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Entry tags:
the one about poverty;
HERE WE GO
LES MISERABLES
BY VICTOR HUGO
okay so what you gotta understand is that les mis is a HUGE POLITICAL COMMENTARY
like this is honestly just a way for Victor Hugo to kick down the door and be like LISTEN UP MOTHERFUCKERS
he talks about how shitty the criminal system is, how awful life is for unwed young mothers, about changing the world, about justice, about poverty, about how the law doesn't always equate being morally right, how even criminals can be redeemed
and like so already we see why giorno would love this book
not just because its's a bitchin book
(although it is)
but because it's a fairly good fictional counterpart to what he's tryin to do with passione
ALLITE SO
we begin in 1815 with JEAN VALJEAN, one of our protagonists
also known as 24601
which was his number in prison
which, by the way: he was in prison
just gotten released from NINETEEN YEARS THERE in fact
five for stealing a loaf of bread (for his sister and her kids, who have just straight up disappeared, sucks to be in the nineteenth century) and the rest because he kept trying to escape
we are introduced to JAVERT, a police inspector who is VERY ENTHUSIASTIC about his job
so javert basically is like "you might be free but you were born a criminal you're gonna die a criminal"
and valjean is like
but!! one has to make the best of it
so valjean is like "oh man okay well let's get started on this new post prison life"
and life is like "lol"
he goes from town to town trying to find work
eventually he just ends up sleeping in the middle of the town
but this priest is like "my guy come on i'll give you shelter and food and kindness unlike any you've known these past two decades"
so valjean is like "okay G R E A T" and the second everyone is asleep he straight up steals from the priest
specifically steals his silver silverware
and absconds in the night
so of course he gets caught and the police bring him to the priest and the priest
the fuckin priest
he literally holds valjean's life in his hands
if he says "oh yeah he did it" that'd be valjean back in prison
BUT OUR MAN THE PRIEST
he's like OH LOL NO I TOTES TOLD HIM TO TAKE IT
BUT MY SON
YOU FORGOT THE CANDLESTICKS I ALSO GAVE YOU
HOW SILLY OF YOU
and then once the police leave he's like
listen here chum you take that silverware and make an honest man of yourself since i appreciate you are having trouble getting work but your soul fuckin belongs to god now
go hard or go home i guess
SIX YEARS PASS
and we find valjean as the mayor of a town!!
the book plays around with like "oh this man who we totally don't know is mayor of this town"
but it's valjean
i don't know why hugo does this
anyway so he's the mayor, right, super well loved, everyone adores him
he's also the owner of this factory which basically is why the town is prospering
now on this day six years later a new policeman has come to his own
guess who it is
IT'S JAVERT
so one day there's this dude, fauchelevent, who gets pinned under a cart
and nobody can lift the cart despite trying
so valjean just
casually
comes over and lifts it
nineteen years in prison means he's buff as hell i guess
so he does that and javert is like "what the fuck it's 1821 who the fuck is that buff
EXCEPT FOR MY OLD PRISONER VALJEAN"
but he can't obviously prove anything so he's just like
MEANWHILE
we are introduced to a lady, FANTINE
who got pregnant via some asshole who left her
so she had a baby girl, Euphrasie, whom she calls COSETTE
now because it's 1821 Fantine cannot be an independent single mom
instead she gave cosette over to the care of these innkeepers who had a little girl around cosette's age
the deal was "hey, take care of her, keep it on the DL, i'll work a few miles away and send money"
good deal
(It's not a good deal, the innkeepers overcharge her and she has no idea, but she also doesn't have much choice)
so she goes to work in this town which SO HAPPENS TO BE valjean's town
and valjean's factory
and it's fine except one day she gets a letter about her daughter and it's found out that she is not, in fact, a pure young virgin
so the overseer is like "omg you're not married, fuck you, you're fired"
valjean is too busy worrying about javert to realize this injustice
but regardless she's fired and so eventually, needing money to send back to cosette's keepers, turns to prostitution
it's a p horrifying time for her and hugo talks a lot about how fucked up it is that she needs to do this
now since it's 1821 she gets one of those unspecified cough diseases
as you do
one day some rich dick is like "ha ha i'm gonna harass you"
and fantine is like "NOT TODAY SATAN" and fuckin decks him
but alas
as mentioned
it's 1821
so the dude goes to javert and is like "weh weh" and javert is like "welp it's arresting time"
but valjean is like NOPE
NOOOOOPE
basically swoops in like "the fuck javert this is not kosher"
javert is like ????
