Jean Valjean () is the protagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables. The story depicts the character's struggle to lead a normal life and redeem himself after serving a 19-year-long prison sentence for stealing bread to feed his sister's starving children and attempting to escape from prison. Valjean is also known in the novel as Monsieur Madeleine, Ultime Fauchelevent (once called Tranchelevent by Monsieur Gillenormand), Monsieur Leblanc, and Urbain Fabre.

Jean Valjean and police Inspector Javert, who repeatedly encounters Valjean and attempts to return him to prison, have become archetypes in literary culture.

Outline of the novel

thumb|left|Valjean (right) in the [[Bagne of Toulon; the letters TF on his hat refer to ("hard labour").]]

As a parolee, Valjean is issued a yellow passport with marching orders to Pontarlier, where he will be forced to live under severe restrictions. This document, often called a "passeport jaune" (yellow passport), identifies him to all as a former convict and immediately brands Valjean an outcast wherever he travels. His life turns around when Bishop Myriel of Digne, from whom he steals valuable silverware, tells the police that he has given the treasure to Valjean. Out of this encounter, Valjean becomes a repentant, honorable, and dignified man. He becomes kind, a devoted father-figure to a girl, Cosette, who loses her mother, and a benefactor to those in need.

Although a known criminal and a parolee, Valjean yet grows morally to represent the best traits of humanity. Bishop Myriel tells him in Volume I that "if you emerge from that sad place with thoughts of hatred and of wrath against mankind, you are deserving of pity; if you emerge with thoughts of good-will and of peace, you are more worthy than any one of us." A few books later Victor Hugo describes that "[w]hat the Bishop had wished to make of him, that he carried out. It was more than a transformation; it was a transfiguration [...][he had] henceforth only two thoughts,—to conceal his name and to sanctify his life; to escape men and to return to God."</poem>

Hugo's sources

thumb|left|Eugene Vidocq, whose career provided a model for the character of Jean Valjean

Valjean's character is loosely based on the life of Eugène François Vidocq, an ex-convict who became a successful businessman widely noted for his social engagement and philanthropy. Vidocq helped Hugo with his research for Claude Gueux and Le Dernier jour d'un condamné (The Last Day of a Condemned Man). In 1828, Vidocq saved one of the workers in his paper factory by lifting a heavy cart on his shoulders as Valjean does. Hugo's description of Valjean rescuing a sailor on the Orion drew almost word for word on a friend's letter describing such an incident. On 22 February 1846, when he had begun work on the novel, Hugo witnessed the arrest of a bread thief while a duchess and her child watched the scene pitilessly from their coach.

The revolt of the university students is based on the 1832 June Rebellion.

In 1871, when Hugo was living in Brussels during the radical revolt known as the Paris Commune, anti-revolutionary mobs attacked his house and broke windows shouting "Down with Jean Valjean!"

Musical

Les Misérables became an Award Winning musical in London, 1985.

thumb|upright=0.75|[[John Owen-Jones as Jean Valjean]]

Differences in the musical

  • Javert frequently refers to Jean Valjean as "Prisoner 24601", which never happens in the book. The number appears only twice in the novel, and is never spoken by Javert. It is only the first prison code of Valjean in the novel, but his only code in the musical. It was chosen by Victor Hugo when he believed that he was conceived on 24 June 1801 (that is, 24-6-01).
  • Valjean's assumed name, Monsieur Madeleine, is used in the original French language concept album, but not in the later English version of the musical, where he is only called Monsieur le maire (Mr. Mayor). In the 2012 film adaptation of the musical, the factory foreman breaks up the fight between Fantine and the factory workers, announcing "Monsieur Madeleine's here!". The assumed name can also be seen on the door of his office.
  • In the novel, Valjean is arrested for the second time after confessing to being a parole-breaker in court. Javert later chases him for escaping from prison. In the musical, Valjean neither gets arrested again nor escapes from prison.
  • Valjean and Cosette do not live in Gorbeau House and take refuge from Javert in a convent in the musical version, but the 2012 movie depicts Valjean inadvertently entering the convent with Cosette while escaping Javert, where he then encounters Fauchelevent. The Gorbeau House episode with the Thenardiers is also omitted in the musical and film adaptation. Instead, Thenardier lures Valjean into a trap on the streets with his gang and later attempts to rob him in his house, which is located on Rue Plumet.
  • In Act 2, The First Attack, Valjean shoots a sniper who is attempting to kill Enjolras. It is unclear in the musical (due to the sniper being off stage) whether Valjean actually shoots the sniper or if he shoots the sniper's helmet to prevent him from killing Enjolras. In the novel, he shoots only at soldiers' helmets while at the barricade and purposely does not kill anyone.
  • Valjean reveals his past to Marius before Marius and Cosette's wedding, and he also does not attend it. In the book, he does attend the wedding and confesses to Marius afterwards.

Given the high range of the role, particularly in parts of Bring Him Home, Valjean is most often played by a tenor.

Adaptations

Since the original publication of Les Misérables in 1862, the character of Jean Valjean has been in a large number of adaptations in numerous types of media based on the novel, such as books, films, musicals, plays and games.

Many notable actors have portrayed the role on screen, including Fredric March, Jean Gabin, Frank Finlay, Georges Géret, Richard Jordan, Lino Ventura, Liam Neeson, Gérard Depardieu, Dominic West and Hugh Jackman, the last of whom received his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for playing Valjean in the 2012 film adaptation of the musical.

References

  • William A Quayle. A Hero: Jean Valjean. Jennings & Pye. Cincinnati. Eaton & Mains. New York. 1902. Internet Archive.
  • Gordon Leah, "Providence, Duty, Love: The Regeneration of Jean Valjean in Victor Hugo's Les Misérables" (2017) 59 The Heythrop Journal 24 Wiley Online Library
  • Joy VanBuskirk, "Social Construction in Les Miserables: A Look at Jean Valjean's Identity Formation in the Context of Symbolic Interactionism's Labeling Theory" (2005) English Seminar Capstone Research Papers 8 Cedarville University
  • Fatma Dore, "Jean Valjean's Dilemma and Utilitarian Ethics" (2017) 90 Folklor / Edebiyat 147 ProQuest Cyprus International University
  • Search for Jean Valjean at the Internet Broadway Database