#2.1.18

Then we have a whole lot of talk about the shuffling of order, the exile of Napoleon, the signing of the Article 14 of the Charter by Louis XVIII giving power back to the kings. We also hear about the spending of money on covering the graves of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette with Marble. It is a monarchy in full flow and it is counter- revolutionary to everything good for the country that Napoleon tried to bring. The new king made their graves important and fit for kings and queens, whereas Fantine did not get a proper burial, I am still angry about this.

The Pope meanwhile blesses the king and once again we are reminded it was all because a simple choice of a shepherd boy who guided the armies - Waterloo was decreed to happen by the hand of Providence.

It’s clear Hugo’s feelings about Napoleon are still complicated, Napoleon did great things and would have been a tool for Revolution because of the Divine Providence doing good through a tyrant, but he was cocky and a Great Man, and therefore suffered defeat and exile. The people still admire him though and rather more because of his defeat, as Kings fill the place left by him and make things worse. Napoleon vanquished becomes a legend, causing fear in the hearts of other monarchs in Europe.

This whole chapter feels like a setup and explanation for Marius and young men like him siding with Napoleon and Hugo’s own justifications/feelings about Napoleon. It is interesting that Napoleon’s fall should be the reason of the coming storm of Revolution, but that is what Hugo is hinting at even despite the deals and agreements calling this a Restoration of monarchy in France. But the Divine/Providence is watching, and these little incidents and plans made by the kings matter little to the plans made by God.

2.1.19

I love the way this chapter opens with the full moon casting the light over the battlefield and the full moon is important but Hugo’s insistence of tragedies occurring during the night is kind of poetic. The moon watches over the events of the battle occurring, it is a silent spectator in the drama, while the places are burning or being shelled.

We are focusing on the aftermath of the battle, when the bodies are robbed. Hugo respects the soldier and thinks that a soldier cannot be a looter, he is too noble for that, whereas Voltaire who is far too cynical (I thought this might be a reference to Candide), thinks the soldier can. But the looters are described as the people who came behind, and they weren’t French or English. Someone who was a thief already and therefore could not help his nature.  

The moonlight itself feels like a character in this chapter, shining on the events. It is indifferent, or rather the skies are indifferent in this scenario where death is everywhere. I love the light imagery in this chapter, the red of the fields, contrasted with the whiteness of the moon. The light imagery is not helping in this chapter, or rather helping the opportunist robber, who we have already met before.

The descriptions of the dead and the dying are quite horrific, with the picture of soldiers being sketched who were in the prime of their youth, dying of agony, with rivers of blood and dead bodies around them. It’s nightmarish, and the deed of the looter is even more disrespectful to the dead.  

The entire character of the looter is of someone who is more night than day, someone who knows how to be a thief and who already came prepared, along with his wife, who is on the wagon.  I find it interesting that he has no defined nationality or form. They are the hybrid creatures, the wretched who come with their wives to plunder and loot. The presence of the wives on the battlefield is interesting.

The plunderer is also compared to an animal, a jackal, he is cowardly and comes after the kill to eat whatever is left and that is what this prowler is doing without any respect for the dead.  

He proceeds to rob another soldier, quite high ranking, who roused to life, thanks him. They exchange names. Thenardier and Pontmercy. Thenardier’s ‘good deed’ occurs indirectly through his thievery. I feel sorry for Georges really. The first time we meet him, he is being robbed by Thenardier, who he thinks is helping him and Georges is also going to be excluded later from Marius’ life later and the poor guy can’t catch a break.