Les Misérables · Chapter
II: Some of His Particular Characteristics explained
This chapter provides a detailed and vivid portrait of the Parisian gamin—the street arab—depicting him as a small but spirited figure of the urban landscape.
What happens
This chapter provides a detailed and vivid portrait of the Parisian gamin—the street arab—depicting him as a small but spirited figure of the urban landscape. It describes his meager possessions, his love of liberty, his unique games, language, and occupations, as well as his own currency, fauna, and a fearless, cynical humor that rivals even Talleyrand.
Themes in this chapter
Social Injustice and Poverty
The gamin's life is defined by extreme poverty—owning only one shirt, shoes without soles—yet he finds freedom and joy in the streets, highlighting the resilience amid systemic neglect.
The Human Condition and Fate
The chapter explores the universal human traits of play, mischief, and humor as they manifest in the gamin, a child of the gutter, showing how fate shapes but does not crush the spirit.
Characters to notice
- Gavroche
The chapter serves as a general characterization of the Parisian gamin, of which Gavroche is the archetypal embodiment.
Key passages
“The gamin—the street arab—of Paris is the dwarf of the giant.”
The Parisian street child is a small-scale version of the city's vast, rough character.
This opening metaphor establishes the gamin as a miniature reflection of Paris itself.
“He has his own games, his own bits of mischief, whose foundation consists of hatred for the bourgeois; his peculiar metaphors: to be dead is 'to eat dandelions by the root.'”
The gamin has his own pastimes and pranks, rooted in a disdain for the middle class, and his own slang—for example, calling death 'eating dandelions by the root.'
Illustrates the gamin's distinct culture and rebellious attitude toward bourgeois society.
“He is no less cynical, but he is more honest. He is endowed with a certain indescribable, unexpected joviality; he upsets the composure of the shopkeeper with his wild laughter.”
The gamin is as cynical as the famous wit Talleyrand, but more truthful, and his unpredictable cheerfulness unnerves the local shopkeeper.
Highlights the gamin's sharp, honest humor and his disruptive effect on social order.