Les Misérables · Chapter
III: The "Spun" Man explained
During the political turmoil of June 6, a police agent meticulously 'spins' a tattered man along the Seine's bank, hoping to catch him or lead him to accomplices.
What happens
During the political turmoil of June 6, a police agent meticulously 'spins' a tattered man along the Seine's bank, hoping to catch him or lead him to accomplices. The fugitive evades capture by using a key to enter a sewer grating, leaving the agent frustrated and suspicious.
Themes in this chapter
Justice vs. Law
The police agent's relentless pursuit of the fugitive, even amid political upheaval, highlights the tension between legal enforcement and broader justice.
The Human Condition and Fate
The cat-and-mouse chase on the desolate shore underscores the fugitive's desperate struggle against fate and authority.
Characters to notice
- Javert
The buttoned-up police agent who methodically spins a ragged man along the shore, using a hackney-coach for backup, and is outraged when the fugitive escapes via a locked sewer grating.
- Jean Valjean
The tattered, fugitive man being spun by the agent; he uses a key to open the sewer grating and disappear, suggesting he is the one evading capture.
Key passages
“This justice must be rendered to the police of that period, that even in the most serious public junctures, it imperturbably fulfilled its duties connected with the sewers and surveillance.”
The police of that era deserve credit for continuing their routine surveillance and sewer duties without distraction, even during major political crises.
Sets the tone for the chapter's focus on police diligence during the revolt.
“When a man clothed by the state pursues a man in rags, it is in order to make of him a man who is also clothed by the state. Only, the whole question lies in the color. To be dressed in blue is glorious; to be dressed in red is disagreeable.”
When a uniformed policeman chases a ragged suspect, his aim is to arrest and re-clothe him in a prison uniform—blue being honorable, red being shameful.
Highlights the symbolic contrast between freedom and imprisonment.
“That is too much! A government key!”
This is outrageous! He has an official key!
The agent's exclamation upon realizing the fugitive used a key to enter the sewer, implying corruption or inside help.