Thoughts on Les Misérables and The Mayor of Casterbridge

[birdienl]

I love it when multiple books or movies connect in some way in my mind. Therefore I wanted to share with you this connection I thought of after watching es Miserables

Spoilers or the stories of bot Les Miserables n The Mayor of Casterbridge!

The stories o Les Miserables n The Mayor of Casterbridge an 1886 novel by Thomas Hardy) have some interesting similarities. Both have for main characters men who made a mistake and through that lost something dear to them. I Les Miserables ean Valjean is imprisoned for 20 years for stealing a bread and in The Mayor of Casterbridge ichael Henchard sells his wife and baby daughter when he is drunk. Both make a decision to change their life and through hard work become honorable men and mayors. And both have a daughter in their life who they love more than anything else

But the decision to change their life was very different for Valjean and Henchard and years later, this leads to their lives ending very differently as well. Henchard, after selling his wife and child, made a promise to never drink again. Valjean, after stealing silver from a kindly bishop and being forgiven, broke down before God and asked Him to show if there was a way he could start a new life. In the beginning Henchard's promise to himself and Valjean's trust in God work equally well in keeping them both on the right path and lead them success nd riches. But when things start shifting in the lives of these men, we can see which foundation was the strongest. When Henchard's wife and daughter reappear in his life, it quickly becomes clear his honorableness is only a veneer and his life starts going downhill. He becomes destitute, starts drinking again and has to rely on his daughter's wages to keep him fed and keep a roof over their heads. Look at the contrast with Valjean, who, even when hunted through Paris by th vengeful avert, is able to give his daughter a safe upbringing, help the poor around him and keep forgiving.

Is this simply because Valjean is a stronger man than Henchard? I don't think so. I think no person is strong enough to be a truly good person in all, sometimes difficult circumstances. Trusting only in your own strength, as Henchard did, will fail you 'when the going gets rough' and promises made to yourself will be broken. It is only through trusting in God's strength and calling to Him when your life gets difficult that you will be able to remain a blessing to those around you, exemplified by Jean Valjea