because okay my man Javert you gotta understand
it's easy to characterize him as a villain but he's not? I mean he is but like
the guy is devoted to the law
and in his mind, anyone who opposes the law is automatically evil
so if you obey the law, you're totally good, and he's totally down to protect you!
but if you break the law, you're scum, so like, fuck you
he's like the opposite of Vimes
but so he's never acting in arrogance or in a power trip or anything like that
my man javert really does think he's doing the right thing and bringing justice to the world
i'm not saying he's a good person, but you have to understand why he acts the way he does
and he absolutely goes just as hard on himself as he does everyone
as we will see
anyway so valjean takes care of fantine because he feels like this is his fault
which it kind of is
so he's caring for her and he really is doing his best, bringing in the best doctors and feeding her all this wonderful food and just being a good person
but the cough is vicious and thus she's like
"find my daughter i want to see her before I die"
so valjean is like "this is literally the least I can do, allite"
but so before he leaves javert skids into his office like
"hey mayor my guy my chum i gotta confess
i thought you were this asshole Valjean i used to know
that whole cart-lifting incident really threw me
so i totally told the Parisian authorities
but they were like 'that can't be Valjean because we just caught the guy committing a crime in Paris!! we're gonna try him tomorrow and send him right back to prison'
wild right
anyway so i doubted you, so you should absolutely arrest me"
like legit here's his speech, where he honestly and earnestly goes:
"But without proofs, in a fit of rage, with the object of wreaking my vengeance, I have denounced you as a convict, you, a respectable man, a mayor, a magistrate! That is serious, very serious. I have insulted authority in your person, I, an agent of the authorities! If one of my subordinates had done what I have done, I should have declared him unworthy of the service, and have expelled him. Well? Stop, Mr. Mayor; one word more. I have often been severe in the course of my life towards others. That is just. I have done well. Now, if I were not severe towards myself, all the justice that I have done would become injustice. Ought I to spare myself more than others? No!"
like javert is actually really upset b/c he mistook someone HONORABLE as someone DISHONORABLE and like
buddy has issues but so he's like flinching and shaking and waiting for valjean to cast him from grace
meanwhile valjean is just like
shh
shhhhhhh
calm down
stay here
you're fine
meanwhile inside he be like
D8
D8
D8
D8
because whoever they caught is gonna have to deal with valjean's PREVIOUS CRIMES so like
automatic life sentence right there
that was why he'd been so terrified with the priest all those years ago; that was why the priest lying for him had been such a kind act
BUT if he turns himself in, that's not only him ruined and destroyed, but the entire town
the only reason the town is prospering is because he's worked hard to keep everyone employed at his factory
so what is he to do?
jail in the early 1800s was basically slavery
so as you can imagine he literally would rather die than return there
but how can he turn his back and sentence another man to that fate?
so valjean has a minicrisis that night
but eventually comes to the conclusion that his soul belongs to god
so he can't let somebody else take the fall
so mr big shot actually GOES TO PARIS, to the trial of not!Valjean, and is like NOPE I'M VALJEAN 24601 RIGHT HERE THAT GUY IS JUST SOME GUY
and then flees into the night like
way to be mr dramatic
he goes back to fantine
like "hey babe i'm still gonna get your daughter but--"
BUT SUDDENLY JAVERT
who is like
NOT
TODAY
SATAN
YOU'RE COMING WITH ME MONSIEUR PRETENDS TO BE SOMEONE ELSE
MONSIEUR FALSE FRIEND
I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS BUT YOU'RE JUST A CRIMINAL
and valjean is like "that's fair but let me just get fantine's daughter before she dies"
and javert is like
and in all that fantine dies of her mysterious cough
and valjean just
absconds
BOOK TWO
honestly i could sum it up in more detail but basically
javert gets him
valjean goes to prison, fakes his death, and leaves
this sounds simple but it takes 4ever in the books holy shit
anyway so he's like ALLITE LET'S FIND FANTINE'S DAUGHTER
and he does
and holy shit turns out those innkeepers?
