Valjean’s Redemption
One of the most famous scenes in Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables involves a criminal and a bishop.
Jean Valjean is an ex-convict who has recently been released from prison. His crime: stealing bread for his sister and her seven starving children. He was imprisoned 19 years in total, five for the initial robbery and an additional 14 for multiple attempts to escape. When he is finally released, the prison gives him less money than he’s owed. When he tries to find work, his bosses pay him less than others because he is a former convict. Confusion leads to frustration which leads to bitterness, and Valjean begins to lose all faith in humanity. As Hugo describes:
“He is lost between the infinites of sea and sky, the one a tomb, the other a shroud. Darkness is falling. He has swum for hours until his strength is at an end and the ship with its company of men has long since passed from sight. Solitary in the huge gulf of twilight he twists and turns, feeling the waves of the unknowable close in upon him. And for the last time he calls, but not to man. Where is God?”
One night, the ex-convict stumbles across a Bishop’s home. Unlike the various inns Valjean has been rejected from, the Bishop takes in the tired, broken man and lets him stay the night. The ex-convict can hardly believe the hospitality being shown to him.
Despite this, while the Bishop is sleeping that night, Valjean decides to steal silverware cutlery from the very person that showed him compassion and escapes through the garden. The following excerpt is what happened the morning after (lightly edited for clarity):
A knock sounded on the door and the bishop called, ‘Come in!’
The door opened to disclose a dramatic group. Three men were holding a fourth by the arms and neck. The three were soldiers; the fourth was Jean Valjean.
A sergeant of the soldiers, who had been standing by the door and was evidently in charge of the party, entered the room and saluted.
‘Monseigneur –’ he began.
At this Valjean, who was looking crushed and woebegone, raised his head in stupefaction.
The Bishop was meanwhile coming towards them as rapidly as his age allowed.
‘So here you are!’ he cried to Valjean. ‘I’m delighted to see you. Had you forgotten that I gave you the candlesticks as well? They’re silver like the rest, and worth a good two hundred francs. Did you forget to take them?’
Jean Valjean’s eyes had widened. He was now staring at the old man with an expression no words can convey.
‘Monseigneur,’ said the sergeant, ‘do I understand this man was telling the truth? When we saw him he seemed to be on the run, and we thought we had better make sure. We found this silver in his knapsack and –’
‘And he told you,’ said the bishop, smiling, ‘that it had been given by an old priest with whom he stopped the night. I can see how it is. You felt bound to bring him here, but you were mistaken.’
‘You mean,’ said the sergeant, ‘that we can let him go?’
‘Certainly.’
The soldiers released Valjean, who seemed to cringe. ‘Am I really allowed to go?’ he said, mumbling the words as if he were talking in his sleep.
‘You heard, didn’t you?’ said a soldier.
‘But this time,’ said the bishop, ‘you must not forget your candlesticks.’
He fetched them from the mantelpiece and handed them to Valjean. The two women watched him do so without seeking by word or look to interfere. Valjean was trembling. He took the candlesticks mechanically and with a distracted air.
‘And now,’ said the bishop, ‘go in peace. Incidentally, my friend, when you next come here you need not go through the garden. This door is never locked.’ He turned to the soldiers. ‘Thank you, gentlemen.’
The soldiers withdrew. Valjean stayed motionless as through he were on the verge of collapse.
Later on in Les Misérables, we see that the Bishop’s act of grace becomes a major turning point for Valjean. I won’t go into the details due to spoilers, but his transformation is quite incredible – would definitely recommend a read.
This interaction can be interpreted any number of ways, ranging from the religious to the historical. Valjean’s redemption echoes that of the Parable of the Lost Son in scripture (Luke 15:11-32) but also points to a simple but powerful moral: forgiveness.
Amidst the giant, chaotic storm of life, small acts of charity can be easily seen as worthless. But Valjean’s redemption is a wonderful reminder that we can never know how much our actions mean to others. The bishop could’ve had Valjean thrown back into prison for fear of being robbed again, but in this small act of mercy the ex-convict began a new life to do some remarkable things.
Books can be mirrors for ourselves, but they can also be constellations of who we could be if we tried. Les Mis is a wonderful reminder to wave the flag of radical forgiveness – a trait I wish I had more of – and to be comfortable knowing that simple acts of kindness could do nothing at all, or change another’s life for the better.