Les Miserables Essay, Research Paper
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Les Miserables
Les Miserables is one of the most captivating plays of our
lifetime! It grabs the audience and pulls you in head first.
You can’t take out eyes off of the stage, and even if you can,
the music will take your breath away! I have seen the play 3
times and I don’t think I enjoy anything in this world more
than watching that play!
Les Miserables starts off on a chain gang in France. The
sheriff comes out and gives one of the convicts his release
papers. This convict is the lead role who name is Jeran
Valjean, who has served 19 years on the chain gang for
stealing a mouthful of bread. Jean Valjean leaves the prison
and sets out to find work. But no one will give him work
because of his tattoo which reads 24601, his prison ID number.
Then in the time when he couldn’t be more down a priest
invites Valjean to stay with him. Despite the kind priest taking
him in and feeding him, Valjean decides to take the silver from
the table. In the run he gets captured be the police. But
instead of telling the truth about Valjeans thievery, he gives
the criminal more silver and sends the police away. He makes
Jean Valjean promise that he will become an honest man with
this silver.
The next scene in 10 years later set in a factory where we
meat the other main character, Fantine. As she is reading a
letter her perverted boss snatches it up with his hands and
reads it aloud. Fantine has a daughter that lives with an
innkeeper and his wife who are the only ones in this whole
play that give some comedy relief. They treat her daughter
horribly and when the boss finds out that she has a daughter
he thinks of her as a prostitute and kicks her out of the
factory, which is in the town in which the new honest Valjean
is the mayor. To support her child Fantine sells her chain and
her locks of hair. Then later because she can’t find work
becomes a prostitute.
Later a respected person in the community felt an itch
for a poke at a female and went to Fantine. Fantine realizes
that day that she can no longer be a prostitute because of her
morals and refuses. The man beats her and when Fantine
fights back he drags her to the police. As the police are taking
her away Jean Valjean, the mayor, comes in the stops them.
He believes Fontine and promises to help her.
Valjean goes to the innkeepers house and pays for their
troubles even though they have been absolutely horrible and
abusive to her. The daughters name is Cosset and she
instantly falls in love with her new “father.” On the long trip
home the two become very close and when they get back they
find out that Fantine, Cossets mot
agrees with delight to stay with Valjean.
20 years later in Paris we find that Cosset is grown up
and Valjean has grown old and withered. This is now the time
of the French Revolution and you can smell war in the air.
But an old face shows up, Shaver. Who is the sheriff that kept
incarcerated for so many years. He has come back to take
Valjean again. He has been hunting him for 30 years for
parole violation. but Valjean refuses and the two get in a huge
battle royal. Jean Valjean is victorious and runs away. Cosset
has no idea of her adopted fathers past and doesn’t even know
the story of her mother. Jean Valjean tells her and she is
crushed that he kept this information from her for so long.
But she gets over it by finding her love. A young gentleman
and her fall in love but are kept apart by the war. Him and
Valjean go to war together and Valjean ends up saving his life.
In the next scene there is an interesting twist! Everyone
is on the battle field and Shaver is also fighting in the battle
but is mistaken for a spy from the other army. Valjean asks if
he can be responsible for the prisoner and his wish is granted.
But in the night he sneaks past the guards and cuts his enemy
loose. After 19 years on a chain gang and 30 years of running,
he cuts his enemy loose.
But the day after that something horrible happens!
Cossets love is shot in the chest. Who else would show up and
rescue the day, Valjean. Not even knowing that he is Cossets
love he takes his still alive body away from the battle field and
to the hospital.
The revolution is now over and the French armies have
won but in these last few scenes Cosset and her love get
married and at the wedding Valjean and Cossets love
recognize each other. There is an incredibly dramatic part
here when they hug.
In the last scene we see and old ugly man on his death
bed. Then a youthful face comes out all in white, Fantines
ghost. Then another dressed in white then another. Everyone
that was killed in the play was out on stage and in about a
minuets time Jean Valjean leaves the stage just for a second
and comes out in white also. They all had died and now they
are all united again.
This play was just phenomenal. It opens your eyes to
what war and love can do to people. It also opens your eyes to
how miserable some people lived back in those days and still
do today. The music is breathtaking and ads 200 percent to
the plays dramatic effect. I would recommend seeing this play
if its the last thing you ever do. I have seen it 3 times and I
know I couldn’t live without seeing it again!
Bibliography
jerry and jerry
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