Today I accomplished a goal that I've been working on for quite some time. I finished reading the unabridged version of Les Miséables by Victor Hugo.
I have had an interesting journey with this tale. I first purchased my copy at a Barnes & Noble in Orem, Utah while I was a freshman at BYU. It was winter of the 08-09 school year. My older brother and I laughed that day--after having lunch together we went to the bookstore, where he bought the abridged version of Les Mis while I purchased the unabridged. And now, almost 8 years later, I finally finished the book.
I hadn't started reading it immediately.... I think it took me a year or so to first pick it up to actually read. I read Part One: Fantine and then became distracted with life and stopped.
And then in 2012, I had the chance to see Les Misérables performed at the Orpheum Theater in San Francisco. I loved it. As often is the case with musicals, I am familiar with the music before I ever see the performance. This was the case here.
Several songs have always stood out to me: I Dreamed a Dream, On My Own, Bring Him Home, and The Epilogue among others.
I read most of Part Two: Cosette then, but I had to leave for Sweden before I could finish.
I watched the movie in Paris, France with my family, right after they picked me up from Sweden. This ended up being one of first normal movies I had in about a year and a half. The message struck me just as much then as it did in San Francisco - particularly that of forgiveness.
Come December 2015, I knew it was my goal to finish the book in 2016, so I began reading, once again.
I finally finished today.
This book has so many lessons. I am so glad that I took the time to finish it. A story of love, lost, forgiveness, despair, hope, tragedy, history, war, conflict, and salvation. It shows the depravity of mankind as well as the innate goodness that exists in others. It counteracts between the two, showing that you do not need to be defined by preconceived notions. Despite everything that has been thrown at us, there is always a choice in how we react and how we continue to live each day.
This story is more than the life of Jean Valjean. The heart of those words lift beyond the pages, permeating to the soul.
For me, one of the strongest messages is that of forgiveness, particularly that of forgiving oneself. Jean Valjean's strongest critic and judge in the end invariably was himself. He was finally able to let go and find peace. He was a such a good man, forever trying to atone for the mistake of stealing bread and his later escape. He helped so many and left an impression on many lives, both in fiction and reality.
He sleeps. Although so much he was denied,
He lived; and when his dear love left him, died.
It happened of itself, in the calm way
That in the evening night-time follows day.
~Victor Hugo, Les Misérables, p 1201
And remember the truth that once was spoken
To love another person is to see the face of God!
~Epilogue, Les Misérables Musical
