When Victor Hugo wrote Les Miserables, he intended to critique the most common form of morality of his day. This morality begins with a Universal Moral Law that we can know using human reason. Just as there are basic laws that govern the universe, so too are there Moral Laws that must govern all action for it to be moral. We human beings are subject to these Laws and so must abide by them in order to be a person of moral standing. It makes little difference what we want to do or what we feel is right or wrong. What matters is obeying the Moral Law the way a soldier obeys his/her commanding officer. That is our moral duty.

Hugo had little patience for such moral thinking. He believed it produced people whose life revolved around ‘doing’ the right thing not because they were good people but because it was required of them. Moral practice motivated by duty alone does not lead to virtue or good character. On the contrary, time, thought Hugo, turns such people into heartless machines incapable of mercy, compassion, kindness, empathy, and forgiveness. Against Immanuel Kant, the creator of this moral theory, Hugo advocated for a Christianized form of Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics similar in many ways to the Ethics of Greatness articulated by Cornel West in his interview on ‘Democracy Matters.’

As you watch this movie, keep in mind that Inspector Javert embodies Kant’s theory of the Moral Law. Jean Valjean, the hero of the story, is a living example of the Aristotelian influenced morality Hugo embraced. Pay careful attention to Jean Valjean’s story. In your mind, you should be able to answer the following questions:

Why does Jean Valjean serve 20 years in prison?

What kind of person does he become surrounded by the criminal inmates in his prison?

What kind of person do you imagine he was before jail?

What kind of man is Valjean now?

How does Valjean become the person he becomes?

Valjean does not always follow the rules; he breaks laws, lies, and practices deception. Is he ethical?

What sort of effect does Valjean have on the people around him? and why?

Who would make a better father, Valjean or Javert? And why?

Now that you have processed these questions in your head, here is your writing assignment:

Using anything and everything you read this week, explain in (3) well-written double-spaced pages why Jean Valjean is a man of character and a virtue ethical hero. Good essays will make reference to Aristotle, Mayo, and Cornel West.

Category: Essays