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Jean Valjean (French: [ʒɑ̃ val.ʒɑ̃]) 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.
Hardened by prison and rescued by the kindness of M. Myriel, Valjean is a blank slate, molded by his encounters and circumstances. This ability to change makes him a universal symbol of hope—if he can learn love and charity after suffering so much injustice, anyone can.
Jean Valjean is the protagonist of Les Misérables. The story depicts Valjean's struggle to lead a normal life after serving in prison for 19 years. He learns honesty from Bishop Myriel and promises a dying Fantine to care for her child, Cosette.
- 1769
- Male
- 1833 (aged 64)
- 3 min
Jean Valjean Character Analysis. A convict from a poor provincial family, whose long and torturous transformation amounts to the most significant narrative arc of the novel.
A summary of “Jean Valjean,” Books One–Three in Victor Hugo's Les Misérables. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of Les Misérables and what it means. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans.
Valjean was a poor boy who “stole some bread to save his sister’s son. For 19 winters served his time, in sweat he washed away his crime.” (Valjean’s confession, Les Mis). After a meeting with a bishop in his way to receive his parole, Jean Valjean was convinced to begin a new life.
The convict Jean Valjean is released from a French prison after serving nineteen years for stealing a loaf of bread and for subsequent attempts to escape from prison. When Valjean arrives at the town of Digne, no one is willing to give him shelter because he is an ex-convict.
