Abstract

Most scholars pay attention to the analysis of the main character Jean Valjean and the miserable life of the poor people as well as humanitarianism. However, in Les Miserables, Javert who is regarded as a creature of the ruling class is a man full of tragedies. This dissertation explores the causes of Javert’s tragedy by analyzing his tragic embodiment from two aspects: his excessive loyalty to the law and his misuse of excellent professional skills. The analysis of Javert’s image and transformation will be made in terms of his life experience and the social environment to reveal the reasons for his tragedy. In this way, readers will find that in essence, Javert is a man of great integrity and responsibility, thus what makes him keep chasing Jean Valjean is his duty as the spectator rather than his personal revenge. The tragedy fundamentally lies in that Javert only believes in justice stipulated by laws but overlooks justice voiced by morality. Hence, when his belief in legal justice collapses, he breaks down in mentality and chooses to drown himself in a river. This dissertation will further discuss the complex relationship between legal justice and moral justice as well as humanitarianism. Moreover, a conclusion will be reached that people should make reasonable decisions on the basis of self-judgment instead of following the law blindly.

Key words: Javert; tragedy; social environment; legal justice; moral justice

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

1.Introduction.1

1.1 Introduction to Victor Hugo.1

1.2 Introduction to Les Miserables3

2. Literature Review5

3. Embodiment of Javert’s Tragedy.8

3.1 The excessive loyalty to the law9

3.2 The misuse of his excellent professional skills.10

4. Causes of Javert’s Tragedy12

4.1 Life experience.12

4.2 Social environment.13

5. Conclusion.14

References.16