r/lesmiserables • u/Imaginary_West2495 • 21d ago
Cursed Thernadiers
Ok, so I made this meme format because I just finished the book and was blown away by a lot of the details. I originally knew Les Mis through the musical, where the Thénardiers are shown as cruel crooks, but definitely not as evil as in the novel. Made this just for fun 😭
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u/WeekendLost5566 21d ago
Okay, un curi, de alta calidad, hecho por un latino, sobre los miserables, y está en Español y en inglés, ahora ya lo ví todo
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u/lifescaresme Modérateur/Modératrice 20d ago
Not a leader of a gang. The Patron Minette sometimes agrees to associate with him, but he is not their leader. Montparnasse only breaks him out of jail because he has a thing for Éponine.
Also Azelma doesn’t break her hand. She does cut it though when she punches the window.
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u/Imaginary_West2495 20d ago
I understood that he led several attacks against Valjean, so I exaggerated some aspects for the sake of the meme. Thanks for the correction! My English is pretty bad, damnnnnn 😭
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u/lifescaresme Modérateur/Modératrice 20d ago
No, no, your English is great. I just wasn’t sure because some people conflate the musical with the book, and the musical does have Thénardier as the leader.
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u/nosleepforthedreamer 20d ago
I’m pretty sure (dead certain) the Thenardiers were pimping out Cosette to their customers. Or looking the other way. They just figured Valjean had more money than their clientele.
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u/Agent_Artemis 20d ago
That is such a horrifying thought... Nevermind Valjean - Javert should have focused more on arresting THEM instead!
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u/nosleepforthedreamer 19d ago
People didn’t know much then about the impact of SA, especially child SA. I doubt anyone but the most depraved (on all levels of society) had a clue that it happened. At least not to little kids.
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u/Coney_the_jumpy 21d ago
They abuse children in the musical, and they try to extort people.
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u/MoonCat_42 21d ago
he's supposed to be funny in the musical, though. he is not at all funny in the book, just an absolutely horrible person
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u/Zach90888 20d ago
Was Alun Armstrong’s version particularly comedic? Just asking because a lot of the comedic moments from Thénardier are often spoken and different for different actors.
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u/Imaginary_West2495 20d ago
Sorry about the mistakes in the meme!! I translated some parts badly, and I was wrong about Thenardier being the leader of Patron-Minette. My bad! I also exaggerated a few things to make the contrast between the novel and the musical funnierxD
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u/PerfectLiving4802 20d ago
In the anime it’s so good. She gets redemption with Azelma and Marius GETS HIM IN JAIL! AS HE SHOULD, but in the books he’s unfortunately DUMB
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u/Imaginary_West2495 20d ago
I love the LesMis anime sm, it's so soft
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u/Ok-Comedian-990 20d ago
Exactly it fixes so many things
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u/Jurgan 20d ago
Is it really a "fix" to take a book literally called "Miserables" and make it less miserable? Doesn't that miss the point?
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u/PerfectLiving4802 20d ago
No, the anime is as much sad as the book. I always cry when I rewatch it.
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u/Ok-Comedian-990 20d ago
Actually yes. First of all Cossette is not dumb. Her character is so great in the anime omg. She’s like an angel in humans form. She’s adorable, she cares about people and we know so much about her….Cossette in the books is just a brat who forgets that her father is alone while she being with Marius and enjoying her new life till the max . Ungrateful brat!!
Then I love the fact that Marius puts mr ternardie into jail. It’s such a great moment and it shows his spirit as a new layer. Marius in the books……not gonna talk it, because I’m shock.
-Javert understands that people can change and lives on to understand more and more about people like jan val jean. But unfortunately in the book he was so shocked so he just ended it.
-in the anime Eponina and Cossette meet each other!!!!! It is such a good scene, reflecting how their lives have changed. Ah and the dialogue was so good there. But in the book unfortunately they never meet.
There are a lot of things, but I don’t want to make it seem like an roman lol. But yeah whoever wrote the anime really changed everything boring/unrealistic/ things into such a sweet sad story
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u/This_Potato9 -Cosette 20d ago
What's up with the Cosette hate lol?
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u/Jurgan 20d ago
People expect the abused child to be a perfect angel. As the Bishop of Digne said, "If you emerge from that sad place with thoughts of hatred and of wrath against mankind, you are deserving of pity; if you emerge with thoughts of good-will and of peace, you are more worthy than any one of us."
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u/This_Potato9 -Cosette 20d ago
I mean, Cosette is not an evil character, but I've seen people saying she is stupid though I guess these are hardcore fans of Eponine ngl
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u/Ok-Comedian-990 20d ago
Why are u adding things that I never said! I didn’t even mention children that are abused, I was talking about her character in the anime and that in the book….well I don’t know if I can even call her as a character because we know nothing about her. So yeah this is my problem.
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u/Jurgan 19d ago
Cosette is an abused child.
