On Les Misérables

a story that keeps giving

Hey everyone! I went to go see Les Mis this past week and oh my goodness was it one of the most amazing shows I have ever seen. I wanted to share with you guys some of my main takeaways or parts that stuck out to me!

BEWARE - there are spoilers ahead, and some are pretty big! If you haven’t seen the show yet and want to keep the story a surprise, stop reading here :)

Photo by Samuel Regan-Asante on Unsplash

Small Acts of Kindness Multiply

When the show opens, we see our protagonist Jean Valjean alongside numerous other men working themselves into the ground under the oppressive rule of the French monarchy. Valjean has just earned his freedom after serving his sentence and is given parole, displayed by a yellow ticket that marks him as a thief. However, because of this ticket, no one is willing to help him regain his footing in society. None except the Bishop Myriel.

The bishop welcomes Valjean in with open arms, giving him food, money, and shelter. However, Valjean decides to steal the precious silver from the bishop. When he is inevitably caught, the bishop vouches for him on the condition that Valjean will use the silver to change his life around and become an honest man.

This interaction sets the course for the rest of Valjean’s life and for his redemption story. When watching, I was struck by how much we underestimate the value of mercy, compassion, and second chances in our day to day lives. Even though we, just like the bishop, may never see the effects of our actions, they still cause ripples.

Photo by Pierre Herman on Unsplash

People Are Nuanced

Throughout the whole show, we see characters forced into difficult choices and horrible situations. Fantine, desperate for money to keep her child alive, turns to prostitution. Valjean, who has promised to take care of Cosette, continuously evades the law so that he is able to care for her. Javert, unable to live with himself for letting a convict escape, takes his own life. And, of course, there are many other instances throughout the course of the show.

All these characters have had, simply put, life happen to them. They were forced to choose between bad and worse through no fault of their own. It reminds me of how little idea we have of what’s going on in other people’s lives. We may judge others for the choices they make without having any understanding of how they got there. It served as a reminder to be open-minded and to lead with love, not judgement of actions.

Children Are Valuable

The little boy who played Gavroche was hands down my favorite actor and character of the show. Gavroche is a scrappy and adorable little street urchin and has one of the most devastating stories that I’ve ever seen onstage. He represents the resilience and bravery of the poor, but he also has a chance to just be a little kid and bond with the rest of the revolutionaries. When his story ends, the other characters (and the audience), are stunned into silence.

Gavroche’s story reminded me of how much our society has undervalued children and how short of a time they actually stay children for. I caught myself falling into this mindset the other day with my youngest brother. He was wanting me to go play basketball with him but I continuously said no simply because I didn’t want to. But I’ve been realizing lately that he’s not going to be a little boy forever, I’m not going to living with him forever, and I need to cherish this time with him while I can.

Overall, Les Misérables has profoundly impacted me and I’m sure that I’ll continue to think about it for quite a while. It was amazing how it has so many important messages that still ring true to this day.

I hope you guys enjoyed this post! If you did, feel free to drop a like or a comment below. Until next time!

Abby