Les Misérables
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Character of the priest
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Kerry
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Jan 19, 2013 12:54AM
Having seen movie versions so many times but not read the book of Les Mis, I thought it was about time I did and am thoroughly enjoying it. I am particularly enjoying the detail of the character of the priest - there is so little about him in the movie versions. I think a whole film could be made of his life. I'm interested to hear others thoughts of this wonderful supporting character
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I deeply love the priest -- the bishop -- and his parts in the novel. One of the great attractions for me.
Yes, I agree Bryn. I think he is very underrated.
I also agree with this. So much can be made of his true goodness, the light he provides in his corner of the world, and the impact that he had. He's an excellent role model. It also makes it a little clearer why those candle sticks were a prized possession. They were seriously symbolic of grace: a light in the world.
Yes, he truly knew the grace that comes from putting others ahead of himself, and being content in all circumstances.
Bryn wrote: "I deeply love the priest -- the bishop -- and his parts in the novel. One of the great attractions for me."Yes, I totally agree. Perhaps it was the Bishop who gave me strength to read the book to the end. I was in love with his sincere character. It's like Hugo saying, "Look, all the changes that happen to Valjean happen because of a good man's kindness."
I greatly admire the character of the priest. However, as with so many things in the novel, I don't think Hugo understood the power of restraint. I think the part about the priest could easily have been "trimmed of fat," so to speak--maybe made two-thirds as long or perhaps only half as long. Wasn't Hugo paid per word, like many authors of his day? If so, then the whole "we should read novels exactly as the author intended" argument goes right out the window. ;) But it's obvious that Hugo wanted his readers to think highly of the priest, who is definitely portrayed as one of the "good guys."
I think I like him precisely because he hasn't been 'trimmed of fat.' It's like a story within a story.
Kerry wrote: "I think I like him precisely because he hasn't been 'trimmed of fat.' It's like a story within a story."I agree. Hugo wants to go better than just stating, "Okay, this guy is a saint." He wants us to grasp the idea by examining his thoughts, his habits, and so on. It makes his dealing with Jean looks more natural (because we know that he's just like that) and it makes us appreciate him better.
Yes. I am not very far into the book at this point, but I know that when I get to the end I will really remember this character because of his vivid portrayal. He is not really a minor character at all, and Hugo has taken great care to make sure readers don't regard him as such.
No, no. Take away none of the bishop. Not a word was wasted on me.
Tirzah wrote: One of the things I like about Hugo's writing is his descriptive use of characters and imagery, which he mastered with the priest.Yes, he did an excellent job portraying the priest and everything he stood for.
However, I can see what you are saying about restraining as I skimmed through some of the lengthy historical parts.
Perhaps if Hugo showed restraint throughout the novel, I wouldn't care that the section on the priest was rather lengthy. But he does make it rather difficult for the reader to give him the benefit of the doubt sometimes. ;)
My School are currently putting Les Mis on as a musical.I don't think many of them get the fullness of the story.
I told them "the Bishop is the most important character."
I think this is true.
He is the only character without which none of the rest of the book would have happened, I think that is key.
It is the memory of the bishop's act of forgiveness and kindness that Jean Valjean returns too at every dilemma.
Love it.
I like the fat of Hugo's writing as well, so to speak I love chewing on it.
Highlights of Les Mis are the huge digression to describe the battle field at Waterloo, and the in depth description of sewage systems.
Awesome!
Yes, I'm with you about the bishop being the main character, Kit. Though I have a long way to go - Jean Valjean has only just come into the story, in my current read-through. As you say, Jean's thought processes and decisions only make full sense in view of his encounter with the bishop.
http://kitmasters.blogspot.co.uk/p/le...Something I have been doing for a while which might be of interest to you all.
K
Have checked it out Kit - left a comment and gave it a plug on Twitter.
Thanks Kerry, like your style!Kit
I thought it was very touching that they had Colm Wilkinson play the priest in the latest movie. He was the original Jean Valjean in the play so it is particularly nice to see him in the movie and as this character it is so fitting.I also enjoyed Hugo's description of the goodness of this character, emphasizing his belief that kindness and love are what are important in the world.
You are so right Candy. He truly shows the attitude of putting others needs ahead of his own - ie trading his much larger house with the hospital so that the hospital would have far better premises and his practice of tithing in reverse - living on only 10% of what he receives and giving away 90%, instead of the other way around.
Candy wrote: "I thought it was very touching that they had Colm Wilkinson play the priest in the latest movie. He was the original Jean Valjean in the play so it is particularly nice to see him in the movie and ..."I didn't know that (haven't seen it yet). That is a wonderful idea.. Valjean in age becomes the bishop, sort of. Yes, how fitting, and I bet he acts him feelingly after that time as Jean Valjean. Better go see the film, hadn't I?
Bryn wrote: "No, no. Take away none of the bishop. Not a word was wasted on me."Indeed, I would have been pleased to hear all about his life and the circumstances that made him such a lovely person. I'm inclined to think he wasn't always this way - look at his sister, who while not evil is much more concerned with money. When reading that part, I just couldn't help but imagine a backstory where he was not such a good man and the experiences that transformed him.
I think his story was included not only because his actions really kick off the plot, but as a contrast to the many who treat the poor as worthless. He seems to be Hugo's ideal rich man (thus why he seems unrealistically good).
Yes, the backstory to the backstory would also make interesting reading :)
Kerry wrote: "Yes, the backstory to the backstory would also make interesting reading :)"LOL, but also yes! Hugo at times got a bit too detailed in the backstory of his main characters, but then he puts in all these secondary characters who are so fully realized that it seems what we see of them on the page is just a glimpse, that they are living entire lives outside the pages.
Darci wrote: "...he puts in all these secondary characters who are so fully realized that it seems what we see of them on the page is just a glimpse, that they are living entire lives outside the pages...."That's why Hugo's a master. I haven't forgotten a gravedigger, who only had one simple action to perform in the plot, but did Hugo ignore him for that, or bring on a stock gravedigger? No, he paid him such attention that the man is an unusual, vivid individual (that's an awkward phrase).
Yes, that is a perfect example. The gravedigger didn't matter much to the plot, but it's like Hugo saw every single character, no matter how minor, as real people, and wanted the reader to relate to them on that level.
Like it, agree no end.And it's not about details, it is about the voice of Hugo, so well developed, and so rich, so trustworthy.
There's another thread which starts, "Les Mis makes no sense," or something like that....
And I guess as I was reading I thought, "hmm... this is so impossible, so many coincidences, that I can't believe in this."
But each time I thought, "well... these are the special lives that are worth writing about, I'll go with it, believe in this guy."
I think that is the magic of Hugo.
Dumas has all the same unrealistic coincidences, but for some reason, I just don't believe at all with him.
I love Dumas, but d'Artagnan is a super hero character, with catch phrases, not a super deep human being like Hugo's characters.
Amazing.
I am enormously fond of The Three Musketeers too, but on a different level. Dumas isn't a great artist and Hugo is. I do like how these people -- and I'll include Dostoyevsky, my idol, who worshipped at the shrine of Hugo -- use the popular novel, eg. Dumas style. And make great art of it. Hugo certainly has traces of popular fiction. It's why he's so catchy, too.
Thanks Bryn, like that way of looking at it.He miserable-ised the adventure story.
Hugo and Tolstoy, the best things since sliced Euripides.
;-)
The Bishop is one of my favorite characters, he does so much for the development of Valjean, so much depth is in his character for the amount of time he appears or is mentioned.
I'm so happy to read this discussion and I agree that Hugo is amazing. His characters are real and so deep. He makes them real people with real choices and difficulties to the point that yo can't really blame a character for what he does. You can disagree, of course, but you can also understand what brings him to such decision. (e.g. Javert, Marius and Grantaire, whose life choices people may disagree upon but they can understand them nonetheless)
I liked Javert, I loved his internal struggle with legalism, when he could not reconcile the concept of grace, it literally destroyed him.
Great observation. We could almost start a new thread on Javert's character. Just as intriguing.
I absolutely love the Bishop's character. And agree with the above sentiments that reflect that without him Les Miz would make no sense. Without the Bishop, there would be no Jean Valjean.For me, his lines in the musical (which I grew up with) are some of the most important lines in the whole show.
"But remember this my brother:
See in this some higher plan
You must use this precious silver
To become an honest man.
By the wisdom of the martyrs,
By the Passion and the Blood,
God has raised you out of darkness,
I have bought your soul for God..."
What a complete distillation of all of Hugo's fat into a few lines!
I am in the process of reading Les Mis right now. Because I get little time to read, it is taking me a while, but I actually don't mind too much. It's giving me a chance to really immerse myself in the story, and think long over a passage after I've read it. I almost want to go back and read the Bishop's story again before continuing as I get so much from it.
The Bishop is my favorite character in the book. I love his quirks, his naivete, his boundless goodness.
Kerry wrote: "Great observation. We could almost start a new thread on Javert's character. Just as intriguing."It is interesting to contrast the Bishop with Javert, which I am trying to get at.
The bishop represents mercy, while Javert represents justice. You can see the contrast in the two characters. Faced with the reality that he has to offer Mercy to Valjean, Javert wasn't able to comprehend it, and as a result he took his own life.
Philip wrote: "Kerry wrote: "Great observation. We could almost start a new thread on Javert's character. Just as intriguing."It is interesting to contrast the Bishop with Javert, which I am trying to get at.
..."
And don't forget, to Catholics (which all the French were at the time), suicide was a mortal sin and you'd go straight to Hell. So after a lifetime of trying to lead a just life, crawling out of his birth in prison and finding comfort in the blind pursuit of justice, Javert finds nothing but emptiness at the end of it. In fact, he commits the ultimate crime that leads him straight to Hell - the eternal jail.
As I argued on another thread, I think his is the most miserable ending of them all.
Joanne wrote: "Philip wrote: "Kerry wrote: "Great observation. We could almost start a new thread on Javert's character. Just as intriguing."It is interesting to contrast the Bishop with Javert, which I am tryi..."
I forgot about that part, I started another offshoot thread to discuss the comparison and the contrast of Javert and the Bishop. If I was an english teacher, this would be a perfect essay question.
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
Visiting your 'offshoot thread' now Philip.
Love it.Joanne, I love those lines too.
As you hint at, that is the central theme of the book, in those few lines!
The book starts off with a great in depth back story of what a saint the bishop was. And I agree with almost everyone here that his is the pinnacle character of the story. After all he is the reason for who Jean Valjean does become for the bulk of the story. And it is a very touching scene in the book when Valjean hears of the Bishops death and you can sense his inner misery as he visits the grave.
THanks AR, I had forgotten about that scene.K
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