel? It covers so many themes — allegory, suspense, romance, war. Which storyline appealed most to you?
   1. The first volume showed the true life of faith of Bishop Myriel and the conversion and honest life of Jean Valjean. The life of grace and trust in God appealed to me most.
5. The experience: Which version did you read (how many pages)? Did you like it? If it’s not your first time to read it, how did this reading compare to others?
   1. This was a bit difficult. I read the unabridged version (at least 1258 pages). I started with a copy from the library but finally bought a copy so I wasn’t under the pressure of the due date (although I did have a due date for the 5M5B post).
   2. I have never read the book or seen the movie so this was a first for me. I finished volume 1 and loved it. But I did find myself impatient to move along. I finally gave in and read the summary on wikipedia so I could go ahead and figure out what was going to happen.
   3. I will definitely finish the book. I have a better opinion of abridged versions now, I think Hugo is a bit wordy in places.