TOTAL PIECES OF SHIT
okay so we have
monsieur and madame THENARDIER
their daughter EPONINE, who will become relevant later
their other daughter AZELMA who is less important
and he's not around yet but they later have a THIRD CHILD called GAVROCHE who is listed here for organization's sake
so!! turns out the thenardiers have NOT been caring for cosette
but instead just straight up using her as labor while using fantine's money to spoil their daughters
so valjean just
observes this
quietly
coldly
and then is like "welp i'm gonna take this kid one way or another BECAUSE FUCK THAT NOISE"
so he basically
buys her
and when the thenardiers are like "well wait what about her mother" in an attempt to get him to pay more
he's like "JUST KIDDING DICKS I HAVE A LETTER FROM HER MOTHER"
which he does
obviously he can't enforce said letter b/c he's a wanted criminal but they sure don't know that
so valjean takes off to paris with cosette, who is just happy to be there
(valjean buys her a doll and she's so starry eyed and he's just like
#blessed)
anyway so they settle in paris and javert is tracking them
so they head to this convent
and are hidden by the help of THAT DUDE VALJEAN SAVED FROM THE CART
KARMA MY GUY
DO A GOOD DEED AND GOD WILL REWARD YOU
so the guy is like "holy shit dude!! anything for you!!"
so valjean and cosette settle there
valjean becomes a gardener and poses as the cart dude's brother
cosette goes to school
all is well
BOOK THREE
EIGHT YEARS LATER
aka 1832
we switch to all new characters!!
most importantly ENJOLRAS, our charming young man who was capable of being terrible, our rebel most assuredly with a cause
this is the character who is most comparable to giorno, and of most interest to him, so i'm going to spend a bit more time summing him up
SO. Enjolras is the leader, the revolutionary, the one who really pushes them through the upcoming revolt. And there's a tendency to characterize him as this political, this constantly angry man, but that's not who he is. Enjolras is kind. He's a good man, an optimist, a person who looks to the future and sees how great things could be, and gets angry when he looks and sees how things are. He cares for his friends, but he does more than that-- he cares for the poor, the downtrodden, the helpless. He loves, and when he loves it's a vast, adoring thing-- but it isn't blind. And that being said, for all he adores his friends, he's a little apart, a little distant: "He lives alone, which renders him a little sad, perhaps,” one of his friends observes.
He's single-minded in his passion-- Hugo outright says: “He had but one passion—the right; but one thought—to overthrow the obstacle.” And he really does dedicate himself to that passion-- he's more than willing to give his life. Not throw it away-- even under fire later on (you'll see why), he keeps out of the way of the bullets, because he realizes he's more useful alive and giving orders than dying in some martyerish way. He's ruthless, not because he's sadistic or coldblooded, but because he has to be, because that's what a revolution needs. At one point, he straight up executes a guy on his side because the man had killed an innocent. He takes no joy in it, but it has to be done, and so he does it.
He's explicitly described as beautiful and delicate and marble-skinned, which I note only because we're comparing him to Giorno, so let's just rev up those angelic metaphors, shall we?
I'll talk more about him because a lot of his character traits come out later, but! SUFFICE TO SAY Giorno definitely looks at Enjolras as someone to . . . well. Admire? Emulate? Certainly take note of. There's a lot, a lot of similarities between them, and I can't imagine Araki hasn't read Les Mis.
ANYWAY
back to shitposting format
so we got my man Enjolras (Enj if you're nasty)
who has a gang of friends who are similarly revolutionary minded
they call themselves the Friends of the ABC (which is a French pun) (the french word for "downtrodden" or "lowly" is abaissés, which sounds very similar to saying A-B-C, hence the name) (this should give you a good indication of what these people are like) and they are for REVOLUTION
the poor are downtrodden and they're ready to basically fuck shit up
they're made up of mostly students, but poor people as well
way to include those you're rallying for in your gang enj
for completion's sake, these Friends are the following:
Combeferre: "The Guide", the one who assists Enjolras, who represents the philosophy of the resolution and tempers him
Courfeyrac: the heart of the gang, "The Center", the one who's warm and loving
Grantaire: the cynic, the alcoholic, the guy who doesn't believe in anything besides Enjolras. Not the cause, but Enjolras himself, the passion, the fire that he contains.
