#1.2.1

[thelunarchronicles-daily]

Chapter 2

The emergency sirens hadn’t faded before the hum of another engine rumbled into the square. The market’s silence was split by feet thumping on the pavement and then someone spitting commands. Someone else’s guttural response.

[thesebloodydays]

This is Étienne Martin’s (1856-1945) Le Boulevard Gassendi (1904). This is where Jean Valjean stops to rest in the beginning of 1.2.1.

And this is La Grande Fontaine à Digne (1909), the fountain where Jean Valjean drinks.

Obviously these are painted like ninety years or so later than the beginning of les mis, but I still think they give a nice impression of what it looked like.

They’re also very pretty and I wanted an excuse to post them.

[jelepermets]

Also I’m not sure yet how to articulate it, but I think Hugo has a really interesting view of common people. Sort of as, capable of goodness and kindness and generally good, but also often ignorant towards their fellow men. And perhaps also scared of going outside the set laws of society. Which makes perfect sense considering the point in history in which Les Mis takes place.

Hugo just seems very ambivalent towards people generally. It’s apparent with the Bishop, and it’s really apparent with Valjean. It’s also interesting that the people who scorned Valjean are relatively well-off - one even has a cousin who runs a successful inn at Grenoble. It mirrors in my mind how most ordinary people think M Myriel sort of odd, meanwhile the poorest in society generally love him.

[patron-minette]

Les Misérables, 1.2.1

[Spoilers for the rest of the novel below, you have been warned!]

•

I posted a breakdown and analysis of Boulatruelle’s character yesterday, where I touched upon the fact that he could be compared to Valjean to further explore the cruel societal perceptions of ex-convicts in this novel. And, as it just so happens that we finally get introduced to Valjean in today’s chapter, I thought I would undertake a more in-depth examination of the similar ways that they are both treated by ordinary people after being released from prison.

Both Valjean and Boulatruelle are handled as abhuman, animalistic figures in the period after leaving prison and re-entering into society. In today’s chapter (1.2.1), Valjean is treated lower than an animal, being denied from even sleeping in stables and eventually resorting to try and rest in a dog’s kennel. Whilst Boulatruelle’s treatment from the people of Montfermeil isn’t quite as terrible, he is compared to Beelzebub and described as a devil - so, likewise, is clearly not treated any basic human decency either.

These characters also have limited opportunities directly as a result of being an ex-convict; Valjean is refused entry to inns and the other houses of people that he comes across once he is recognised. Likewise, it is implied that Boulatruelle is cast out by society, as it is stated that he is unable to find any work (because of his ex-convict status) apart from at the administration, who ‘employed him at reduced rates as a road-mender on the crossroad’.

The descriptions of Valjean and Boulatruelle post-prison are rife with similarities. The way that people perceive both of these characters is almost identical, and, devastatingly, both Valjean and Boulatruelle act in similarly submissive ways as they try and re-engage with society, perhaps in an attempt to appease people. Take the following extracts below (both from the Hapgood translations):

Jean Valjean as described in 1.2.1:

The few inhabitants who were at their windows or on their thresholds at the moment stared at this traveller with a sort of uneasiness. It was difficult to encounter a wayfarer of more wretched appearance.

[…]

He chose the principal street. He walked straight on at a venture, keeping close to the houses like a sad and humiliated man. He did not turn round a single time. Had he done so, he would have seen the host of the Cross of Colbas standing on his threshold, surrounded by all the guests of his inn, and all the passers-by in the street, talking vivaciously, and pointing him out with his finger; and, from the glances of terror and distrust cast by the group, he might have divined that his arrival would speedily become an event for the whole town.

[...]

The man pulled off his cap and humbly saluted the gendarme.

[...]

He tapped on the pane with a very small and feeble knock.

~

Boulatruelle as described in 2.2.2

People thereabouts thought they knew that this Boulatruelle had been in the galleys. He was subjected to certain police supervision, and, as he could find work nowhere, the administration employed him at reduced rates as a road-mender on the crossroad from Gagny to Lagny.

This Boulatruelle was a man who was viewed with disfavor by the inhabitants of the district as too respectful, too humble, too prompt in removing his cap to every one, and trembling and smiling in the presence of the gendarmes,—probably affiliated to robber bands, they said; suspected of lying in ambush at verge of copses at nightfall. The only thing in his favor was that he was a drunkard.

[…]

The goodwives who passed took him at first for Beelzebub; then they recognized Boulatruelle, and were not in the least reassured thereby.

