Les Misérables · Chapter
X: The Man Aroused explained
Jean Valjean awakens in the bishop's house, disturbed by the comfort of the bed.
What happens
Jean Valjean awakens in the bishop's house, disturbed by the comfort of the bed. He becomes fixated on the silverware, contemplating theft. After a long internal struggle, he rises, prepares his knapsack, and retrieves a miner's candlestick, then moves toward the bishop's room.
Themes in this chapter
Redemption and Transformation
Valjean's internal struggle between his old criminal instincts and the bishop's kindness sets the stage for his potential transformation.
Suffering and Sacrifice
Valjean's past suffering in the galleys and his current poverty fuel his temptation.
Characters to notice
- Jean Valjean
Awakens and wrestles with the temptation to steal the bishop's silver.
- Monseigneur Bienvenu
The bishop is asleep in the adjoining room, unaware of Valjean's intentions.
- Madame Magloire
Mentioned as having placed the silver in a cupboard near the bed.
Key passages
“What woke him was that his bed was too good. It was nearly twenty years since he had slept in a bed, and, although he had not undressed, the sensation was too novel not to disturb his slumbers.”
The unfamiliar comfort of the bed kept him from sleeping soundly.
Highlights Valjean's long deprivation and the psychological impact of kindness.
“Those six sets of silver haunted him.—They were there.—A few paces distant.”
The silverware on the table obsessed him, so close at hand.
Shows the temptation that drives the chapter's action.