Submitted by ChildhoodSadd t3_121zyzw in books
It is difficult to not read and think without my current moral set in 2023, but above all, I just gotta say that I think Marius is a little bitch.
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Don't get me wrong, by all means, this book is an absolute masterpiece. I won't pretend I have any type of literary quality close to even being that of a 100th of Victor Hugo's. I had to just accept that even with all of the footnotes I will simply not understand some of his references. Also, the personality traits and arcs were entirely believable and realistic in my eyes, (except maybe one thing with Cosette)
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Reasons I think Marius is a little bitch:
- Basically abandons his loving grandfather to be an edgy Napoleon supporter.
- Instead of being "a man" and talking to Cosette and her father, or interacting in any way other than staring, he hides from Jean and then decides to freaking stalk Cosette home so he can find out where she lives
- I understand people didn't have phones back then, but surely this would still have been creepy behavior, no? Dobler-Dohmer theory, perhaps?
- It's great writing, I think a lot of guys have stories where they did something outlandish and not very appropriate because they believed they were in love. Most cases like this DO NOT END WELL however
- Basically writes a letter to Cosette that says "if you don't love me enough to stay with me then I'm going to go kill myself"
- I get it, romantic, truly in love, whatever, It's disgusting.
- Cosette is like 14 and he's 19. I know, I know, my 21st century values. I have a hard time parting with this thought though.
- He can't even be courageous enough to tell Jean Valjean to fuck off. He has to be a huge pussy about it and slowly move his furniture away
- The scene with Thenardier was weird but believable. I can see someone getting upset and throwing cash in the heat of the moment (especially if you were just recently blessed with, basically millions. I get he had that "debt" as well... Still, he should've just punched him. For someone in France I can see "Thenardier went to the Americas" to be a sigh of relief. Oh he's not in France anymore! But that he used this money to become a slave trader. This left such a weird taste in my mouth. It felt like a big theme in this book was to do good and keep doing good. What if "doing good" means enabling a slave trader by not just killing the guy already. I don't know. That's what's books are for though, right? To make you think?
- Jean Valjean only stole a piece of bread you mother fucker!!! You saw how good he was CONSTANTLY
- I tried to tell myself that I view things differently and tried to pretend society perhaps viewed criminals back then in the way I would view a murder-suspect. This helped but only so much. I wouldn't let a murder suspect into my home and passive-aggressively remove his stuff hoping he'd "take a hint" and leave
- His very very final arc did redeem him a bit. But too late!! (I know that's the tragedy of it all, I get it)
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Cosette
- I 100% understand that women have been repressed throughout much of history, and more-so then than many of us are used to now. For Cosette to basically "shut up and color" through much of the issues, and especially the fact that all she went through, AND that she's only 14, I put absolutely no ill-judgment towards her. Incredible writing, completely believable. She is pure innocence.
- The one thing that bothered me was that Hugo went out of his way to basically write that Cosette DID forget about Jeal ValJean to some extent. She was caught up in the minutiae or however he described it. This, in my opinion, although a rarity, felt like it was just written to make the story more tragic. I cannot believe Cosette could just forget him just like that.
- Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe that's just how weddings were. The "property" is transferred from dad to husband and everyone just forgets everyone. I just have a hard time believing this.
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Those thoughts apart, holy shit were the parallels in this book so freaking good. The comparison of Valjean being in a prison again when he ended up with the (sorry for my ignorance I can't remember what the organization is called) insanely strict religious, women's only place, was so good. The parallels between Valjean, only following his duty, with Javert, only following his duty. SO GOOD. I thought for sure the "pay it forward" from the bishop, to Jean, was going to pass on to Javert. I had to read the suicide sentence four times in a row it threw me off so well.
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I had to put the book down just to think so many times.
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One thing I haven't been able to sort out in my mind though, is that I wish Jean just lied and kept his identity from everyone. Everyone would have been better off, that would have been the "good thing", right? But of course he reveals that it's his duty to always do what's right. But what was he referring to? Not lying? He lied to Cosette her entire life. He lied throughout the story to do "what was right", didn't he? He even got a nun to lie for the first time in her life, for his protection. Which of course the reader believes to be what was right....
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Anyway I could probably ramble on for a very long time. Gavroche was the man. His death was such a moving scene. I didn't like Hugo's writing style and was very close to putting the book down after the first 50 or so pages... I am glad I stuck with it.
spotted-cat t1_jdphupr wrote
All I have to say is that I’m disappointed that your review does not mention Eponine even once who has the most interesting and tragic story of all the characters imo.