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Changed line(s) 80 (click to see context) from:
** He probably didn't want to die but was just accepting of his incoming death. For him, its entirely sensible that an informant would be executed after being captured by rebels. It would fit right into his strict view of the world that he had lived by all his life. In fact, he probably sees it as the Rebels' right to kill him if they caught him. And as to dying... He probably thought he would be a martyr and ascend to heaven. KnightTemplars are like that. Being spared is where he starts to freak out because it contradicts this view. As for the ID and note, it probably would have been helpful when leaving the barricade to confirm that he was in fact with the government.
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** He probably didn't want to die but was just accepting of his incoming death. For him, its entirely sensible that an informant would be executed after being captured by rebels. It would fit right into his strict view of the world that he had lived by all his life. In fact, he probably sees it as the Rebels' right to kill him if they caught him. And as to dying... He probably thought he would be a martyr and ascend to heaven. KnightTemplars {{Knight Templar}}s are like that. Being spared is where he starts to freak out because it contradicts this view. As for the ID and note, it probably would have been helpful when leaving the barricade to confirm that he was in fact with the government.
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*** The issue here is that "Madaline" aka Jean Vajean turned away from the issue of the 'working class' which worked at his factory but that's why he decides to raise Cosette because he feels guilty because its his fault that Fante became a 'lovely lady'.
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*** The issue here is that "Madaline" aka Jean Vajean turned away from the issue of the 'working class' which worked at his factory but that's why he decides to raise Cosette because he feels guilty because its his fault that Fante Fantine became a 'lovely lady'.
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*** I always interpreted that line as meaning Javert hadn't seen the brand yet, but he was confident it would be there. Remember, he also says Champmathieu (who isn't referred to by name in the musical) is just going to court today. Of course, that does raise the question of why Valjean felt the need to save the other man from being convicted, if they would have discovered in due course that he didn't have the right brand.
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**** It's not quite as simple as "she's fired for having an illegitimate daughter". She's fired because she rebuffed the foreman's advances and he can't stand knowing she said yes to some other man but no to him.
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* In the book, when Marius regains consciousness after being wounded it seems that nothing has been said about Cosette as he is surprised when his grandfather grants him permission to marry her and only then does he learn that Jean Valjean comes to inquire about his health for her. As far as he knows before that, she has gone to England. So why does he see his grandfather's refusal as the only possible obstacle to him being with her? He should be thinking more along the lines of "I need to find out where she is and how I can go there/bring her back" instead of "I have to get permission to marry", as that of itself would have been useless if she really was abroad.
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Changed line(s) 123,125 (click to see context) from:
** I assumed that it was just really hard to get a meeting with the guy. He's the mayor, and he owns a factory, and he probably owns a bunch of other businesses too. It would be like a random homeless person trying to schedule a meeting with a millionaire CEO. How are you going to make that happen? Who's going to let you in the door? How are you going to convince any one that the CEO would actually be happy to talk to you? Not to mention that Fantine felt that Madeline had failed her once already, so there wasn't any use in going through a lot of effort just to be refused a second time.
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** I assumed that it was just really hard to get a meeting with the guy. He's the mayor, and he owns a factory, and he probably owns a bunch of other businesses too. It would be like a random homeless person trying to schedule a meeting with a millionaire CEO. How are you going to make that happen? Who's going to let you in the door? How are you going to convince any one anyone that the CEO would actually be happy to talk to you? Not to mention that Fantine felt that Madeline had failed her once already, so there wasn't any use in going through a lot of effort just to be refused a second time.
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Changed line(s) 76 (click to see context) from:
*** That's exactly what she thought. Here's a quote: "I can't take my child into the country. The work will prevent it. With a child I couldn't find a job there; they're so backward in that district." Paying someone in Montreuil to care for your child means revealing that you ''have'' a child, which ''automatically'' gets you branded as an illegitimate mother, which in turn makes you unemployable. (And this is what happens in the end. As soon as Fantine's secret is discovered, she gets fired from her job at the factory.) I don't think they'd accept the "I'm a widow" story unless they'd personally known the father and attended his funeral.
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Changed line(s) 76 (click to see context) from:
*** That's exactly what she thought. Here's a quote: "I can't take my child into the country. The work will prevent it. With a child I couldn't find a job there; they're so backward in that district." Paying someone in Montreuil to care for your child involves revealing that you ''have'' a child, which ''automatically'' gets you branded as an illegitimate mother, which in turn makes you unemployable. (And this is what happens in the end. As soon as Fantine's secret is discovered, she gets fired from her job at the factory.) I don't think they'd accept the "I'm a widow" story unless they'd personally known the father and attended his funeral.