AND THE REST:
Bahorel, Feuilly, Jean Prouvaire (more commonly known as Jehan), Joly and Bossuet
they have personalities too but, again, they're less important
sorry guys
SO WE GOT DEM BOIS
and one day they meet MARIUS PONTMERCY
who is hapless and helpless but is doing His Best
he has been disowned from his family b/c he's got Views which again i'm not going to go into
regardless he's here he's painfully straight he's incredibly poor
get used to it
but he's got his friends so
anyway one day Marius is wandering around and he sees a girl
and ho
ly
shit
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
BOTH WAYS
they don't actually talk to each other at first but they are definitely making eyes
GUESS WHO THE GIRL IS
THAT'S RIGHT IT'S COSETTE
ALL GROWN UP
now meanwhile marius and cosette are making eyes at each other
valjean is decidedly annoyed
not in a gross ~you're my daughter and only mine~ way but
he is understandably worried about literally anyone getting close because he's a wanted criminal
and it would destroy cosette's life if he was found out
anyway so marius lives in this tiny apartment
and who lives next door in poverty but THE THENARDIERS
small world
and the daughter, Eponine, well, she's grown up too
and god but she loves her neighbor marius
he's dumb but god he's cute
she loves more the idea of him, honestly, than the actual person; he's the first person to be kind to her in like
forever
and she's a little aware of that but it doesn't matter, she'll take what she can get
a lot of stuff happens but as, again, this is for catching you up on why Giogio likes this novel
i will simply say that through a series of events thenardier catches sight of valjean, recognizes him, and valjean freaks out
BOOK FOUR
which has yet to be completed
LES MISERABLES
BY VICTOR HUGO
okay so what you gotta understand is that les mis is a HUGE POLITICAL COMMENTARY
like this is honestly just a way for Victor Hugo to kick down the door and be like LISTEN UP MOTHERFUCKERS
he talks about how shitty the criminal system is, how awful life is for unwed young mothers, about changing the world, about justice, about poverty, about how the law doesn't always equate being morally right, how even criminals can be redeemed
and like so already we see why giorno would love this book
not just because its's a bitchin book
(although it is)
but because it's a fairly good fictional counterpart to what he's tryin to do with passione
ALLITE SO
we begin in 1815 with JEAN VALJEAN, one of our protagonists
also known as 24601
which was his number in prison
which, by the way: he was in prison
just gotten released from NINETEEN YEARS THERE in fact
five for stealing a loaf of bread (for his sister and her kids, who have just straight up disappeared, sucks to be in the nineteenth century) and the rest because he kept trying to escape
we are introduced to JAVERT, a police inspector who is VERY ENTHUSIASTIC about his job
so javert basically is like "you might be free but you were born a criminal you're gonna die a criminal"
and valjean is like
but!! one has to make the best of it
so valjean is like "oh man okay well let's get started on this new post prison life"
and life is like "lol"
he goes from town to town trying to find work
eventually he just ends up sleeping in the middle of the town
but this priest is like "my guy come on i'll give you shelter and food and kindness unlike any you've known these past two decades"
so valjean is like "okay G R E A T" and the second everyone is asleep he straight up steals from the priest
specifically steals his silver silverware
and absconds in the night
so of course he gets caught and the police bring him to the priest and the priest
the fuckin priest
he literally holds valjean's life in his hands
if he says "oh yeah he did it" that'd be valjean back in prison
BUT OUR MAN THE PRIEST
he's like OH LOL NO I TOTES TOLD HIM TO TAKE IT
BUT MY SON
YOU FORGOT THE CANDLESTICKS I ALSO GAVE YOU
HOW SILLY OF YOU
and then once the police leave he's like
listen here chum you take that silverware and make an honest man of yourself since i appreciate you are having trouble getting work but your soul fuckin belongs to god now
go hard or go home i guess
SIX YEARS PASS
and we find valjean as the mayor of a town!!