•

Valjean is denied lodging at each of the inns he visits, despite the fact that he is polite and passive, likely in an effort to be seen as a respectable man by the innkeepers. Whilst Boulatruelle isn’t excluded quite in this way (although let’s not forget that Boulatruelle is indeed ostracized by the schoolmaster of Montfermeil, who expresses a desire to launch a formal investigation against him in order to determine what he does in the forest), he too seems to act submissively to the townsfolk so that he is seen as less threatening and hopefully left alone, also tipping his hat to strangers and speaking politely in the same manner that Valjean does.

Both of these characters are ultimately treated inhumanely and with suspicion despite the fact that they are not doing anything even remotely illegal in these chapters, evidencing how their ex-criminal status plays an important role in how they are perceived by society. In relation to this, I think its particularly interesting that Hugo includes both Valjean and Boulatruelle literally “stepping outside” of the town’s society after being shunned by its inhabitants, with Boulatruelle frequenting the forests outside Montfermeil, and Valjean retreating to the fields as a final hope of finding shelter for the night in the wilderness.

However, there is one striking difference between Boulatruelle and Valjean, which is that ultimately Valjean is shown basic human compassion by Marquise de R, and later by Bishop Myriel, yet Boulatruelle is not treated to any such kindness from anyone. Perhaps this is why they end up so different from each-other by the end of the novel - with Boulatruelle sadly becoming consumed by drink and turning back to his old criminal endeavours, acting as an associate for the Patron-Minette.

[exandriacityshowdown]

Round 1 Stage 2 Poll 1

Nicodranas vs. Urzin

Nicodranas, Wildemount

Urzin, Wildemount

Voting ended onAug 25, 2023

Nicodranas, Wildemount: Nicodranas is a bustling port city on the Menagerie Coast. It is the hometown of The Mighty Nein's Jester Lavorre, and the party visited multiple times.

image is official art by adragonswinging, from explorer's guide to wildemount

Urzin, Wildemount: Urzin is a mobile town built atop the shells of horizonback tortoises, which roam the Brokenveil Marsh in Xhorhas. No PCs have visited, I just think it's cool.

image is official art by kent davis, from explorer's guide to wildemount

[lesmiscollageproject]

“I have knocked at every door.”

“Well, what then?”

“Everybody has driven me away.”

The good woman touched the man’s arm and pointed out to him, on the other side of the square, a little house beside the bishop’s palace.

“You have knocked at every door?”

“Yes.”

“Have you knocked at that one?”

“No.”

“Knock there.”

[meta-squash]

Brick Club 1.2.1 “The Night After A Day’s Walk” - dog symbolism in the brick

There’s so much happening in this chapter, I’ll probably do multiple posts on it. Especially because my thoughts for this post aren’t really contained to this chapter specifically, since I was kind of inspired to branch out and look at a book-wide piece of symbolism. Specifically, dogs.

(As a note, I did try and look for any information on dogs as symbolism in 19th century literature, but the only things I could find were on 19th century paintings, which use dog symbolism in a much different way.)

Hugo uses dogs as symbolism quite a bit. They come in two forms: an animal to be pitied, or an animal that hunts.

The very first instance of dog symbolism is in this chapter. Valjean crawls into what he thinks is a roadside laborer’s shelter, and is confronted by a dog that attacks him. He says aloud, “I’m not even a dog!” Later on, he references his degradation in the prison, saying that even dogs were happier than he was. Cosette is also compared to a miserable dog while she is with the Thenardiers, both literally (Mme. Thenardier calls her “Mademoiselle Dog-for-a-name, and she is fed scraps under the table with the dog) and figuratively (Eponine and Azelma treat her like a dog, without looking at her). Fantine cowers like a dog in the corner when she is arrested. Valjean, when he’s trying to decide whether to reveal his identity at Arras or not, imagines Cosette “dying like a dog” if he doesn’t go rescue her. When they’re living at Rue Plumet, Cosette prefers the garden while Valjean remains in the backyard “like a dog.” Valjean also yet again recounts being lower than a dog when he describes prison life to Montparnasse. On a different part of the “pity” spectrum, Marius is likened to a “lost dog” when he hasn’t seen Cosette in the Luxembourg for a while.

