Les Miserables by Vicotr Hugo

Jean Valjean is the protagonist in the novel Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. He stands the center of the story and becomes the symbol of redemptive power of compassion a love. Valjean is a simple and decent man when he entered prison. But due to the hardships experienced in the jail, he was change into a hardened criminal that hates the society who did him wrong. The turning point of his life was when he encounters Bishop Myriel who showed him mercy and encouraged him to become a new man. Because of the compassion and love that was accorded to him by the Bishop who is the first person in decades to treat him that way, he was able to open his heart once again. He has become the true testament of the redemptive power of love and passion. He has became the recipient of the salvation from God through the acts of the Bishop. Jan Valjean was able to the live his life once again, this time as a renewed man He manages to assume a new identity (Monsieur Madeleine) in order to pursue an honest life. His hard work and new vision transform the derelict town where he became a mayor, which in turn teaches Valjean the value of philanthropy. He turns himself in to

the police to save another man from prison for life. In taking care of Cosette, Valjean learns how to love another person and how to pass that love onto others. He saves Marius from imprisonment and probable death at the barricade. He reveals his true identity to Marius and Cosette after their wedding, and is reunited with them just before his death. He is exceptional not only in his physical strength but also his willingness to discover what is good. And this earnestness is enough to make him the novels hero as well as a savior and a friend to a number of people who find themselves in danger. Hardened by prison and rescued by the kindness of Bishop Myriel, Valjean is a blank slate, molded by his encounters and circumstances. This ability to change makes him a universal symbol of hopeif he can learn love and charity after suffering so much injustice, anyone can.