the book plays around with like "oh this man who we totally don't know is mayor of this town"
but it's valjean
i don't know why hugo does this
anyway so he's the mayor, right, super well loved, everyone adores him
he's also the owner of this factory which basically is why the town is prospering
now on this day six years later a new policeman has come to his own
guess who it is
IT'S JAVERT
so one day there's this dude, fauchelevent, who gets pinned under a cart
and nobody can lift the cart despite trying
so valjean just
casually
comes over and lifts it
nineteen years in prison means he's buff as hell i guess
so he does that and javert is like "what the fuck it's 1821 who the fuck is that buff
EXCEPT FOR MY OLD PRISONER VALJEAN"
but he can't obviously prove anything so he's just like
MEANWHILE
we are introduced to a lady, FANTINE
who got pregnant via some asshole who left her
so she had a baby girl, Euphrasie, whom she calls COSETTE
now because it's 1821 Fantine cannot be an independent single mom
instead she gave cosette over to the care of these innkeepers who had a little girl around cosette's age
the deal was "hey, take care of her, keep it on the DL, i'll work a few miles away and send money"
good deal
(It's not a good deal, the innkeepers overcharge her and she has no idea, but she also doesn't have much choice)
so she goes to work in this town which SO HAPPENS TO BE valjean's town
and valjean's factory
and it's fine except one day she gets a letter about her daughter and it's found out that she is not, in fact, a pure young virgin
so the overseer is like "omg you're not married, fuck you, you're fired"
valjean is too busy worrying about javert to realize this injustice
but regardless she's fired and so eventually, needing money to send back to cosette's keepers, turns to prostitution
it's a p horrifying time for her and hugo talks a lot about how fucked up it is that she needs to do this
now since it's 1821 she gets one of those unspecified cough diseases
as you do
one day some rich dick is like "ha ha i'm gonna harass you"
and fantine is like "NOT TODAY SATAN" and fuckin decks him
but alas
as mentioned
it's 1821
so the dude goes to javert and is like "weh weh" and javert is like "welp it's arresting time"
but valjean is like NOPE
NOOOOOPE
basically swoops in like "the fuck javert this is not kosher"
javert is like ????
because okay my man Javert you gotta understand
it's easy to characterize him as a villain but he's not? I mean he is but like
the guy is devoted to the law
and in his mind, anyone who opposes the law is automatically evil
so if you obey the law, you're totally good, and he's totally down to protect you!
but if you break the law, you're scum, so like, fuck you
he's like the opposite of Vimes
but so he's never acting in arrogance or in a power trip or anything like that
my man javert really does think he's doing the right thing and bringing justice to the world
i'm not saying he's a good person, but you have to understand why he acts the way he does
and he absolutely goes just as hard on himself as he does everyone
as we will see
anyway so valjean takes care of fantine because he feels like this is his fault
which it kind of is
so he's caring for her and he really is doing his best, bringing in the best doctors and feeding her all this wonderful food and just being a good person
but the cough is vicious and thus she's like
"find my daughter i want to see her before I die"
so valjean is like "this is literally the least I can do, allite"
but so before he leaves javert skids into his office like
"hey mayor my guy my chum i gotta confess
i thought you were this asshole Valjean i used to know
that whole cart-lifting incident really threw me
so i totally told the Parisian authorities
but they were like 'that can't be Valjean because we just caught the guy committing a crime in Paris!! we're gonna try him tomorrow and send him right back to prison'
wild right
anyway so i doubted you, so you should absolutely arrest me"
like legit here's his speech, where he honestly and earnestly goes:
"But without proofs, in a fit of rage, with the object of wreaking my vengeance, I have denounced you as a convict, you, a respectable man, a mayor, a magistrate! That is serious, very serious. I have insulted authority in your person, I, an agent of the authorities! If one of my subordinates had done what I have done, I should have declared him unworthy of the service, and have expelled him. Well? Stop, Mr. Mayor; one word more. I have often been severe in the course of my life towards others. That is just. I have done well. Now, if I were not severe towards myself, all the justice that I have done would become injustice. Ought I to spare myself more than others? No!"
like javert is actually really upset b/c he mistook someone HONORABLE as someone DISHONORABLE and like
buddy has issues but so he's like flinching and shaking and waiting for valjean to cast him from grace
meanwhile valjean is just like
shh
shhhhhhh
calm down
stay here
you're fine
meanwhile inside he be like
D8
D8
D8
D8
because whoever they caught is gonna have to deal with valjean's PREVIOUS CRIMES so like
automatic life sentence right there
that was why he'd been so terrified with the priest all those years ago; that was why the priest lying for him had been such a kind act
BUT if he turns himself in, that's not only him ruined and destroyed, but the entire town
the only reason the town is prospering is because he's worked hard to keep everyone employed at his factory
so what is he to do?
jail in the early 1800s was basically slavery
so as you can imagine he literally would rather die than return there
but how can he turn his back and sentence another man to that fate?
