One of my goals for 2025 was to read Les Miserables, and
after 8 weeks I can say I accomplished it! Affectionately known to some as “the
brick,” Les Miserables spans over a decade (and about 1000 pages) in the life
of its protagonists. I noticed that beauty comes up often as a theme in the book,
and it serves as a form of character development. Although the male characters
often change their appearance, such as Jean Valjean as he gets wealthy, it’s
the beauty of the female characters that comes up most often. Here’s what I observed about how Hugo
discusses the beauty of the main female characters:
Fantine-Before her fall into poverty, Fantine is described
as beautiful, charming, and innocent. She has long golden hair and a beautiful
smile. But she ends up abandoned by her lover and left with nothing. She sacrifices both to support her daughter,
Cosette. The loss of her physical beauty mirrors her loss of innocence too. By
the time she is rescued from arrest by Valjean, Hugo describes her as aged
beyond her years. She is also more animalistic and vulgar. This is where the
theme of redemption comes in-although she’s at her lowest, Fantine can still be
saved.
Cosette-Cosette goes through an interesting transformation
in the book. After being rescued by Valjean from her enslavement by the
Thenardiers, Cosette as a young girl of around ten has the opportunity to be
raised by nuns. Hugo notes that one of the nuns calls her ugly, but not in a
negative way. It’s implied that taking a vow herself will be a good path for
her. Valjean considers it but ultimately decides to allow her to live an
uncloistered life. One day as a teenager, Cosette notices in the mirror that
she’s become beautiful. Passers by notice it too. This leads to her falling in love with Marius.
Hugo through Valjean notes that if she had fallen in with another kind of man,
Cosette’s fate would be very similar to that of her mother.
Madame Thenardier-As one of the villains of the novel, Hugo makes
sure to describe Madame Thenardier in the most unflattering terms as possible.
He writes that she’s often mistaken for a man with her stout figure and
moustache. She’s greedy, vulgar, and completely unfeminine. Worst of all, she
spends her time reading trashy romance novels! Hugo argues that the ugliness of
her body reflects the ugliness in her soul. Unlike Fantine, who lost her beauty
due to tragedy, there’s really no redeeming La Thenardier. Maybe if she invested
in some wax and moisturizer, it would have set her on the straight and narrow.
Eponine-Eponine is Madame Thenardier’s daughter and grew up
alongside Cosette. She was spoiled by her mother, but Hugo insists this was not
a form of love. Although she grew up wanting for nothing, her family loses
their inn by the same she becomes a teenager. Similarly to Fantine, Hugo argues
that Eponine loses her beauty due to her circumstances. She’s described as
poverty stricken, committing petty crimes in bare feet. Her voice is hoarse
from too much drinking, and she’s thin from malnourishment. She loves her
neighbor Marius but he loves Cosette. It makes you wonder what Marius would have
thought of Fantine if he knew her. Would he recoil from her chopped off hair
and missing teeth, or would he recognize Cosette in her eyes? Hugo argues that
Eponine is also redeemable by having her reunite Marius and Cosette before she
dies.
One other aspect of the novel that jumps out at me, is that
it’s just so darn Greek! Children carry the sins of their parents and meet
various forms of failure and success. A woman’s beauty determines her fate. And
Valjean’s journey through the Parisian sewers is like an ancient death ride on
the River Styx. He even has to “pay a toll” to get through! And like a true
Greek story, everyone meets their destiny in one way or another.
