Les Misérables · Chapter
To Wit, the Plan of Paris in 1727 explained
Jean Valjean, carrying Cosette, navigates the dark, deserted streets of the Petit-Picpus quarter in Paris.
What happens
Jean Valjean, carrying Cosette, navigates the dark, deserted streets of the Petit-Picpus quarter in Paris. He reaches a fork in the road and chooses the path toward open country, but soon realizes he is being pursued. At a dead end, he spots a motionless figure blocking his escape, and he surmises that Javert and his squad are closing in, leaving him trapped and desperate.
Themes in this chapter
The Human Condition and Fate
Jean Valjean's desperate flight through the labyrinthine streets and his realization of being trapped highlight the inescapable nature of his fate and the human struggle against circumstance.
Suffering and Sacrifice
Valjean's physical exertion in carrying Cosette and his anguish at being cornered reflect the suffering and sacrifice inherent in his attempt to protect her.
Characters to notice
- Jean Valjean
Carries Cosette through the dark streets, chooses the right branch of the Y-shaped fork, and later recoils upon seeing a sentinel, realizing he is trapped.
- Cosette
Carried by Jean Valjean, she lays her head on his shoulder and says nothing.
- Javert
Implied to be pursuing Jean Valjean with his squad, having likely posted a guard at the exit.
Key passages
“Three hundred paces further on, he arrived at a point where the street forked. It separated into two streets, which ran in a slanting line, one to the right, and the other to the left. Jean Valjean had before him what resembled the two branches of a Y. Which should he choose? He did not hesitate, but took the one on the right.”
After walking three hundred more steps, Jean Valjean came to a fork in the road shaped like a Y. Without hesitation, he chose the right branch.
Valjean's decision at the fork sets the course for his escape attempt.
“All at once, on turning round, he thought he perceived in the portion of the street which he had just passed through, far off in the obscurity, something which was moving.”
Suddenly, looking back, he thought he saw something moving in the darkness of the street he had just left.
Valjean senses he is being followed, heightening the tension.
“He saw that black form standing out in relief against the white pavement, illuminated by the moon; to advance was to fall into this man's hands; to retreat was to fling himself into Javert's arms.”
He saw the dark silhouette of a man outlined against the moonlit pavement; going forward meant capture, and going back meant throwing himself into Javert's grasp.
Valjean realizes he is trapped between two threats.