The Confrontation - Tumblr Posts

who's doing "The Confrontation" with me on couples karaoke night.

So, I just made a post about the violence that’s often added to The Confrontation in Les Mis, but I think I want to talk about my theory as to why the scene in the book is comparatively not so violent. I think that the main reason for this is Valjean and Javert’s book characterization.

Starting with Valjean, it’s not at all controversial to say that he is almost always quite nonviolent. It is rare for him to even threaten someone, much less actually attack them. Of course, part of this is a way to avoid suspicion and the attention of the police, but part of it is also out of genuine goodwill. He’s just a cool guy who doesn’t actually want to hurt people. Even an example like Montparnasse is strangely relevant. Yes, Valjean fights him in self defense, but only to then lecture him about the dangers of thievery, give him some money, and send him on his way. Because of all this, it’s quite notable that he threatens Javert during the confrontation. Prior to that moment, Valjean’s requests had been mocked and ignored, so it seems reasonable that he would want to find another way to get something he wants. It’s a relatively small thing, paying his respects to Fantine, but he certainly wouldn’t have been allowed it anyway if he had simply asked. Really, Valjean only threatens Javert and doesn’t attack him because it’s not necessary.

But why was this threat so effective? He’s one guy with an iron bar. Surely, Javert must’ve had a backup plan if Valjean retaliated. But it doesn’t look like he did. Javert doesn’t seem to be well armed and the guards are stationed downstairs. He really just walked into that room and assumed that his authority as a policeman would be enough to keep control over the situation. Javert enters this scene extremely confident. This is arguably him at his most terrifying. But even so, when Valjean threatens him (apparently unexpectedly), all Javert can do is back up and wait. This leads me to my main point about Javert. His primary weapon is his authority, his legal right as a policeman to condemn and arrest whoever he perceives as criminals. Javert is a threat to people, not because he could physically hurt them, but because it is essentially his job to play judge and jury, though perhaps not executioner. Presumably, this is what leads him to approach Valjean alone, attempt to arrest him and subsequently be threatened with a metal bar. Javert had no faith in Valjean’s good nature and nonviolent tendencies. None at all. He just assumed that he himself was authoritative and commanding enough that no one would dare mess with him.

Again, this is my theory, my explanation for why this scene plays out the way it does. Anyway, I find this all very interesting.