Lit102-C

February 5, 2015
Who am I in Les Miserables?
Les Miserables is a masterpiece of Victor Hugo that portrays the desperation of many of
us, we may be rich or poor, ugly pretty or whatever we may be, there will always be something
that we long for and is the cause of our desperation. The novel has different characters that show
different personalities that we can relate to. Among these characters, there is one character that
seems to share some mutual qualities and resemblance to my own personality.
This character is Javert, the committed police officer who always go after Valgean. I may
not be like him who always chase or possibly obsessed after Valjean but I admire him for his
sense of duty and commitment to his chosen profession. He goes after criminals and lawless
elements because it is part of his job to keep the peace as a police officer. Even if it is dangerous,
he even spied on the students when they tried to spark a revolution against the oppressive
government. He would have been killed by the students if Valjean did not fake his execution and
let him escape. He only did it because it was his duty to the people and his country.
All these traits and the things he had done in the story resemble the real me and the
person I want to be. Just like him, I also have a deep sense of duty to my countrymen and the
Philippines because I have undergone military trainings such as the Citizenship Army Training in
high school and the Reserve Officer Training Corps in college. In these military trainings, my
sense of discipline, loyalty and nationalism were developed and these molded me as a person
who puts duty to his country as one of his top priorities. My duties as a reserved member of the
Armed Forces include joining the active force in times of war, assisting in rescue operations or
relief operation in times of disaster, being vigilant when it comes to security concerns and lastly
is to be God fearing and a good citizen of this country.
I admire Javert because just like him, I want to uphold my duty to my chosen profession
and my duty to my country at all times. However, there were times in the story wherein Javert
was too harsh in treating the Valjean when all he had done was to steal a loaf of bread for they
were struggling for survival. Valjean was also a good man and he hadnt done anything wrong
towards Javert and the people around him. I do not agree with Javerts hate or sense of obsession
towards Valjean because he is a good man at the very beginning of the story. This also made me
realize that there might be some times where I must bend my principles of duty for a greater
purpose. Especially in cases where that purpose is somehow related on how God taught us to
treat one another with respect
I guess there are some qualities of Javert that resemble my how I perceive myself as I am
and some other qualities that do not. Still, I admire him for his courage, commitment and sense
of duty to the country. I hope someday I can become the better version of Javert who is
committed to his duty and at the same time respects the dignity of the human person.