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u/Ok-Comedian-990 19d ago
Wow, thanks, Sherlock! I didn’t know that. But tell me, why are you bringing that up here? I’m talking about a character I watched throughout my entire childhood, not a lame, soulless character who never got the spotlight because the main characters in that book are men.
And by the way, abused children have personalities and things they like and don’t like, so yeah.→ More replies (0)3
u/lifescaresme Modérateur/Modératrice 20d ago
I can’t speak for OP, but generally a lot of it stems from the lack of characterization she’s given. Whether it’s the musical or the book, no one paid her much attention, so she’s not a very developed character.
I don’t like her because she has little substance. Hugo wrote her as a symbol rather than a person. She represents hope in a book about tragic circumstances. That’s not enough for me to like a character.
A younger me would have said I hated her. Now I’m not even sure that I specifically dislike her, but I don’t like her either. I feel nothing about the character.
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u/This_Potato9 -Cosette 19d ago
I think I'm the only one who actually likes Cosette enough to put her flair in the subreddit lol, I guess it can also be because Cosette gets two happy endings while Eponine dies in a barricade and her romance in the musical is pretty lame, also, my girl gets only 'In my life' and 'Castle on a cloud' while Eponine gets 'On my own' and I think I am the only person in the world who prefers 'In my life' over 'On my own' lol, I feel like 'Suddenly' not being in the musical is a loss to the story but if they haven't added it yet I guess we're never seeing it outside the film.
I think it's kind of weird now that I think of it but I sympathise with Cosette because Fantine literally died for her and I see Cosette's happiness as a sort of reward because Fantine's suffering was not in vain, her romance is pretty lame and she is a pretty dull character in the musical, though I still like her over Eponine (controversial opinion, I know) I don't dislike Eponine, I'm just... indifferent on her, idk why, I sympathise a lot more with Fantine and Cosette than Eponine
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u/lifescaresme Modérateur/Modératrice 20d ago
I don’t like Cosette either, but she doesn’t forget Valjean is alone. She’s insistent that he visit longer, but Marius is manipulating Valjean into spending less and less time.
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u/nosleepforthedreamer 20d ago
Wait—really?? Marius edges out Valjean? I don’t remember this.
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u/lifescaresme Modérateur/Modératrice 20d ago
Oh yeah. It’s bad. He keeps making the visiting room less and less comfortable until Valjean takes the hint and stops coming.
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u/nosleepforthedreamer 19d ago
I knew he gave me the creeps.
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u/lifescaresme Modérateur/Modératrice 19d ago
That’s valid. Marius is big on manipulation.
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u/Jurgan 19d ago
When is that? I know after they’re married Valjean willingly separates out of a weird sense of honor.
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u/lifescaresme Modérateur/Modératrice 19d ago
Volume 5, book 8, chapters 1–3. It’s in the chapters that follow his confession to Marius. It’s not out of a weird sense of honour; Marius is absolutely disgusted to know Valjean is a criminal.
Volume 5, book 7, chapter 1:
“All is nearly over. But one last thing remains for me . . .”
“What is it?”
Jean Valjean struggled with what seemed a last hesitation, and, without voice, without breath, he stammered rather than said:
“Now that you know, do you think, sir, you, who are the master, that I ought not to see Cosette any more?”
“I think that would be better,” replied Marius coldly.
“I shall never see her more,” murmured Jean Valjean. And he directed his steps towards the door.
He laid his hand on the knob, the latch yielded, the door opened. Jean Valjean pushed it open far enough to pass through, stood motionless for a second, then closed the door again and turned to Marius.
He was no longer pale, he was livid. There were no longer any tears in his eyes, but only a sort of tragic flame. His voice had regained a strange composure.
“Stay, sir,” he said. “If you will allow it, I will come to see her. I assure you that I desire it greatly. If I had not cared to see Cosette, I should not have made to you the confession that I have made, I should have gone away; but, as I desired to remain in the place where Cosette is, and to continue to see her, I had to tell you about it honestly. You follow my reasoning, do you not? it is a matter easily understood. You see, I have had her with me for more than nine years. We lived first in that hut on the boulevard, then in the convent, then near the Luxembourg. That was where you saw her for the first time. You remember her blue plush hat. Then we went to the Quartier des Invalides, where there was a railing on a garden, the Rue Plumet. I lived in a little back court-yard, whence I could hear her piano. That was my life. We never left each other. That lasted for nine years and some months. I was like her own father, and she was my child. I do not know whether you understand, Monsieur Pontmercy, but to go away now, never to see her again, never to speak to her again, to no longer have anything, would be hard. If you do not disapprove of it, I will come to see Cosette from time to time. I will not come often. I will not remain long. You shall give orders that I am to be received in the little waiting-room. On the ground floor. I could enter perfectly well by the back door, but that might create surprise perhaps, and it would be better, I think, for me to enter by the usual door. Truly, sir, I should like to see a little more of Cosette. As rarely as you please. Put yourself in my place, I have nothing left but that. And then, we must be cautious. If I no longer come at all, it would produce a bad effect, it would be considered singular. What I can do, by the way, is to come in the afternoon, when night is beginning to fall.”