so valjean has a minicrisis that night
but eventually comes to the conclusion that his soul belongs to god
so he can't let somebody else take the fall
so mr big shot actually GOES TO PARIS, to the trial of not!Valjean, and is like NOPE I'M VALJEAN 24601 RIGHT HERE THAT GUY IS JUST SOME GUY
and then flees into the night like
way to be mr dramatic
he goes back to fantine
like "hey babe i'm still gonna get your daughter but--"
BUT SUDDENLY JAVERT
who is like
NOT
TODAY
SATAN
YOU'RE COMING WITH ME MONSIEUR PRETENDS TO BE SOMEONE ELSE
MONSIEUR FALSE FRIEND
I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS BUT YOU'RE JUST A CRIMINAL
and valjean is like "that's fair but let me just get fantine's daughter before she dies"
and javert is like
and in all that fantine dies of her mysterious cough
and valjean just
absconds
BOOK TWO
honestly i could sum it up in more detail but basically
javert gets him
valjean goes to prison, fakes his death, and leaves
this sounds simple but it takes 4ever in the books holy shit
anyway so he's like ALLITE LET'S FIND FANTINE'S DAUGHTER
and he does
and holy shit turns out those innkeepers?
TOTAL PIECES OF SHIT
okay so we have
monsieur and madame THENARDIER
their daughter EPONINE, who will become relevant later
their other daughter AZELMA who is less important
and he's not around yet but they later have a THIRD CHILD called GAVROCHE who is listed here for organization's sake
so!! turns out the thenardiers have NOT been caring for cosette
but instead just straight up using her as labor while using fantine's money to spoil their daughters
so valjean just
observes this
quietly
coldly
and then is like "welp i'm gonna take this kid one way or another BECAUSE FUCK THAT NOISE"
so he basically
buys her
and when the thenardiers are like "well wait what about her mother" in an attempt to get him to pay more
he's like "JUST KIDDING DICKS I HAVE A LETTER FROM HER MOTHER"
which he does
obviously he can't enforce said letter b/c he's a wanted criminal but they sure don't know that
so valjean takes off to paris with cosette, who is just happy to be there
(valjean buys her a doll and she's so starry eyed and he's just like
#blessed)
anyway so they settle in paris and javert is tracking them
so they head to this convent
and are hidden by the help of THAT DUDE VALJEAN SAVED FROM THE CART
KARMA MY GUY
DO A GOOD DEED AND GOD WILL REWARD YOU
so the guy is like "holy shit dude!! anything for you!!"
so valjean and cosette settle there
valjean becomes a gardener and poses as the cart dude's brother
cosette goes to school
all is well
BOOK THREE
EIGHT YEARS LATER
aka 1832
we switch to all new characters!!
most importantly ENJOLRAS, our charming young man who was capable of being terrible, our rebel most assuredly with a cause
this is the character who is most comparable to giorno, and of most interest to him, so i'm going to spend a bit more time summing him up
SO. Enjolras is the leader, the revolutionary, the one who really pushes them through the upcoming revolt. And there's a tendency to characterize him as this political, this constantly angry man, but that's not who he is. Enjolras is kind. He's a good man, an optimist, a person who looks to the future and sees how great things could be, and gets angry when he looks and sees how things are. He cares for his friends, but he does more than that-- he cares for the poor, the downtrodden, the helpless. He loves, and when he loves it's a vast, adoring thing-- but it isn't blind. And that being said, for all he adores his friends, he's a little apart, a little distant: "He lives alone, which renders him a little sad, perhaps,” one of his friends observes.
He's single-minded in his passion-- Hugo outright says: “He had but one passion—the right; but one thought—to overthrow the obstacle.” And he really does dedicate himself to that passion-- he's more than willing to give his life. Not throw it away-- even under fire later on (you'll see why), he keeps out of the way of the bullets, because he realizes he's more useful alive and giving orders than dying in some martyerish way. He's ruthless, not because he's sadistic or coldblooded, but because he has to be, because that's what a revolution needs. At one point, he straight up executes a guy on his side because the man had killed an innocent. He takes no joy in it, but it has to be done, and so he does it.
He's explicitly described as beautiful and delicate and marble-skinned, which I note only because we're comparing him to Giorno, so let's just rev up those angelic metaphors, shall we?
I'll talk more about him because a lot of his character traits come out later, but! SUFFICE TO SAY Giorno definitely looks at Enjolras as someone to . . . well. Admire? Emulate? Certainly take note of. There's a lot, a lot of similarities between them, and I can't imagine Araki hasn't read Les Mis.
