Les Miserables

Les Miserables is one of the most popular Broadway musicals of the century. It is based upon a novel written in the nineteenth century by a French novelist named Victor Hugo. The story follows a man named Jean Valjean who struggles with his everyday life of being an ex-convict. We see throughout the story line his experience of redemption and how he tries to become at peace with himself and God. The musical also provides an understanding into the idea of God’s presence in our world.
In the Catholic Church, redemption is the healing of a man whom is confined by the nature of his sins. Redemption is a theological view that is mostly enveloped by Christianity. Throughout Les Miserables, one can see that this aspect of theology is something that is very much approved. “Hugo depicted a world where human beings, by acting ‘redemptively’ toward one another, are able to change the world, and make it a better place, free from the condemnation of the law.” 1The setting of this musical is in France, before the revolutionary war. During this time period, corruption and misery are at an all time high. However, the musical shows a small piece of hope through ways of sacrifice and redemption. When everything seems to be astray, light will shine through. This sequence of antiquity repeats itself over and over, however people who witness this Broadway show are led to a conclusion that those who are miserable still have a chance to find peace within their lives.
The analogy of Les Miserables is enforced through the lyrics of this musical that emphasize the kinship between Jean Valjean (the criminal) and Javert (the police officer). As a young boy, Valjean had been taught to despise everything and everyone that showed him no kindness. He was imprisoned for stealing food and his name had been destroyed. Valjean had come to know the world as a place without compassion and became nothing more than a desperate man. When given the opportunity to be free from prison, all Valjean was