Name: __ANSER KEY__
Les Miserables: Viewing Questions
1. Why was Jean Valjean in prison?
He stole some bread to feed his sister’s sick son
2. How long was his original sentence? How long was he actually in jail for, and why was his sentence
extended?
His original sentence was 5 years. It was extended by 14 years for a total of 19 years served,
because he kept trying to escape
3. What was his prisoner number?
24601
4. How was he treated after he was released?
He was a social pariah. He could not find work, or even a place to stay. He was shunned
everywhere he went. Children threw rocks at him, and he was beaten in the streets.
5. Where does he find refuge, and what happens there?
At a convent/monastery. A priest takes him in. Valjean steals all the silver in the night, and after
he is caught by the police, the priest tells them that the silver was all gifts, so that Valjean goes
free. He also gives him the silver candlesticks in addition to everything else he had stolen.
6. Where does Valjean first meet Fantine?
She is a worker in his factory, doing sewing
7. What happens to Fantine after she is dismissed from her job at the factory?
She sells her hair for 10 francs, a tooth for 20 francs, and finally turns to prostitution so that she
can send money for Cosette
8. What happens when Valjean meets Fantine for the second time?
She is almost arrested by Javert for ‘assaulting’ a man on the street. Valjean intercedes
9. Javert delivers some news to Valjean. What is it? What difficulties does this raise for Valjean? What
does he do?
Javert tells Valjean that he had mistakenly reported to his superiors that Valjean had been found,
but now another man has been arrested as Valjean and will be sentenced. Valjean is conflicted
because if he tells the truth then he will go back to prison, but if he stays silent then an innocent
man will pay for his crimes. He goes to the court and tells the truth.
10. What does Valjean promise to do for Fantine?
He promises to take care of Cosette
11. When Javert catches up with Valjean, what mercy does Valjean ask of Javert?
3 days grace to get things set up for Cosette, and then he will turn himself in
12. How does Valjean escape from Javert?
He jumps out a window into the river
13. Where does Valjean find Cosette?
By the well in the woods
14. What is the first gift he gets for her?
A new doll
15. Where do they seek refuge when Javert catches up with them? Who helps them?
At a convent, where they are helped by the man who Valjean saved from being crushed by his cart
16. What does Marius do?
He has left the home of his rich royalist grandfather to be part of the resistance movement
17. What do the colours red and black stand for? (Hint: they sing about it in a song, and each colour
stands for two things)
Red: the blood of angry men
Black: the dark of ages past
Red: a world about to dawn
Black: the night that ends at last
18. Where do Cosette and Marius ‘meet’?
In the street
19. Where does Cosette leave her note for Marius, and who finds it?
Tucked in the gate. It is found by Eponine
20. Who is Eponine? How does she know Cosette?
Eponine is the daughter of the innkeeper and his wife who had taken Cosette in as a child.
Eponine was a child about the same age as Cosette, and she helped her parents steal while they
treated Cosette like a servant
21. Who is the first person killed in the resistance skirmishes?
An old lady, and innocent bystander
22. What role does Javert play in the resistance?
He goes ‘undercover’ as a resistance fighter, dresses up like them. He joins their fight and goes to
spy on the army. He reports back with false information.
23. What does Eponine do at the barricade?
She takes a shot to save Marius
24. What does Valjean do after he intercepts Marius’ letter to Cosette?
He goes to join the resistance fight and make sure Marius survives
25. What happens to Marius at the barricade?
He gets shot.
26. At the end of the show, what is Javert’s opinion/conclusion about Valjean and what kind of person
Valjean is? What is Javert’s response?
Javert concludes that maybe he was too hard on Valjean. Valjean is a good man, who cares about
helping others, often putting himself at risk to do so. His crime was actually fairly minor. Javert
questions his own morals and behavior, and ultimately decides he is not a good man and commits
suicide by jumping off the bridge.
27. Why does Valjean leave again? Where does he go?
He leaves because Cosette does not know about his past, and if he is discovered, it will bring her
disgrace. Now that she is settling down and marrying Marius (who is rich and well-known), he
wants her to have a good life and forget about him.
For reflection:
What is Valjean’s relationship with God like? How does his faith and character change from the very
beginning of the movie?
-
he hates the world at the beginning of the movie, is cynical and is only looking out for himself
-
after the priest forgives him and saves him from the guards, he wonders how a man could be so
forgiving and generous
-
spends rest of his life trying to be forgiving and generous to others, especially the low people in
society
-
prays for guidance to do what is right
How does Valjean both help and hinder Cosette as she becomes an adult?
-
he rescues her from a life of servitude and slavery with the innkeeper
-
gives her love, father figure, privilege and wealth, no worries, gets to be a child again
-
he is very protective – overprotective
-
she has never known another man, is naïve and sheltered
-
he never tells her the truth about his past, or what really happened to her mother
The beggars sing: “When’s it going to end? When we gonna live? Something’s gotta happen now or
something’s gotta give.” What do they mean by this?
-
the people are sick and tired of being oppressed, of being stuck in the caste system
-
when is the oppression and economic segregation going to end
-
when, if ever, will they get to live the lives they’ve always dreamed of, free of poverty and fear
-
tension is building amongst the people, and they are at the breaking point
-
either the rich/royalty/leaders need to change things, or the people will revolt