Les Misérables · Chapter
In Which the Tree with the Zinc Plaster Appears Again explained
Boulatruelle, a road-mender and thief, returns to his work after being released from custody due to his drunkenness during the Jondrette ambush.
What happens
Boulatruelle, a road-mender and thief, returns to his work after being released from custody due to his drunkenness during the Jondrette ambush. One morning, he spots a man in the forest of Montfermeil and, suspecting a hidden treasure, follows him to a glade with a chestnut tree bandaged with zinc. After a difficult trek, he finds only an empty hole, realizing the man has escaped with the treasure.
Themes in this chapter
The Human Condition and Fate
Boulatruelle's obsessive pursuit of a hidden treasure reflects the human struggle with fate and the elusive nature of fortune.
Characters to notice
- Boulatruelle
The road-mender and thief, recently released from custody, pursues a mysterious man in the forest hoping to find a buried treasure.
Key passages
“He had just escaped neatly. He had been, as the reader is aware, picked up in Jondrette's garret in company with the other ruffians. Utility of a vice: his drunkenness had been his salvation.”
Boulatruelle had been arrested with the other criminals in Jondrette's attic, but his drunkenness saved him from conviction.
Explains how Boulatruelle avoided punishment due to his intoxication.
“Boulatruelle committed the error of not comprehending this. He believed in the straight line; a respectable optical illusion which ruins many a man.”
Boulatruelle mistakenly thought the direct path through the thicket would be fastest, but it took much longer.
Highlights Boulatruelle's flawed judgment in navigating the forest.
“The hole was empty. 'Thief!' shrieked Boulatruelle, shaking his fist at the horizon.”
The hole contained nothing, and Boulatruelle angrily shouted at the vanished man.
Climax of the chapter showing Boulatruelle's frustration and the failure of his treasure hunt.