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Les Miserables - How Society A - College Papers

Les Miserables - How Society A

In Les Miserables, Victor Hugo portrays human nature in a neutral state. Humans are born with neither good nor bad instincts, but rather society affects our actions and thoughts. Hugo portrays the neutral state of mind through Jean Valjean and Cosette. The two extremes of good and evil are represented through Thénardier and the bishop. Good and evil coexists in the society and affects Valjean and Cosette. It is the two extremes of good and evil that dictate the lives of Valjean and Cosette. The bishop represents charity and love. Everything he's ever had, he gave to charity. When the bishop first met Valjean, he said, "You need not tell me who you are. This is not my house; it is the house ...

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me to use this silver to become an honest man." Thénardier, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of the bishop. He represents the corruptive nature of society. He's the one that changes people for the bad. An example of how Thénardier represents greed and evil is how he mistreated Cosette when he was taking care of her. He made her wash and clean, while letting his kids run around and play. Thénardier took advantage of Cosette's mother, Fantine. He kept on asking her for more money, when in fact he didn't really need it. When it was cold, Thénardier told
Fantine that her daughter was cold and they needed money for a wool skirt. This was just an excuse to get money. Also, Thénardier billed Fantine forty francs to cure a fever that Cosette had supposedly contracted (pg. 56). Fantine had to sell her hair and teeth just to
meet Thénardier's demands. Later, she had to become a prostitute because she didn't have enough money.
Jean Valjean was affected by society in many ways. ...

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 8/29/2007 05:34:21 PM
Category: English
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 818
Pages: 3

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