Summary
At that moment [Cosette] suddenly felt
that the weight of the bucket was gone.
(See Important Quotations Explained)
The novel reintroduces us to Cosette on Christmas Eve
of 1823, one month after Valjean disappears
in the waters of Toulon. She is now eight years old and still lives
with the Thénardiers in Montfermeil. They force Cosette to work,
beat her, insult her mother, and practically starve her, while pampering
and spoiling their own two daughters, Eponine and Azelma. But they
treat their baby boy, Gavroche, as poorly as Cosette, viewing him
as merely another mouth to feed.
A group of travelers arrive at the inn, and Mme. Thénardier orders
Cosette to go to the woods to fetch a bucket of water. Cosette is
terrified of going into the woods at night and tries to delay, but Mme.
Thénardier screams at her to hurry. The forest is dark, cold, and
terrifying, and when Cosette fills the bucket, she can barely carry
it. She cries out to God. Out of nowhere, a large hand reaches down
and lifts the bucket from her shoulders. Though Cosette does not
know her rescuer, she is remarkably not afraid of the large man holding
the bucket.
The man, who is Valjean, is surprised to learn that this
girl is Cosette. He follows her back to the Thénardiers’ inn, where
he intends to spend the night. Valjean is shocked to see how Cosette
is treated at the inn, and he throws money around to persuade the Thénardiers
to let her enjoy Christmas Eve. The Thénardiers realize that their
guest is wealthy and begin to treat him better. They are particularly
astonished when he steps out into the street and returns with an
expensive doll as a gift for Cosette.
The next morning, Valjean asks the Thénardiers to give
him Cosette. Mme. Thénardier jumps at the opportunity, but M. Thénardier
pretends to be reluctant to part with the girl, hoping to gouge
more money out of Valjean. Without haggling, Valjean pays Thénardier 1,500 francs
and leaves with Cosette. Thénardier runs after them to demand more
money. He says he cannot give away Cosette without permission from
her mother, and Valjean produces the note from Fantine. Thénardier
argues, but when he notices Valjean’s physical size, he decides
it is more prudent to let the matter go. Safe at last, Cosette falls
asleep in Valjean’s arms.
Analysis
Valjean has been a noble figure since his redemption,
but in this section he comes across as almost saintly, particularly
when contrasted with the Thénardiers. Significantly, Valjean arrives
in Montfermeil on Christmas Eve and seizes Cosette’s bucket at the
exact moment that she cries out to God—details that make his entrance
seem divine. The idea that Valjean is Cosette’s savior is reinforced
by his selfless generosity. He pays money so that Cosette can take
time off on Christmas Eve, and when Thénardier demands 1,500 francs
to release Cosette, Valjean pays the sum without hesitation. The
fact that Valjean does not haggle may come across as implausibly
passive—after all, there is no reason why he cannot be compassionate but
still bargain. Yet it becomes more understandable when we see Thénardier’s
greedy maneuvering for the best price. Thénardier may be skilled
at getting a material bargain, but his willingness to sell a child
and haggle over the price shows that he is spiritually bankrupt.
Hugo’s disdain for materialism pervades his descriptions
of the Thénardiers’ tavern. The detailed descriptions of the couple’s belongings
and of the various ways in which they cheat others reveal how thoroughly
their lives are dominated by the quest for money and possessions.
The Thénardiers’ pursuit of material goods leads them to engage
in an unending series of immoral acts, from tax evasion to child
slavery. The fact that the Thénardiers regard their third child
as little more than a drain on household finances further underscores
their greed. Despite all of these schemes, the Thénardiers never
feel as if they have enough cash—their love of money verges on an
addiction.
