Les Misérables · Chapter
X: Which Explains How Javert Got on the Scent explained
Javert, now a Paris police inspector, pieces together clues from a newspaper report of Jean Valjean's death and a police report about the abduction of Cosette in Montfermeil.
What happens
Javert, now a Paris police inspector, pieces together clues from a newspaper report of Jean Valjean's death and a police report about the abduction of Cosette in Montfermeil. He realizes that the stranger who took Cosette must be Jean Valjean, who is not dead. Javert tracks Valjean through Paris, hesitating to arrest him due to doubts and political pressures, but ultimately recognizes him and sets a trap, only to lose him in the streets.
Themes in this chapter
Justice vs. Law
Javert's internal conflict between his duty to the law and his personal doubts about the identity of the fugitive highlights the tension between strict legal enforcement and true justice.
The Human Condition and Fate
The chapter explores the relentless pursuit and the role of chance and instinct in Javert's hunt, reflecting the inescapable nature of fate for both hunter and hunted.
Characters to notice
- Javert
Javert is the central figure of the chapter, tracking Jean Valjean through Paris, hesitating due to doubt and political caution, and ultimately losing him after setting a trap.
- Jean Valjean
Jean Valjean is the fugitive being pursued by Javert; he is leading Cosette through the streets of Paris, unaware of the close surveillance.
- Cosette
Cosette is the child with Jean Valjean, whose abduction from Montfermeil is the clue that leads Javert to suspect Valjean is alive.
- Thénardier
Thénardier is mentioned as the innkeeper who initially reported the abduction of Cosette, but later kept quiet to avoid police scrutiny.
- Fantine
Fantine is referenced as Cosette's mother, whose deathbed scene involved Javert's arrest of Jean Valjean.
Key passages
“There are in this world two beings who give a profound start—the mother who recovers her child and the tiger who recovers his prey. Javert gave that profound start.”
Javert's intense reaction upon recognizing Jean Valjean is compared to the primal instincts of a mother finding her child or a tiger reclaiming its prey.
This metaphor emphasizes Javert's predatory determination and the emotional intensity of the pursuit.
“He experienced one ecstatic and infernal moment; he allowed his man to go on ahead, knowing that he had him safe, but desirous of postponing the moment of arrest as long as possible, happy at the thought that he was taken and yet at seeing him free, gloating over him with his gaze, with that voluptuousness of the spider which allows the fly to flutter, and of the cat which lets the mouse run.”
Javert savors the chase, delaying the arrest to enjoy the power he holds over Jean Valjean, like a spider or cat toying with its prey.
This passage reveals Javert's sadistic pleasure in the hunt and his confidence in his own control.
“It is certain that Napoleon made mistakes during the war with Russia, that Alexander committed blunders in the war in India, that Caesar made mistakes in the war in Africa, that Cyrus was at fault in the war in Scythia, and that Javert blundered in this campaign against Jean Valjean.”
The narrator compares Javert's failure to capture Jean Valjean to the strategic errors of famous historical military leaders.
This hyperbolic comparison underscores the magnitude of Javert's mistake and the near-mythic scale of the pursuit.