Order from us for quality, customized work in due time of your choice.
During their lives, people find themselves in a kaleidoscope of encounters, make various decisions and cope with the outcome. Such a way of things inevitably leads to the accumulation of experience, which, in turn, is used to build a personal perception of everything that happened, is happening, or will happen in the future. Thus, every consequent action undertaken by a person will be first filtered by that perception or, in other words, will be judged in the context of a person’s worldview. In many ways, this is a fundamental thing in the decision-making process. Although people do not necessarily act according to their worldview on every occasion, they always consult with it subconsciously, especially when it comes to hard decisions. They might even put themselves or their well-being in danger if acting otherwise would mean forsaking their beliefs. In the film Les Misérables based on the novel of the same name written by Victor Hugo, there are many examples of this behavior. In correlation with the common worldview ideas, such as atheism, theism, Christianity, in this case, and Marxism, the characters’ worldviews have a significant impact on their actions.
To adequately describe the influence of atheism in this story, a specific clarification has to be made first. On a larger scope, atheism can be explained as “an absence of belief in the existence of God” (Admirand, 2021), while in a narrower sense, it completely rejects God’s existence. The former is more appropriate because none of the characters display an open rejection in the movie (Les Misérables, 2012). Besides, it is namely the absence of faith that sets up the plot and launches the narrative. The film begins with an introduction of its two main characters: Jean Valjean, a man that spent 19 years in slavery, and Javert, a guard overlooking Jean’s group of enslaved people. Jean is released on parole, but he cannot find employment or accommodation due to his status. Only the bishop shows compassion and shelters, Jean, feeding him and providing a place to rest. Despite that kindness, Jean wakes up in the night, steals the bishop’s silver, and attempts to run, but is later captured by police and brought back to the church. However, the bishop forgives Jean and saves him again, this time from another imprisonment (Les Misérables, 2012). Lacking faith and thus its concomitant Christian aspects, such as compassion and altruism, Jean undertakes a selfish action. Bishop’s deeds, though, make a great impression on Jean, providing him with a second chance and turning him into a believer. Another example of characters who share the same kind of selfish attitude is the Thénardiers couple. Throughout the film, they show no concern for anyone but themselves and commit thefts, fraud, and extortion. The fact that only non-believers in this film commit crimes might not be a mere coincidence after all.
Having acquired faith and a second chance, Jean is significantly changed. It is possible to see new traits in his character, martyrdom among them (Fortyn, 2022). Jean changes his name, becomes a head of a manufactory, and is also appointed mayor (Les Misérables, 2012). Despite his position, he willingly helps people in need, even at the expense of his well-being. He helps a man crushed under a wagon, risking being recognized by Javert, now a police officer. He offers his help to Fantine, the former worker of his factory that had to work as a prostitute to acquire somehow means to support her daughter. He steps out to protect a man mistakenly accused of being the real Jean Valjean. Judging by Jean’s words from the film – “If I speak, I am condemned. If I stay silent, I am damned!” (Les Misérables, 2012) – it is not an easy decision for him. However, it only proves his conviction and dedication. Javert’s devotion to his cause is worth mentioning as well. His relentless pursuit of Valjean roots in his belief that the laws are fundamental and must be respected at all costs. It can be seen in his monologue on the roof in front of Notre Dame de Paris: “Those who follow the path of the righteous shall have their reward” (Les Misérables, 2012). In both cases, theism plays a significant role in the characters’ actions, obscuring other rational reasons.
With his martyred behavior, Jean Valjean pays little attention to class differences. Although his origins can explain it, this argument does not apply to Marius, a young man from a wealthy family. Following the French revolutionary wave of 1832, Marius joins ordinary people on the barricades (Les Misérables, 2012). Such socioeconomic structure movements raise the question of a class struggle, which is described in Marxism theory (Weng, 2019). Compared to Jean and Marius, Javert sees class structure more strictly. He is full of prejudice towards the lower classes, and his legalism and inability to understand Valjean’s actions will eventually result in suicide (Pridmore et al., 2019). In this context, the decision to rather die than face the difference between the romantic vision and real-world evidence implies a firm conviction.
In the Les Misérables musical, worldviews predominantly determine characters’ deeds. While atheism follows in the wake of negative actions, theism shows the true capabilities of believers who undertake actions with almost no self-preservation instinct. In some cases, intense devotion and beliefs can even lead to a tragic end. Despite this story being fiction, it illustrates the real-life decision-making process. Personal perception is subject to change, but the human’s inability not to consult with it might be constant in this equation.
References
Admirand, P. (2021). Theist–Atheist Encounters in Les Misérables, The Brothers Karamazov, and The Plague. Religions, 12(1), 12.
Fortin, J. P. (2022). Revolution of Faith in Les Misérables: The Journey from Misery to Mercy in the Secular Age. Journal of Moral Theology, 11(1), 131-153.
Hooper, T. (2012). Les Misérables [Film]. Universal Pictures.
Pridmore, S., Pridmore, W., & Shahtahmasebi, S. (2019). Suicide triggers in Les Misérables. Dynamics of Human Health, 6(2).
Weng, C. (2019). Feminism is love: Structural, romantic, and marxist-feminist themes in Pride and Prejudice and Les Misérables. International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences (IJELS), 4(6), 1809-1815.
Order from us for quality, customized work in due time of your choice.