Les Miserables: A Synthesis Essay

"And then, do you know, Monsieur Marius, I believe I was a little in love with you." (Hugo, et al. 244). Victor Hugo’s, Les Miserables, is not just another story to tell and catch the reader’s attention, it is so much more. It portrays many people’s lives during the 1800’s and the attempt to change their lives for the better. One of them is a young woman named Eponine and her family. In pursue to find love and purpose, Eponine showed to be the most sacrificial and resilient woman in this novel.
A single spark that ignited Eponine’s sacrificial journey was the idea to find love. Persistence continued as she kept searching for love throughout the whole movie and novel of Les Miserables. After catching sight of Marius, she couldn’t concentrate
She snuck into the barricade, dressed as a man to join the resistance to make Marius happy. She used resilience in this situation to climb out of the conditions which she was in with her family, to find something better. When she was talking to him she mentioned “You look sad, I want you to be glad. But promise me that you will laugh, I want to see you laugh..” (Hugo et al. 203). She tried turning his life around and make him happy, by revealing to him that there was another person in his life that he could love. In addition, she was also trying to prove Cosette was not worth all the pain he was stacking on himself. Although she soon realized that “I love him, but every day I'm learning….Without me, his world will go on turning--a world that's full of happiness that I have never known.” (“Les Miserables- Movie Quote – Rotten Tomatoes). Finally, she comprehended she would never be able to have Marius as her own because he already chose his path. Another thing she recognized was if she were to sacrifice all else to find love, and nevertheless find a happy life, it would not be with Marius, since he has another plan for himself. Since “to love or have loved, that [will be] enough.” (“50 Timeless quotes from Les Miserables”). Then it dawned on Eponine that loving him would be enough to complete her dreary life. Even though loving someone else would be better and she would be able to find out who she was
Afterwards, her heart began to change, which lead her fight for her one and only love. Resisting the fact that he wasn’t into her anymore and she was sacrificing too much for someone who was not worthwhile. This leads to Eponine’s biggest sacrifice of them all “ [By putting her] hand on the muzzle of the musket,” (Hugo et al. 243). Eponine took a bullet for Marius, whom she loved fully so he could have a better life. But also so he could have the freedom finding Cossette somewhere in the world. All the while she recognized her purpose in life. So, she decided in her final moments to tell Marius; “I don’t want to deceive you. I have a letter in my pocket for you. I was told to put it in the post. I kept it. I didn’t want it to reach you. But would not like it of me perhaps when we meet again so soon,” (Hugo et al. 244). After saying this to Marius, she knew that Marius would probably be upset. But, Eponine wanted to end her life honestly and break the chains of destructiveness brought on by her family. Eponine did this by sacrificing her family’s dishonest nature which she did not want to keep upon herself. Finally flying free into a new adventure as she realized her purpose was to make other people happy, even though she may never find true happiness