#gavroche!

[bundibird]

on any given day you can be assured that i am two things:

tired 

experiencing Emotions over that stupid damn story victor hugo wrote

[akallabeth-joie]

Brickclub Les Mis 5.1.15

:’(   :’(   :’(

The singing and getting too close to the soldiers were not good tactical decisions, but Gavroche remains faithful to his style. All hail!

Courfeyrac uses ‘tu’ for Gavroche.

[akallabeth-joie]

Brickclub Les Mis 4.15.4

Gavroche: 3, Maintainers of Order: 0.

I feel bad for the drunken carter, having his property stolen and then getting arrested for something that he has no knowledge of. Except for those ethical qualms, I sort of love Gavroche’s antics. There’s the style of writing a f*ing receipt for the cart, the mouthing off to the guard, the improvised weaponry to escape again. And Hugo’s mocking the guards and the bourgeois neighbors all the while: last chapter’s “It’s ‘93!” panic over a song and some broken glass; this chapter having a whole unit turn out against one (1) unarmed child, and in the process do even more property damage than he had.

[Mind, that child is Gavroche, so he’s clearly more than equal to the challenge.]

Gavroche uses ‘vous’ to the officer, who addresses him with ‘tu’.  Yes, even when Gavroche’s calling him bald and snarking up a storm.

[akallabeth-joie]

Brickclub Les Mis 4.15.2

Oh, Gavroche.

This exchange always makes me smile: Gav refusing JVJ’s money on principle until JVJ gives him the go-ahead to smash lamps. Go, go tiny force of chaos!

The line that ‘what’s the matter is that I’m hungry’ is heart-breaking-ly perfect for the conversation and the book itself. And then I remember Gavroche has just under 12 hours to live and won’t get something to eat or a chance to spend the 5 francs he just got and now I’m really sad again.

JVJ uses ‘tu’ to Gavroche, who uses ‘vous’ to JVJ (but GAv is on informal terms with the street itself).

[akallabeth-joie]

Brickclub Les Mis 4.11.4

“They were almost armed”. Tr: Every single weapon in Paris is currently in Combeferre’s pockets, so on average the group has a positive number of weapons, but the mode and median are 0.

I sort of love all of Les Amis in this scene: Feuilly out to avenge Poland, Combeferre somehow getting his hands on a National Guard musket, Courfeyrac with his swordcane. I also note that the group en masse is described as cravatless and hatless, yet everyone’s favorite adopter-of-stray-Marii will fetch a spare hat before the situation gets earnest, and still have his cravat as of 11am tomorrow. Courfeyrac is totally the best-dressed member of the group, along with Bahorel of the Impossibly Crimson Waistcoat.

Speaking of which: Bahorel is in his element, and I just want him and Gavroche to go off and wreck havoc to their hearts’ content. Also, I enjoy how Enjolras is all ‘let’s be calm and focused on our objective’ and Bahorel straight-up says ‘nope’.

Enjolras and Bahorel use ‘tu’, good iconoclastic revolutionaries that they are.

[akallabeth-joie]

Brickclub Les Mis 4.11.3

In which Hugo mocks hypocrisy and pretension. This scene reminds me a lot of the bourgeois with the swans--just a character talking in a way that is belied by their actions. And then a surprise Gavroche shows up to avenge his brothers and vanquish his hated foe: glass.

It’s almost as reliable a motif as Pontmercying around trees: in addition to breaking a window here, Gavroche uses a glass door as a nasty defensive measure on the barricade, and makes a point of breaking the streetlamps during his midnight sojourn to the Rue de l’Homme Armé. Sure, glass may just be a conveniently available fragile item, and thus an easy target for quick damage, but I like crack theories.

The barber and the soldier use ‘vous’ towards eachother.

[akallabeth-joie]

Brickclub Les Mis 4.11.2

In which Gavroche sings, four poor old women gossip, and Hugo works in a few doggonegun puns.

There’s a lot to unpack here, but I mostly just want to give Gavroche an ice cream. He’s singing and throwing together slogans and jokes like a Grantaire powered by merriment rather than cynicism. I bet that’s how Bahorel sounds when he’s in his element. And it’s heartbreaking.

The old women uses ‘vous’ amongst themselves; Gavroche starts using the plural ‘vous’ towards them, but is exchanging ‘tu’s with Mme. Patagon by the end. I mean, I wouldn’t put it past someone in this book to use ‘vous’ while calling someone a bastard, but that’s not how it actually goes down. Gavroche also uses ‘tu’ towards his gun, despite their minutes-long acquaintance, I presume because of great esteem on his part.

[akallabeth-joie]

Brickclub Les Mis 3.8.22

In which Gavroche reappears, exchanges insults with Mme Burgon, and learns that his family was arrested the day before (during last chapter’s raid).

Hugo mentions once or twice that Gavroche goes to see his parents every so often, despite them not really acting as family towards him. It seems telling that the one time we see this on-page, not only is all the effort to maintain the relationship made by Gavroche, but his family isn’t even around to interact with him. Come to think of it, other than Gavroche helping Thénardier to escape (done at Montparnasse’s behest, and without knowing that it’s his own father involved), and aiding the Momes (not that he ever knows them for his brothers) we don’t really see Gavroche ever interact with his family. They, in turn, have even less to do with him: Thénardier will recognize that Gavroche helped him escape, but doesn’t so much as thank him; at the barricade, Éponine mentions (to Marius) her relationship to Gavroche, but doesn’t actually speak to her brother.  

Compared to how Éponine and Azelma are narratively grouped with their parents, Gavroche and the two younger boys really show up as family-in-name-only, more symbolic of the relatedness of the misérables than depicted as humans interacting with family members. Sure, Hugo says something about poverty wrecking family ties (not to mention the Thénardiers being basically the worst parents ever), but I still find it noteworthy.

Gavroche, of course, warrants a ‘tu’ from Mme Burgon.