Essay #1

Alone Doesn’t Mean Lonely 

One of the greatest and most universal flaw in humans, is that we all bare fear of the unknown. Worst of all, we fear being alone and being alienated. It’s human nature to fear what we don’t know or understand, even if the experience could change us for the better. Cultural critic Edward Said once wrote, "Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience. It is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home; its essential sadness can never be surmounted.” Similar to Edwards quote depicting alienation, Victor Hugo’s book Les Miserables, brings this concept to life when a man is alienated and living a life on the run from his past. But soon learns that even the most isolated of situations, have a way of enlightening us for the better. 

Alienation is something that can occur for variety of reasons and circumstances. For Jean Val Jean, Hugo’s main character in Les Miserables, alienation occurred when he committed theft to help a friend in need. Because of his actions, he lives constantly running from police authority hunting him down. Along the way, he takes custody of a little girl, Cossette. From this, we see the biggest enrichment exile brought in the story: To learn love, after a life time of suffering. Jean Val Jean quickly learned the severity of being alienated once having to not only look after himself, but Cossette too. Being exiled for all his life, Jeann Val Jean learns through having Cosette what it means to love someone as well as being loved in return. He realizes the virtue of being thankful for the good in life. Wiithout Cossette, he would have never been willing to open up to others, release his life of crime and guilt, and ultimately end his life of being an exile. 

Another factor due to Jean Val Jean’s alienation derives from Javert, the policemen hunting him down. Javert is the most prominent antagonist of the story who single handedly isolates Jean Val Jean. He has several failed attempts of catching Jean Val Jean, but in the end, when given the final chance to kill him, he instead takes his own life. Javert realizes he was in the wrong taking the life of a good man, and ends his conscience by ultimately ending his own life. Even though Javert was the man responsible for Jean Val Jeans exile, Javert was able to teach Val Jean the righteousness and injustices that come with isolation. Not all who are isolated are guilty, and not all who are free are deserving. 

Isolation can take many different forms, ranging from physical, to mental, and even emotional.  In the story, a maze of love triangles begin to arise. This makes the depth of the character’s isolations much more complex. Cossette, much to Jean Val Jean’s disliking, falls in love with a man named Marius. Eponine is also in love with Marius, but she is emotionally and mentally isolated from him. Eponine is forced to endure this isolation throughout the whole story. But in end, she earned her redemption when she took her own life to save Marius. On the other side of the love triangle. Jean Val Jean also goes through emotional isolation when Cossette begins to grow into adulthood and decided to marry Marius. He must let her go in order for her to live her own life and grow to be successful without him. Jean Val Jean dies at the end of the story after it is revealed Marius and Cossette are getting married, but he dies in complete peace. Knowing even though he is now isolated yet again without her, he is able to let go of her to make her happy. Not only does this show the delicate balance isolation has, but is also shows  the impact love and other emotions can play in it. 

Tendency to fear isolation and exile is all apart of human nature. Edward Said explained his thoughts on isolation as “compelling, but terrible to experience…a force between human nature and a native place.” In Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, several characters are force to undergo the challenges of being isolated. For Jean Val Jean, it was running from his past and forced to leave behind his home. Javert’s isolation is rooted from the hatred he carried all his life. His constant isolation eventually drove him to killing himself. lastly Eponine isolated herself in sorrow over love, but eventually learns that being alone doesn’t always mean that you are indeed lonely. All these character’s experienced different scenarios of isolations, but yet all learned the valuable lessons that are hidden within it. In the words of Edward Said, “isolation can be potent, even an enriching experience.”