Les Misérables · Chapter
Four and Four explained
The chapter describes a pleasure trip to the countryside taken by four young couples, including Tholomyès, Fantine, and their friends.
What happens
The chapter describes a pleasure trip to the countryside taken by four young couples, including Tholomyès, Fantine, and their friends. It paints a vivid picture of their joyful, carefree day in Saint-Cloud, highlighting the innocence and beauty of Fantine amidst the revelry.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Compassion
The chapter portrays the innocent, joyful love of youth, particularly through Fantine's relationship with Tholomyès and the group's shared happiness.
The Human Condition and Fate
The fleeting nature of happiness and the contrast between the carefree present and the inevitable hardships to come are subtly evoked.
Characters to notice
- Fantine
Described as a joy to behold, with a blend of innocence and modesty, she is the central figure of the outing, embodying both beauty and chastity.
- Tholomyès
Dominates the group with his joviality and dictatorial air, wearing fashionable trousers and smoking a cigar, treated with veneration by the others.
- Favorite
The oldest of the young women, she presides over the merrymaking with a spirited, faun-like energy and writes the invitation for the outing.
- Zéphine
One of the four young women, she and Dahlia are described as beautiful and coquettish, with hair dressed in rolls, adopting English poses.
- Dahlia
Completes the pair with Zéphine, both clinging to each other out of coquetry, with melancholy dawning in their demeanor.
Key passages
“It is hard nowadays to picture to one’s self what a pleasure-trip of students and grisettes to the country was like, forty-five years ago.”
It is difficult today to imagine the kind of country outing that students and working-class young women enjoyed forty-five years ago.
Sets the historical context, emphasizing the change in leisure activities over time.
“Fantine was beautiful, without being too conscious of it.”
Fantine possessed a natural beauty that she herself was largely unaware of.
Highlights Fantine's innate grace and modesty.