# V: It Is Not Necessary to Be Drunk in Order to Be Immortal explained — Les Misérables

> Chapter companion for Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.

## What happens

Fauchelevent orchestrates Jean Valjean's escape from the convent by hiding him in a coffin and arranging a fake funeral. The plan goes smoothly until the hearse reaches the cemetery, where Fauchelevent discovers that the usual gravedigger, Father Mestienne, has died and been replaced by a new, sober, and literate gravedigger named Gribier. Fauchelevent's attempts to bribe or distract Gribier with drink fail, and he faces the imminent risk of exposure as the coffin is lowered into the grave.

## Themes in this chapter

### Redemption and Transformation

Jean Valjean's escape from the convent represents a literal rebirth, as he is hidden in a coffin and emerges to a new life.

### Suffering and Sacrifice

The elaborate plan involves the sacrifice of Mother Crucifixion's burial and the risk of exposure, highlighting the lengths taken to protect Valjean.

## Character check-ins

### Father Fauchelevent

The convent gardener who masterminds Jean Valjean's escape by hiding him in a coffin. He is confident at first but becomes panicked when the new gravedigger, Gribier, appears.

### Jean Valjean

Hidden inside the coffin during the fake funeral, his composure is noted as contagious, but he remains passive in this chapter.

### Gribier

The new gravedigger who replaces Father Mestienne. He is educated, sober, and refuses Fauchelevent's offers of drink, posing a serious threat to the escape plan.

### Father Mestienne

The previous gravedigger, now deceased. Fauchelevent had relied on his cooperation, and his death creates a crisis.

### Mother Crucifixion

The deceased nun whose burial under the convent altar is part of the plan to smuggle Jean Valjean out.

## Key lines

> If a man could survive the blow of a cannonball full in the breast, he would make the same face that Fauchelevent made.

Fauchelevent's shock at the news of Mestienne's death is compared to the impact of a cannonball.

_Describes Fauchelevent's extreme dismay when he learns the gravedigger has died._

> Their hunger is the enemy of my thirst.

Gribier refuses Fauchelevent's offer of a drink because he must feed his seven children.

_Gribier's witty refusal highlights his sobriety and the obstacle he presents._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters/v-it-is-not-necessary-to-be-drunk-in-order-to-be-immortal
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters