”Greater love has no one than this” – a Christian interpretation of Les Misérables (2012)

When analysing musical and movie sensation Les Misérables, most people focus on the theme of oppression and how, obviously, miserable everyone is – the lower classes, women, all of the unprivileged ones. However, in this paper I wish to show how the most important aspects of Les Misérables are not the social ones, but rather traditional Christian aspects such as charity, forgiveness, redemption and self-sacrifice. As is the case in all musicals, the songs are used to underline the characters’ emotions; accordingly, we have the chance to see their inner feelings and especially the different views on religion. Towards the end of this essay, I will show how one interpretation of Christianity triumphs over the other ones.

As our main character, Jean Valjean naturally undergoes the greatest change. In no way is his change greater than in terms of religion. After his release from the galleys, Valjean sings that he will never “forgive them what they have done.” He is a spiteful creature full of hatred and breaks the Eighth Commandment by stealing. Of course, that he steals the valuables of a church makes his sin even worse, and at this point Valjean has clearly lost sight of the Light of the Lord. Nevertheless, upon receiving forgiveness for this crime by the Bishop, who claims to have “saved your soul for God,” Valjean has a religious revelation. In the song “Valjean’s Soliloquy,” our main character is confronted with all of his transgressions while in church, asks “What have I done, sweet Jesus, what have I done?” and begs for a chance to redeem his wrongdoings. From this point on, Valjean commits his life to helping others no matter their social background. By saving the fallen woman, Fantine, helping children and mingling with the poor people of the street, Valjean certainly imitates the ways of Christ on his ongoing road towards redemption. When Valjean learns that he – somewhat unwillingly – is the reason why Fantine has been forced to resort to prostitution, he is overcome with guilt and is ready to pay any price to rescue her daughter, Cosette. Incidentally, Cosette dreams of a “Castle on a cloud” – an obvious metaphor for Heaven - shortly before meeting the savior-like Valjean for the first time.

As the story progresses, so does Valjean’s selflessness. Although he has the chance to let an innocent man go to prison in his stead, Valjean reveals his true identity and is forced to flee. While living in Paris, he visits the poorest parts of society and tries to help them, something that almost turns lethal when the Thénardiers recognize him. Valjean’s most unselfish act and moment of complete redemption appears in the middle of the 1832 Revolution, however. When he understands Cosette’s feelings for Marius, Valjean decides to protect the bold youngster, even if it means sacrificing himself. This is seen in the song “Bring Him Home,” in which Valjean calls upon God, asks him to “Hear my prayer” and save Marius, dramatically adding “If I die, let me die,” which is a clear reference to the Christian doctrine that “Greater love has no one than this; to lay down his life for his friends.” This, of course, is also what Éponine does for Marius, which guarantees her a place in Paradise in spite of her earlier participation in her family’s criminal antics.

The short-lived revolution also gives Valjean a chance to show his complete transformation regarding forgiveness. When given the chance to execute Javert, who has been taken prisoner by the revolutionaries, Valjean openly forgives his arch nemesis and even tells him where to find him. Over the course of the years and after finding religion, Valjean has finally learned to let go of this earlier hatred and learned to love, as he sings towards the end. It is no surprise that he is awarded a place in Paradise at the end of the movie, when Fantine and the Bishop lead him to salvation.

As a stark contrast to Valjean’s natural and open love and charity, we have the false Christians: The Thénardiers. When Valjean comes to them in order to retrieve Cosette, they claim that providing for the little girl is “no more than we Christians must do.” The cunning couple have certainly treated Cosette terribly and their Christian façade is nothing but a sham, which they try to use to create sympathy for themselves. Over the course of the rest of the story, they consistently lie, cheat and pretend to join the revolutionaries, who in a very Christian manner sing that “the blood of the martyrs will water the meadows of France” – the martyr being a traditional Christian hero. The Thénardiers have no other desire than to rob these martyrs, and the only thing they manage to get right about religion is as they are thrown out from Marius’s and Cosette’s wedding while stating they will “see you all in Hell.” There is no doubt that that will be the final destination for false Christians.

Unlike the Thénardiers, Javert’s Christianity is utterly heartfelt. In one of the scenes (“Stars”) in which he reveals his deepest thoughts, Javert shows a certain understanding of Christian beliefs. By stating that Valjean has “fallen from grace,” Javert shows an obsession with the idea that all humans are born in sin. In the song, Javert sings that “those who follow the path of the righteous shall have their reward,” a hope that he desperately clings to. As a man ashamed of being born in a prison, Javert manically follows a single-minded interpretation of justice. In the chorus of “Stars,” Javert keeps underlining that anyone who “falls like Lucifer fell” must burn forever, just like Satan is eternally condemned to Hell. Unlike Valjean’s kind-hearted charity, Javert shows nothing but contempt for the unfortunate ones in society and continually refers to the lower classes and prisoners as “Worms and maggots,” “garbage” and “scum.” Christ may have walked among the paupers and cast-outs, but when Valjert does so, it is only to harass and arrest them.

Upon facing Valjean’s forgiveness, Javert’s world is completely shattered. Just like his earlier reference to Lucifer’s fall, Javert rhetorically asks “What sort of devil is he?” about Valjean. The fact that Javert automatically sees forgiveness and the devil as two sides of the same coin borders on the comedic and shows how little grasp the virtuous inspector actually has of his religion. In his final soliloquy, Javert sings that “I stare into the void,” which is the exact same phrase that Valjean used when facing his sins in the church. Unlike Valjean, however, Javert is unable to embrace the thought of forgiveness. Incapable of facing a different world, Javert decides to plunge to his death. Ironically, committing suicide will deny you entry into Heaven in traditional Christianity, which shows how completely Javert has failed.

This conflict between different interpretations of Christianity leads us to the message. In the iconic final scene, Valjean, Fantine and the revolutionaries are united beyond death, standing atop an enormous barricade. Parts of this barricade are seemingly made from empty coffins, symbolizing that Death will finally be defeated on Judgment Day and the dead will be resurrected. The barricade itself seems to be a metaphor for true Christianity keeping the faithful ones safe from outside threats. Unsurprisingly, Javert is not present among the dead, as he represents a flawed interpretation of Christianity: The wrathful, aggressive and judgmental approach belongs to the darkest part of the Old Testament and does not take the forgiving, merciful aspects of the New Testament into account. The message is that the true and victorious interpretation of Christianity relies on love, forgiveness and peaceful living in harmony with your fellow men. Although the students started a violent revolution, in the afterlife they sing that they will “walk behind the ploughshare, [they] will put away the sword,” mirroring the famed words of the Book of Isaiah about a peaceful world. Faith in the Lord, Hope for Paradise and Charity towards your neighbours – Les Misérables teaches us that this is how to secure a place in the Kingdom of Heaven, not by judging others.