ANYWAY
back to shitposting format
so we got my man Enjolras (Enj if you're nasty)
who has a gang of friends who are similarly revolutionary minded
they call themselves the Friends of the ABC (which is a French pun) (the french word for "downtrodden" or "lowly" is abaissés, which sounds very similar to saying A-B-C, hence the name) (this should give you a good indication of what these people are like) and they are for REVOLUTION
the poor are downtrodden and they're ready to basically fuck shit up
they're made up of mostly students, but poor people as well
way to include those you're rallying for in your gang enj
for completion's sake, these Friends are the following:
Combeferre: "The Guide", the one who assists Enjolras, who represents the philosophy of the resolution and tempers him
Courfeyrac: the heart of the gang, "The Center", the one who's warm and loving
Grantaire: the cynic, the alcoholic, the guy who doesn't believe in anything besides Enjolras. Not the cause, but Enjolras himself, the passion, the fire that he contains.
AND THE REST:
Bahorel, Feuilly, Jean Prouvaire (more commonly known as Jehan), Joly and Bossuet
they have personalities too but, again, they're less important
sorry guys
SO WE GOT DEM BOIS
and one day they meet MARIUS PONTMERCY
who is hapless and helpless but is doing His Best
he has been disowned from his family b/c he's got Views which again i'm not going to go into
regardless he's here he's painfully straight he's incredibly poor
get used to it
but he's got his friends so
anyway one day Marius is wandering around and he sees a girl
and ho
ly
shit
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
BOTH WAYS
they don't actually talk to each other at first but they are definitely making eyes
GUESS WHO THE GIRL IS
THAT'S RIGHT IT'S COSETTE
ALL GROWN UP
now meanwhile marius and cosette are making eyes at each other
valjean is decidedly annoyed
not in a gross ~you're my daughter and only mine~ way but
he is understandably worried about literally anyone getting close because he's a wanted criminal
and it would destroy cosette's life if he was found out
anyway so marius lives in this tiny apartment
and who lives next door in poverty but THE THENARDIERS
small world
and the daughter, Eponine, well, she's grown up too
and god but she loves her neighbor marius
he's dumb but god he's cute
she loves more the idea of him, honestly, than the actual person; he's the first person to be kind to her in like
forever
and she's a little aware of that but it doesn't matter, she'll take what she can get
a lot of stuff happens but as, again, this is for catching you up on why Giogio likes this novel
i will simply say that through a series of events thenardier catches sight of valjean, recognizes him, and valjean freaks out
BOOK FOUR
which has yet to be completed
WHAT TO SKIP AND WHAT TO READ
I don't know why it's broken up like this, but it is. SO. Okay. Here's a list of what to skip!
Fantine
Just skip book 1 entirely
Book 2: most of it is good to read, tbh; you can skip chapter 8 if you want
Book 3: skip ch 1 and ch 4, 5 and 7 and 8
Book 4: read all of it
Book 5: read all of it
Book 6: read all of it
Book 7: read all of it
Book 8: read all of it
no subject
Just skip book 1 entirely
Book 2: most of it is good to read, tbh; you can skip chapter 8 if you want
Book 3: skip ch 1 and ch 4, 5 and 7 and 8
Book 4: read all of it
Book 5: read all of it
Book 6: read all of it
Book 7: read all of it
Book 8: read all of it
VOLUME TWO: COSETTE
Book 1: Skip all EXCEPT the very end, start from the last page or so, where it begins with XIX, The Battlefield At Night -- even then, it's just the last two pages and so which are the most important.
Book 2: Read the first paragraph, skip the rest
Book 3: Read all
Book 4: Skip the first chapter, read the rest
Book 5: Read all
Book 6: Skip
Book 7: Read all
VOLUME THREE: MARIUS
Book 1: Fine to read, but only the last chapter is relevant
Book 2: Again, fine to read, but only the last chapter is relevant
Book 3: Read all, ch 2 is where the Plot starts
Book 4: Read all, this is a big important chapter
Book 5:
Book 6:
Book 7:
Book 8:
VOLUME FOUR: Saint-Denis
Book 1:
Book 2:
Book 3:
Book 4:
Book 5:
Book 6:
Book 7:
Book 8:
Book 9:
Book 10:
Book 11:
Book 12:
Book 13:
Book 14:
Book 15:
VOLUME FIVE: JEAN VALJEAN
Book 1:
Book 2:
Book 3:
Book 4:
Book 5:
Book 6:
Book 7:
Book 8:
Book 9: