Jean Valjean is the main protagonist of the Victor Hugo novel Les Misérables.
He is an ex-convict who is given a lengthy prison sentence for stealing a loaf of bread, and resolves to redeem himself after being shown kindness by a bishop, whom he robbed after leaving prison.
What Makes Him Pure Good?[]
- He struggles to support his family, only stealing bread out of desperation.
- He is grateful to the bishop for sparing him from arrest despite the fact that Valjean robbed him.
- After he impulsively robs a young boy, he is very remorseful at what he has done, trying in vain to find the boy and return the money, before breaking down and swearing to turn his life around.
- He reinvents himself as the manufacturer M. Madeleine, and becomes the mayor of a small town and turns it into a thriving district, helping many people out of poverty.
- He saves a man's life when his cart falls on him, even though the man hated him.
- He rescues Fantine from being wrongly imprisoned, telling Javert it was the fault of a rich idler who attacked her first.
- He allows Javert to keep his post, despite his plea to be dismissed for accusing the mayor of being an ex-convict, and tells Javert that he is an honorable man.
- He saves an innocent man from going to prison in his place, confessing his identity.
- He pays Fantine's debts to the Thenardiers, hoping that she will be able to see her daughter before dying, and mourns Fantine's death.
- He rescues a prison worker from falling to his death.
- He travels to Montfermeil and rescues Cosette from the Thenardiers, and raises the girl as his own daughter.
- He refuses to abandon Cosette even when Javert is on his trail, and they escape into a monastery.
- He reinvents himself in Paris as a philanthropist and helps people in need.
- He gives money to the Thenardier family, who have fallen into poverty, even though it's implied that he knows who they are.
- He is calm and composed when Thenardier kidnaps him, refusing to give him Cosette's location, and while he tries to escape, he refuses to use violence against them even if it means his death.
- He gives a student at the barricade a National Guard uniform, allowing him to escape with his life.
- He saves Javert from execution, despite his years of obsessive pursuit.
- He rescues Marius from the barricade, despite having resented his relationship with Cosette, and carries him through the sewers to safety.
- He confesses his criminal past to Marius, feeling he was dishonestly posing as a respectable man and living off Marius's money. When Marius asks Valjean to stay away from them, Valjean honors this and doesn't hold it against him.
- He forgives Marius for his cruel treatment of him and reconciles with him as he's dying, and states that he even forgives the Thenardiers for their actions.
Trivia[]
- As for now, he's the earliest Pure Good of any works, as well as the earliest Book Pure Good.
- He's the only Pure Good in Les Misérables, and also so far the only Victor Hugo's Pure Good.
External Links[]
- Jean Valjean on the Heroes Wiki
- Jean Valjean on the Love Exalted Wiki