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*** That's exactly what she thought. Here's a quote: "I can't take my child into the country. The work will prevent it. With a child I couldn't find a job there; they're so backward in that district." Paying someone in Montreuil to care for your child involves means revealing that you ''have'' a child, which ''automatically'' gets you branded as an illegitimate mother, which in turn makes you unemployable. (And this is what happens in the end. As soon as Fantine's secret is discovered, she gets fired from her job at the factory.) I don't think they'd accept the "I'm a widow" story unless they'd personally known the father and attended his funeral.
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**** That's exactly what she thought. Here's a quote: "I can't take my child into the country. The work will prevent it. With a child I couldn't find a job there; they're so backward in that district." Paying someone in Montreuil to care for your child involves revealing that you ''have'' a child, which ''automatically'' gets you branded as an illegitimate mother, which in turn makes you unemployable. (And this is what happens in the end. As soon as Fantine's secret is discovered, she gets fired from her job at the factory.) I don't think they'd accept the "I'm a widow" story unless they'd personally known the father and attended his funeral.
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*** You're overstating this. In the book, Javert suspects that Madeleine is Valjean from the beginning; he would arrest him but he doesn't have enough evidence yet. The fact that he's even thinking about this possibility indicates some level of obsession. Later, after Valjean is officially reported ''dead'', Javert still entertains the thought that he might be alive when he hears that Cosette has been "kidnapped" (in reality she went with Valjean willingly). When this theory is seemingly dashed by false testimony from Thenardier (who at the time was just trying to get the police out of his business), he revives the theory ''again'' when he hears about a mysterious man accompanying an eight-year-old girl from Montfermeil. This leads him to pose as a beggar to get a look at Valjean's face, and then to rent out the room right next to him in hopes of hearing his voice. Finally he ends up pursuing Valjean in the middle of the night with officers and soldiers for backup. Once Javert is convinced that he's about to succeed, we get this paragraph: \\
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"Then he began to play. He enjoyed a ravishing and infernal moment; he let his man get ahead of him, knowing he had him, but wishing to put off as long as possible the moment of arrest, delighting to feel him caught and see him at liberty, fondly gazing at him with the rapture of the spider that lets the fly buzz, or the cat that lets the mouse run. The paw and the talon find a monstrous pleasure in the quivering of the animal imprisoned in their grasp. What delight there is in this suffocation! Javert was rejoicing."\\
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It's a ''little'' bit beyond "just doing his duty".
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"Then he began to play. He enjoyed a ravishing and infernal moment; he let his man get ahead of him, knowing he had him, but wishing to put off as long as possible the moment of arrest, delighting to feel him caught and see him at liberty, fondly gazing at him with the rapture of the spider that lets the fly buzz, or the cat that lets the mouse run. The paw and the talon find a monstrous pleasure in the quivering of the animal imprisoned in their grasp. What delight there is in this suffocation! Javert was rejoicing."\\
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It's a ''little'' bit beyond "just doing his duty".
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*** I remember there being a version that does that as well, but it's simply too much of an out of character portrayal of Javert for me. Javert, who believes vehemently until before death that all cons are evil at heart and aren't capable of carrying out acts of altruism, would have no reason to think that Monsieur Madeleine (if he really is Valjean in disguise) would do anything but let Champmathieu be damned, the better to save his own skin, ergo he wouldn't concoct such a useless (to him, at least) plan.
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Changed line(s) 143 (click to see context) from:
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** Valjean attracted a lot of attention from the townspeople when he was there. Little Gervais probably told someone about the robbery, and they would realize that it was Valjean based on the description. Then they likely heard about the police taking him in on suspicion of stealing from the Bishop, and put two and two together.
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** There wasn't concrete proof that anything happened, so "in the absence of a victim" Javert is forced to let him go.
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* From what I understand, this does not apply to the book. However, one aspect of "The Robbery" in the musical always bugged me. Javert witnesses Thenardier's gang commiting a crime, and admits to already recognizing Thenardier as a criminal. Yet Javert has no problem letting him free just because he's able to help lead him to Valjean? This doesn't seem consistent with Javert's usually straight-laced, play-by-the-rules nature.
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**** ^In the novel maybe, but in the musical it could well be that he delivered the food and then got arrested afterwards. We're not told either way.
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*** The musical also includes the line "But he couldn't run forever / we have found his hideaway" which suggests that Javert spent lots of time looking for Valjean after he disappeared. (Granted he was apparently doing other things too in the meantime, but it leaves the impression that he had a personal obsession with Valjean).
