Les Misérables · Chapter
Louis Philippe explained
This chapter offers a nuanced portrait of King Louis Philippe, examining his character, reign, and legacy.
What happens
This chapter offers a nuanced portrait of King Louis Philippe, examining his character, reign, and legacy. It presents him as a fundamentally good and kind man, a 'paternal king' who opposed the death penalty and valued human life, yet was constrained by his role as a monarch and the political realities of his time. The text balances his personal virtues—his gentleness, his liberal leanings, his history of exile and labor—against the criticisms of his reign, including the suppression of uprisings and the confiscation of democratic rights. Ultimately, it positions him as a transitional figure, a blend of old and new, whose modesty and lack of grandeur limited his historical stature despite his many admirable qualities.
Themes in this chapter
Justice vs. Law
Louis Philippe's personal opposition to the death penalty and his efforts to pardon criminals highlight the tension between legal punishment and a higher sense of mercy and justice.
Mercy and Forgiveness
The king's habit of revising death sentences and his desire to pardon political criminals exemplify the theme of mercy, even within the context of royal power.
The Human Condition and Fate
The chapter reflects on the nature of power, the burden of rule, and the personal qualities of a monarch caught between historical forces and his own humanity.
Characters to notice
- Louis Philippe
The central figure of the chapter, depicted as a kind and liberal king who personally reviewed death sentences and opposed the guillotine, yet was constrained by his role and the political pressures of his reign.
Key passages
“He took a death sentence and passed the night in revising a criminal suit, considering it something to hold his own against Europe, but that it was a still greater matter to rescue a man from the executioner.”
He would spend his nights reviewing death penalty cases, believing that saving a single life was more important than confronting the great powers of Europe.
Illustrates Louis Philippe's personal commitment to mercy over legal severity.
“After the Fieschi machine, he exclaimed: 'What a pity that I was not wounded! Then I might have pardoned!'”
After the Fieschi assassination attempt, he regretted not being injured, because then he could have granted a pardon to the would-be assassin.
Highlights the king's desire to show forgiveness even toward his would-be murderer.
“He had, with his own hands, demolished the iron cage of Mont-Saint-Michel, built by Louis XI, and used by Louis XV.”
He personally tore down the infamous iron cage at Mont-Saint-Michel, a symbol of royal tyranny from earlier reigns.
Demonstrates Louis Philippe's symbolic break with the oppressive practices of the past.