Les Miserables Essay

Submitted By StrongBad1234
Words: 434
Pages: 2

Throughout the course of the novel, Les Misérables, Victor Hugo describes France during the early 1800s. This time period is riddled with revolutions and more and more people are becoming aware of the social injustice occurring. Many of Hugo’s characters suffer in some form throughout the duration of the novel. Most of this suffrage is a result of poor economics and large lower class. One of the most tragic examples of suffrage is through the eyes of the child characters. The three main child characters are Gavroche, Eponine, and Cosette. These characters are very similar. Hugo uses these characters to show the deterioration of children by darkness. Eponine is the eldest daughter of the Thenardiers. The entire Thenardier family lives and poverty for their entire lives. The Thenardiers are evil people. They lie, cheat, and steal and feel no guilt. They even convince their children to follow in their footsteps and help them. Not knowing any better Eponine goes on to help her parents conduct criminal acts. Eventually she redeems herself through her love for Marius. She emerges as one of the most heroic characters. She realizes that she should not be like her parents. Gavroche is the eldest son of the Thenardiers. At an early age the Thenardiers raised him in their footsteps too. However he is disowned at an early age and becomes a Parisian street urchin. This does not put a damper on him and he remains a happy-go-lucky character. After being kicked out of the family he goes on to demonstrate unusual generosity towards others despite his poor stature. He is brave and fierce and is another example of how