2.5.3 Chapter Discussion and Week 16 Summary (Spoilers up to 2.5.3)
I don't know about you all, but I'm kind of anxious for Jean Valjean right now!
Summary of chapters 2.4.2-2.5.3:
The Gorbeau House is where Jean Valjean had secured lodgings in Paris for himself and Cosette before coming to get her. When they arrive, Valjean only tells Cosette to play. Valjean finds something new is entering his soul-- love for Cosette-- and she finds the same for him. Valjean begins to teach Cosette to read in this house. He goes out in the evenings for a walk, and the old woman who rents the house asks Cosette questions about herself and Valjean. This old woman, a miserable snoop, once sees Valjean take a thousand-franc bill from the lining of his coat, then later finds other things in that coat, and spreads this gossip. One day, while passing a certain beggar he often sees, Valjean thinks the man is really Javert. After this event, a new man appears in the house, apparently listening at his and Cosette's door. The old woman tells Valjean this is a new lodger like himself-- at this news, Valjean packs his silver and money, and leaves with Cosette. Hugo reminds his readers he is writing about the Paris he remembers, not Paris as it is for them. Valjean has no set plan but trusts God will lead him to safety. Four men begin to follow them, and the leader is definitely Javert. For now, while Valjean knows the leader of the men is Javert, the four men do not know for sure he is Valjean. Valjean goes a little way without being seen but the men and Javert catch up to him. He goes down a small path between the houses and road, toward an uninhabited area he believes will lead them to freedom. The men, however, find him again, and he is left with the choice between going into the men's arms and Javert's, on either end of his current path.
Questions for 2.5.3:
- Did you have a favorite line or passage from this chapter? If so, what made it stand out to you?
- Was there any figurative language you saw having an effect on the events in this chapter?
- Do you think there is significance to the way Hugo (as the narrator) keeps pointing out Valjean's lack of hesitation in making choices?
- Do you have any other comments or questions about this chapter?
Final line:
He looked up into the sky in despair.
[New spoiler thread for the upcoming week should be up tonight.]
Posted Apr 20, 2019, 8:55 PM UTC