Les Misérables · Chapter
Preparations explained
Enjolras and Courfeyrac oversee the construction of the barricade in the Rue de la Chanvrerie, which is built to an average height of six or seven feet with an interior step system and an exit aperture.
What happens
Enjolras and Courfeyrac oversee the construction of the barricade in the Rue de la Chanvrerie, which is built to an average height of six or seven feet with an interior step system and an exit aperture. The smaller Mondétour barricade is hidden behind a wine-shop, and an opening is left in the Rue des Prêcheurs for potential communication. Once the barricades are finished and the red flag raised, Courfeyrac distributes cartridges from a coffer, and the defenders load their weapons with solemn gravity. Sentinels are posted, and the group waits in the silent, deepening twilight, armed and determined.
Themes in this chapter
Revolution and Social Upheaval
The chapter depicts the meticulous preparation for armed rebellion, highlighting the collective resolve and strategic planning of the revolutionaries as they fortify their position.
Characters to notice
- Enjolras
Leads the construction of the barricade, brings the coffer of cartridges, and posts sentinels outside the barricades.
- Courfeyrac
Assists Enjolras in planning the barricades, mounts a table to open the coffer, and distributes cartridges with a smile.
Key passages
“The journals of the day which said that that “nearly impregnable structure,” of the barricade of the Rue de la Chanvrerie, as they call it, reached to the level of the first floor, were mistaken.”
Contemporary newspapers exaggerated the height of the barricade, claiming it reached the first floor, but it was actually only six or seven feet tall.
Corrects a common misconception about the barricade's size.
“All this work was performed without any hindrance, in less than an hour, and without this handful of bold men seeing a single bearskin cap or a single bayonet make their appearance.”
The barricade was completed in under an hour without any interference from the police or military.
Emphasizes the speed and lack of opposition during construction.
“They loaded the guns and carbines, all together, without haste, with solemn gravity.”
The revolutionaries loaded their weapons calmly and seriously, working in unison.
Highlights the disciplined and somber mood of the group.