A STUDY ON SOCIAL CRUELTY REPRESENTED IN VICTOR HUGO’S LES MISERABLE

Abstract

This research analyzed the social cruelty represented in Les Miserable. This novel portrays the unfair class -based structure of nineteenth century. Innocent people become beggars and criminals in the nineteenth century in French because of social and the effect of revolution at that time. The main character named Jean Valjean reveals how the French criminal-justice system transforms a simple bread thief into a career criminal system 19 years of prison criminal. The cruelty on the novel reveals the conditions of France. At the factory Valjean has female employee named Fantine, a single parent who always sends all the money from his efforts to those who care for her child.