# X: The Plateau of Mont-Saint-Jean explained — Les Misérables

> Chapter companion for Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.

## What happens

This chapter depicts the brutal and chaotic cavalry charges at the Battle of Waterloo, focusing on the French cuirassiers' repeated assaults on the English squares holding the plateau of Mont-Saint-Jean. Despite immense courage and heavy losses on both sides, the French fail to break the center, and Wellington's army is pushed to the brink, awaiting Blücher's arrival.

## Themes in this chapter

### Suffering and Sacrifice

The chapter vividly describes the immense suffering and sacrifice of soldiers on both sides, with horrific wounds, decimated regiments, and the relentless carnage of the cavalry charges.

### The Human Condition and Fate

The battle's outcome hangs on a knife's edge, with fate determined by timing, leadership decisions, and the arrival of Blücher, highlighting the precariousness of human endeavor in war.

## Character check-ins

### Jean Valjean

Not directly present in this chapter; the battle is described from a historical perspective.

## Key lines

> The plateau of Mont-Saint-Jean was captured, recaptured, captured again.

The strategic high ground changed hands multiple times during the fierce fighting.

_Illustrates the back-and-forth nature of the battle for the plateau._

> Wellington, three-quarters vanquished, admired heroically. He said in an undertone, 'Sublime!'

Even as he was nearly defeated, Wellington acknowledged the extraordinary courage of the French cavalry.

_Shows Wellington's respect for the enemy's valor despite the dire situation._

> At five o'clock Wellington drew out his watch, and he was heard to murmur these sinister words, 'Blücher, or night!'

Wellington realized that his only hope was the arrival of Blücher's Prussian army before darkness fell.

_Highlights the critical moment of suspense and the reliance on allied reinforcements._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters/x-the-plateau-of-mont-saint-jean
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters