Les Misérables · Chapter
I: The Flag: Act First explained
As the insurgents wait in tense silence at the barricade, Gavroche arrives with a warning that the troops are approaching.
What happens
As the insurgents wait in tense silence at the barricade, Gavroche arrives with a warning that the troops are approaching. The soldiers advance and demand to know who the insurgents are; Enjolras answers 'The French Revolution!' A volley of gunfire cuts down the red flag. Enjolras calls for a volunteer to raise the flag again, but no one steps forward.
Themes in this chapter
Revolution and Social Upheaval
The chapter depicts the insurgents preparing for battle and Enjolras's defiant proclamation of 'The French Revolution' in the face of the advancing army.
Suffering and Sacrifice
The first volley wounds several men and kills the flag-bearer; Enjolras's call for a volunteer to replant the flag is a call to certain death.
Characters to notice
- Enjolras
Leads the insurgents at the barricade, gives the defiant answer 'The French Revolution!' and calls for a volunteer to replant the flag.
- Combeferre
Sits with Enjolras near the barricade outlet, listening for the approaching troops.
- Gavroche
Arrives singing a warning song, seizes Javert's gun, and joins the insurgents.
- Courfeyrac
Urges the insurgents to conserve their powder and wait before returning fire.
- Bossuet
Among the forty-three insurgents kneeling inside the large barricade.
- Joly
Among the forty-three insurgents kneeling inside the large barricade.
- Bahorel
Among the forty-three insurgents kneeling inside the large barricade.
- Feuilly
Commands six insurgents stationed at the windows of Corinthe.
Key passages
“Enjolras replied in a haughty and vibrating tone: 'The French Revolution!'”
Enjolras answers the soldiers' challenge with a proud declaration of the revolutionary cause.
This moment captures the ideological defiance at the heart of the uprising.
“He picked up the flag, which had fallen precisely at his feet. Outside, the clatter of the ramrods in the guns could be heard; the troops were reloading their arms. Enjolras went on: 'Who is there here with a bold heart? Who will plant the flag on the barricade again?' Not a man responded.”
Enjolras retrieves the fallen flag and asks for a volunteer to raise it, but the soldiers are reloading and no one dares to step forward.
The silence after Enjolras's call highlights the gravity of the sacrifice required.