Erica Gamester - Theology of Les Miserables

Elissa Cutter - Theology of Les Miserables 

 Dr. Cutter introduced this topic by discussing Catholic tradition and their understanding of God. While it is considered to be a religious film, the underlying religious themes in Les Miserables include: nature of redemption, forgiveness, mercy, etc. Also, the seven corporal works of mercy: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, bury the dead, shelter the traveler, comfort the sick, and ransom the captive. The poor / low class featured in Les Miserable illustrates the dismal reality within this community. In their song, "the righteous hurry past" delineates the blind-eye in which society has turned on this dark corner of society. 

 Discussion: "The Bishop" - How has the bishop "saved" Valjean's soul for God?

  • "You forgot I gave these also; would you leave the best behind?" - Rather than condemning Valjean for stealing food, the bishop automatically forgave him and encouraged him to take more. 
  • "Yet why did I allow this man to touch my soul and teach me love? He traded me like any other, he gave me his trust, he called me brother" - Not only saving his life with nutrition, and saving him from going to prison for petty theft, the bishop saved his soul through empathy and mercy. 
Discussion: How would you describe Valjean's initial response to the bishop?
  • Valjean was confused and hesitant about the bishop's kindness, as he had never experienced such mercy before. Then he begins to deny and reject this notion, demanding the bishop "take an eye for an eye, turn your heart into stone" as it was the reality Valjean was the most familiar with - "This is all I have lived for, this is all l've ever known"
  • Valjean turns this energy into a hopeful transition as he questions "is there another way to go?" - the Catholic theme within this scene is rebirth, as Valjean seeks to change his identity and start a new life chapter, leaving thievery and delinquency in his past
Personal reflection: I am not familiar with Catholicism nor have I seen Les Miserables, so this was a little difficult for me to follow given my severe lack of background knowledge. However, I found this movie to be nostalgic of Sweeney Todd in terms of musicality and dark, dismal imagery. Overall, I enjoyed the presentation, greatly appreciated reading along on the the lyrical print-outs, and tried to understand to the best of my ability. 

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