"I was sent away from the other inn."
"And you are to be turned out of this one."
Summary
Upon being "freed," Jean Valjean was issued the horrible yellow passport, a document which would block out virtually all mercy and kindness from any who he hoped to receive him. He then walked. And walked. And walked. He tried to get some work here and there, but his passport prevented him from keeping said jobs. He went like this for a short while before reaching the town of D------*. D------ used to be a fortress, so to enter the small town, Jean Valjean had to show his passport upon entry. Word quickly spread of Jean Valjean's, or rather, the dangerous criminal's, arrival. Not knowing of the wave of gossip that spread around him, Jean Valjean went to the first inn that he saw, and went in. He had severely worn apparel on which was accessorized by a thin coat of dirt, so the innkeeper was suspicious from the get-go. However Jean Valjean had the money for supper and a night of rest, so the innkeeper let him stay. While Jean Valjean sat down beside the fire and tried to warm himself, the innkeeper caught wind of the man who had just entered. He asked Jean Valjean to leave, like any host should; politely, but sternly, so that it was a command that took the form of a request. Confused and suddenly irritated, Jean Valjean asked why he should leave. The innkeeper started with saying how there wasn't enough food, and then how there wasn't enough lodging, but then just had to resort to bluntly kicking him out because he was a criminal.
Jean Valjean went around the town like this for the rest of the night. The pub turned him out in similar fashion, and so did each of the townsfolk. Out of frustration and pure exhaustion, Jean Valjean found a stone bench and laid down. A woman found him laying there, and told him he need not sleep on a bed of stone. That was ridiculous, and surely someone would take him in. Jean Valjean said he knocked on every door, but the woman pointed out to him that he missed one door in particular: the door of Bishop Monseigneur Bienvenu.
Analysis
Jean Valjean finds himself being released from the cycle of misfortune and hatred and pushed into a new cycle of resentment. The feudal system of pre-Revolutionary France created an enormous imbalance of wealth and, which in turn created a cycle of resentment: the rich and royal look down on the poor like dirt just for being dirt; the poor look down on criminals like unwanted dirt for doing that of which they are tempted to do but can't out of fear for sinking themselves down to that level; and the criminals look down on the rest of the world as if they were faux masterpieces for betraying them. And because of how their society is set up, almost everyone is forced to turn with it, and most cannot manage to escape.
Take for example the peasant who was the third person to turn Jean Valjean away from shelter. Through the windowpane, Jean Valjean saw the peasant man and his family, and they almost seemed happy, if not content with themselves. Hopeful, Jean Valjean knocked, but quickly discovered that he was no better than the rest: when he realized Jean Valjean carried the yellow passport, he demanded for him to leave, and threatened to bring out his gun. However, the peasant is like Jean Valjean from nineteen years ago in that he is protective and content with his life, but is quick to revert to aggressiveness. No man can escape the cycle of prejudice unless an outside force gives them motivation to either step outside of it or push against it.
The question to ask, though, is if after two hundred or so years, if our society has lifted itself out of the cycle of prejudice. The Occupy movement in early 2012 brought the issue of America's extremely imbalanced distribution of wealth, revealing the lower and middle class's discontentment with the "one percenters." Furthermore, the American political system (as well as other countries' political systems, I'm sure) creates an inescapable divide. Victor Hugo and Jean Valjean believe that society will never change, but it really comes down to whether you're more of a half-empty or half-full kind of person.
*Some old books censor out some of the names of places and people in such a fashion. Personally I think that publishing companies do this because they'd rather censor the name than get it wrong.
Thanks for reading,
(Blogger's Note: I'm splitting up "On Parole/The Bishop," because if I didn't,the post would be extraneously long.)
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