When dogs are used as a symbolism for pity, the person being referenced is nearly always “lower” than the dog, and fairly often is alone or lonely. I feel like dog symbolism as something to be pitied or something that is abused is pretty standard for the era. It’s also unsurprising that the majority of pitiful dog symbolism goes to Valjean, and a little to Cosette, but not much to anyone else. I do find it interesting that Hugo kind of takes that metaphor at a different angle when it comes to Valjean’s behavior at Rue Plumet. This time, we’re not meant to feel pity for Valjean because he’s being treated poorly or abused by others; instead, he is making the conscious decision to treat himself as low and undeserving of the lush beauty of the garden. Similar to his minimal furnishings in the little porter’s lodge at Rue Plumet, he constrains himself to the back courtyard. We’re not meant to feel pity that Valjean is being treated poorly, but we are meant to react to the way he’s treating himself (and Cosette) by restricting himself. Those who are to be pitied as dogs or as lower than dogs are almost always helpless, oppressed, abused, and unable to help themselves or change their situation. And yet, Valjean willingly takes these actions that have Hugo describing his conditions as dog-like.

Hugo’s other frequent dog symbolism, and the appropriate mirror to the first type, is that of an animal that hunts. The very first image of that is Valjean’s memory of the search dogs during his prison escapes. This image gives us context for the next piece of hunting-dog symbolism, which is the hinge that shrieks as Valjean is trying to sneak out of Myriel’s house. Valjean imagines the sound of this hinge is “barking like a dog to arouse every one.” Later on, Javert is described as the “dog son of a wolf,” and many times over he’s likened to a dog on the hunt, a watch dog, or a search dog. During the Waterloo digression, the English metaphorically become a dog. More than once, policemen searching for Valjean are referred to as a pack of dogs, and Javert is called a dog when Marius goes to the police, as compared to Thenardier’s wolf. Patron Minette fighting Valjean are likened to dogs on a wild boar, and Valjean himself is described as “a dog scanning a thief” as he watches Marius walk back and forth in the Luxembourg. When Theodule follows Marius, he’s likened to a dog hunting by itself, for fun. Gavroche calls police spies dogs, cannon fire is the “barking of the sombre dogs of war,” and insurrection is described as “a revolt of the dog against its master.” Eponine calls herself a dog when she tells Patron Minette to leave Valjean’s house (I desperately want to expand on this but I’ll wait till the actual chapter).

Characters given the hunting dog description are nearly always on the offensive, but unlike the pitiful dog metaphor, who is always alone, they are either alone or in groups. I think it’s interesting that the hunting dog metaphor is used for both the police and the insurrection. The insurrection is a dog revolting against its master, and that’s an interesting contrast to the other metaphors, most of which are used to describe the police, who are in fact the “master”. The hunting dog is more cunning, watchful, and ready to attack, but they are also often of a higher social status or in a position of advantage at the moment the description occurs (compared to the lowness of the pitiful dog).

Dogs can either be pitiful or hunters, depending on the circumstances. They can be good or bad, depending on the nature of Hugo’s descriptive needs.

However, a wolf is pretty much always evil. Javert’s incarcerated fortune-teller mother is described as a wolf. Bamatabois follows Fantine with “the gait of a wolf” when he is harassing her. Thenardiers are again and again described as wolves; Mme Thenardier is a she-wolf, the Thenardier children are whelps. Montparnasse is described as a wolf caught by a sheep when Valjean catches and lectures him. Even Valjean is described as a wolf when seen through the eyes of Javert (”the wolf of today causes these dogs who are always on the chase to forget the wolf of yesterday”).

All three uses of metaphor serve to dehumanize the character for different reasons. The “pitiful dog” metaphor introduces a sympathetic, sad, helpless person, in order to then lift them up and illustrate their reintegration into the world, their rehabilitation, their regaining of strength or love or safety. The pitiful metaphor dehumanizes specifically to display the extent of their re-humanization. The “hunting dog” metaphor dehumanizes by showing a character’s lack of caring or empathy, their single-mindedness, and their aggression. Most of the hunting dogs are not really ever described as human (such as the policemen) or get a human description and then are immediately dehumanized again by returning to the hunting dog description (like Javert, or Eponine). However the hunting dogs still retain a level of self control or adherence to rules. This isn’t so for the “wolf” metaphor, which is used to dehumanize by expressing lawlessness, aggression, and self-centeredness. M. Thenardier is the one most often compared to a wolf, because he is someone who has lost most of his empathy or human connection, who is made of nothing but cunning, and who may resort to aggression or violence without warning.

I know this meta kind of digressed from the brick club schedule and went brick-wide, but I couldn’t stop thinking about all the ways Hugo uses dogs and wolves in the book, considering the frequency of the metaphor.

[lezmiz]