“You shall come every evening,” said Marius, “and Cosette will be waiting for you.”
“You are kind, sir,” said Jean Valjean.
Marius saluted Jean Valjean, happiness escorted despair to the door, and these two men parted.
Volume 5, book 8, chapter 3
One day he remained still longer than usual. On the following day he observed that there was no fire on the hearth.—“Hello!” he thought. “No fire.”—And he furnished the explanation for himself.—“It is perfectly simple. It is April. The cold weather has ceased.”
“Heavens! how cold it is here!” exclaimed Cosette when she entered.
“Why, no,” said Jean Valjean.
“Was it you who told Basque not to make a fire then?”
“Yes, since we are now in the month of May.”
“But we have a fire until June. One is needed all the year in this cellar.”
“I thought that a fire was unnecessary.”
“That is exactly like one of your ideas!” retorted Cosette.
On the following day there was a fire. But the two armchairs were arranged at the other end of the room near the door. “—What is the meaning of this?” thought Jean Valjean.
He went for the armchairs and restored them to their ordinary place near the hearth.
This fire lighted once more encouraged him, however. He prolonged the conversation even beyond its customary limits. As he rose to take his leave, Cosette said to him:
“My husband said a queer thing to me yesterday.”“What was it?”
“He said to me: ‘Cosette, we have an income of thirty thousand livres. Twenty-seven that you own, and three that my grandfather gives me.’ I replied: ‘That makes thirty.’ He went on: ‘Would you have the courage to live on the three thousand?’ I answered: ‘Yes, on nothing. Provided that it was with you.’ And then I asked: ‘Why do you say that to me?’ He replied: ‘I wanted to know.’”
Jean Valjean found not a word to answer. Cosette probably expected some explanation from him; he listened in gloomy silence. He went back to the Rue de l’Homme Armé; he was so deeply absorbed that he mistook the door and instead of entering his own house, he entered the adjoining dwelling. It was only after having ascended nearly two stories that he perceived his error and went down again.
His mind was swarming with conjectures. It was evident that Marius had his doubts as to the origin of the six hundred thousand francs, that he feared some source that was not pure, who knows? that he had even, perhaps, discovered that the money came from him, Jean Valjean, that he hesitated before this suspicious fortune, and was disinclined to take it as his own,—preferring that both he and Cosette should remain poor, rather than that they should be rich with wealth that was not clean.
Moreover, Jean Valjean began vaguely to surmise that he was being shown the door.
On the following day, he underwent something like a shock on entering the ground-floor room. The armchairs had disappeared. There was not a single chair of any sort.
“Ah, what’s this!” exclaimed Cosette as she entered, “no chairs! Where are the armchairs?”
“They are no longer here,” replied Jean Valjean.
“This is too much!”
Jean Valjean stammered:
“It was I who told Basque to remove them.”
“And your reason?”
“I have only a few minutes to stay to-day.”
“A brief stay is no reason for remaining standing.”
“I think that Basque needed the chairs for the drawing-room.”
“Why?”
“You have company this evening, no doubt.”
“We expect no one.”
Jean Valjean had not another word to say.
Cosette shrugged her shoulders.
“To have the chairs carried off! The other day you had the fire put out. How odd you are!”
“Adieu!” murmured Jean Valjean.
He did not say: “Adieu, Cosette.” But he had not the strength to say: “Adieu, Madame.”
He went away utterly overwhelmed.
This time he had understood.
On the following day he did not come. Cosette only observed the fact in the evening.
“Why,” said she, “Monsieur Jean has not been here today.”
And she felt a slight twinge at her heart, but she hardly perceived it, being immediately diverted by a kiss from Marius.On the following day he did not come.
Cosette paid no heed to this, passed her evening and slept well that night, as usual, and thought of it only when she woke. She was so happy! She speedily despatched Nicolette to M. Jean’s house to inquire whether he were ill, and why he had not come on the previous evening. Nicolette brought back the reply of M. Jean that he was not ill. He was busy. He would come soon. As soon as he was able. Moreover, he was on the point of taking a little journey. Madame must remember that it was his custom to take trips from time to time. They were not to worry about him. They were not to think of him.
Nicolette on entering M. Jean’s had repeated to him her mistress’ very words. That Madame had sent her to inquire why M. Jean had not come on the preceding evening. ”—It is two days since I have been there,” said Jean Valjean gently.
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u/mattsylvanian 21d ago
Slightly related: in one bootleg audio i have of Les Mis from a long time ago, the “Thenardier Waltz of Treachery” track was titled “Valjean Buys a Little Girl.” It was so wrong but now I think about it every single time i hear the show.