character Research (Credit to Les Miserables Wiki)
Name: Jean Valjean
D.O.B: 1769
D.O.D: 1833 (Aged 64)
Cause of Death: Old Age/Grief
AKA: 24601, Monsieur Madeleine, Monsieur Le Maire, Ultime Fauchelevent, Monsieur Leblanc, Urbain Fabre &
9430
Quick Summary: The plot of Les Miserables is the life of Jean Valjean living as a convict escaping the law after he stole a loaf of bread to save his sister’s child was starving to death, this is at the hand of Inspector Javert who is constantly trying to capture him and send him back to prison along the way he meets a factor girl called Fantine who gets fired after the foreman finds out that she is in possession of a child who she is giving money to people looking after her, Jean Valjean is to blame as he allowed the foreman to make his decision of what should happen after we the foreman finds out about her child. He then promises to pay her back by looking after her child and she dies after ending her life with selling her teeth and hair and becoming a prostitute in order for her child to live a decent life. Jean Valjean then goes to the innkeepers looking after cosette to find out that they are con artists and not very nice people, he pays them off and takes the child. Years and years past and we find out that Javert is still looking for Jean Valjean and Cosette has now become a teenager.The rest of the film centres on the French revolution and people trying to survive in very hard times with very little people owning enough money to life by on. Cosette falls in love with a student called Marius and this tests the wind with Jean Valjean as after a battle Marius is deeply injured and then Jean Valjean takes him through the sewers and towards safety, Jean Valjean bumps into Javert for one last time and taken back by his kindness to take Marius to safety he questions his goals and commits suicide for a life running after Jean Valjean for stealing a loaf of bread. He then declares that he must leave them too alone to life the rest of his life alone, Cosette and Marius get married and find out where Jean Valjean is hiding away and then they find him and life the last few moments of his life then the spirit of Fantine comes to life and takes Jean Valjean with her and he passes away, The film ends with all the characters singing “Do you here the people sing”
The reasons I believe Jean Valjean is a anti-hero is because even though he stole a loaf of bread he intentions were in the right place and also during the rest of his life he takes somebody child and raises them as their own when the mother dies. He also shows compassion where he acknowledges that what he did was wrong but realises that he actually did the right thing by his sister because without the bread he stole the child could have starved to death. Furthermore he redeems himself when he has done wrong by taking Fantine child (Cosette) when she dies and bringing her up which just adds to his heroism. Another point is the idea of not being classified as yourself which is when he is refered to as his prison number 24601 which he is only addressed by Javert as and this brings up problems as Jean valjean even though being chased all his life by Javert still calls him by his normal birth name and not the number he was given in prison which shows Javert was small respect for Jean Valjean and stripping his individuality into a number and his confidence that even though hye is free and living a regular life he will always be seen as a prisoner in his eyes. it not hard to see Javert as the real villain in the story. Something I forgot to mention earlier is that when he escaped prison he failed to find any work or accommodation due to his criminal records, A bishop takes him and feeds him but during the night he steals his silver and is caught by the police. The Bishop shows compassion and allows him to take the silver with the promise that he will turn his life around, Jean valjean takes to his compassion and becomes the anti-hero we know during the rest of the film. This to finish off tells me that sometimes an anti-hero is created from the goodwill of others and can help to make a well-balanced person even considering their shady past.
In conclusion I believe Jean Valjean is a very well balance character and a well thought out anti-hero with understandable reasons of why he is an anti-hero
React!