The Timeless Power of Les Miserables Essay example -- Les Misérables M

The Timeless Power of Les Miserables The book Les Miserables, written by Victor Hugo in 1862, created a sensation throughout the world (Royston and Schlesinger 2). That impression continued through theatrical productions and most recently the musical, but the book contains greater detail and adds a deeper understanding of Hugos epic story than the movie or musical portray. Regretfully, hardly a(prenominal) people in World society take the time to relish this masterpiece. Living in a fast paced world, many people today number reading a time-consuming, senseless activity, and those who still read most likely choose a shorter novel rather than the 1500 page story of Les Miserables. However, the causality states, I dont know if it will be read by everyone, but it is meant for everyone (Royston and Schlesinger 2). This statement applies to this time period as well. The sincere characters, intriguing sub-plots, and moral theme of Les Miserables unite to people today all the same 130 years after its publication. Popular characteristics that todays reader admires coincides with the characteristics of the characters in Les Miserables. Readers look for a scrapper that they relate with, so the hero who possesses admirable qualities as well as demeaning faults appeals to most people. The heroes of Les Miserables, Jean Valjean and Marius, both portray average men with flaws in their character. Jean Valjean, the main character, steals from a bishop who treated Valjean decently when other people only saw him as a convict. This single act makes Valjean appear ruthless, but later in the novel, his bumptiousness to help people and his willingness to accept punishment makes Valjeans error seem trivial. Valjeans mistake secures his r... ... and moral theme. Written over 130 years ago, it remains influential even today. Although the book requires an immense amount of time to read, the outcome proves beneficial and invigorating to anyone who choos es to embark on the adventure of Jean Valjeans life in Les Miserables. Works Cited Hillis, Newell Dwight. great Books as Life-teachers Studies of Character, Real and Ideal. New York Fleming H. Revell Company, 1899. Grossman, Kathryn M. Les Miserables Conversion, Revolution, Redemption. New York Twayne Publishers, 1996. Lee, Rob. The Barricade on the Rue de la Chanvrerie Les Miserables - The Novel. Internet. 1997. Available www.users.cloud9.net/rlee/lesmis/welcome.htm. Royston, Peter and Sarah Schlesinger. About the Novel Les Miserables. Internet. 1997. Available www.lesmis.com/inspiration/author/aboutnovel.html.