Les Miserables Character Analysis

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Characters in a story are a way for the author to reach out to their audience and impact the plot, but that is not the case for Gavroche in Victor Hugo 's Les Miserables. In the book as well as in the musical movie, many people fought and died for the revolution. Although the gamin Gavroche was one of those rebels, his character did not drastically impact the story or the revolution. Gavroche was an unnecessary character in Les Miserables and proved his insignificance throughout both the book and movie. There were many men who lost the battle of the barricade by selflessly giving their lives to the cause and impacting the story; Gavroche was not one of them. Moments before his death, he was sent out to gather ammo for the other rebels, which anyone could have accomplished. During this time, he was shot and, "They saw Gavroche totter, then he fell." (Hugo 310). The lack of description in his death is Hugo proving his worthlessness. He did not deserve a grand death such as Enjalras and Courfeyrac who, in the movie, died in a glorious standoff, waving the rebel flag. The day after the battle, the ladies of the streets reflect on how useless the fight was, and what a pity it was that so many men gave their lives, because even after the battle, "Nothing changes nothing ever will" (Turning). If grown men could not make a difference in their society, how could a young boy stand up fearlessly against an entire army? His death was manipulated to add depth to the story; to give the

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