The first part of Les Misérables is about us, the reader, following around M. Myriel as the Bishop of D---. Not only that but, while we are following the bishop we also see the setting of Les Mis and the ideals of the people. The first few chapters focus on the Bishop's kindness and his frugal living as a result of that. He is shown to have very few luxuries, in the second chapter he gives up his much larger home to turn it into a hospital. Since the Bishop gives everything he has to the people he becomes M. Welcome. The Bishop ends up in the old hospital as his home and never locks the door as he believes that God will protect him. The Bishop once again places all of his trust in God when he visits a far-off village filled with bandits that have even raided the town's church. Seeing the Bishop, the bandits decide to return the church's precious belongings. Showing the Bishop's kindness doesn't just end after the first few chapters though and is continued through part 1 of Les Mis.
The next few chapters of Les Mis, though the Bishop's kindness is still shown, focuses on contradicting his ideals and beliefs. First, the senator/ old attorney started off with his philosophy after drinking. The senator thought himself to be very smart but he was not. This resulted in the philosophy sounding less than clever but the bishop still humored him and continued the conversation. Then there was the member of the convention, this encounter particularly impacted the Bishop. The member brought up his views and the Bishop did not know how to respond, this made the Bishop think about his views. The Bishop had no counterargument to what the convention member had to say and when he returned home he prayed all night. Not only do we see their beliefs, but we also see the beliefs of the people. We see what the people think about the member of the convention, we see what the people think about the Bishop, and so on.
Lastly, the final chapters do not focus on the kindness of the Bishop but rather on the Bishop himself. There is now a spotlight on the Bishop's thoughts. The audience is told what the Bishop thinks about the other extremely rich priests and their luxuries. There is also a whole chapter on why the Bishop's kind behavior causes him to be devoid of apprentices. Then, we are told about the Bishop's behavior in his youth, a large contrast to himself today, he now spends his nights gazing at the sky dazzled by the thought of God. He has everything he needs, gardening in the morning, and quiet thoughts at night. The last chapter is kind of like a description of the core of the Bishop. The Bishop was a man who loved. He prayed, he loved, and he just let questions pass by without deep thinking. A man at peace.
Comments
Post a Comment