While we only get a glimpse into the time Valjean spent as a slave, we see the conditions and the fact that there is no open communication between the enforcers and the people who are enslaved. Starved of healthy communication, I would see how it could be easy to lose hope and change your view on life. Having stolen bread, no doubt a crime, I can't help but consider his reason for doing so. He had the intention of saving his family from starvation and that says something about his values. He may get a little lost along the way (seen when he tries to steal the silver) but he finds his way back to being a good man with the help of the bishop.
Valjean, himself, doesn't do much to openly communicate with the bishop, but the bishop, driven by his religious values, reaches out to Valjean and provides for him when everyone else kicks him to the curb. I think this shows the openness the bishop values and the way he cares for others through both his words and actions. His religion drives him to be the person he is, which then leads Valjean to realize his own values and what kind of man he truly wants to be.
I believe through the actions and words of both Valjean and the bishop, it is evident that people are driven to make decisions and live their lives by different things. Whether it was Valjean providing for his family, or the bishop following his faith, both men demonstrated their morals through their words and actions. Valjean even seems to have changed his values a few times so far, but we are still able to recognize some of the driving factors - first his family, then his enslavement causing him to act out of vengeance, and lastly a turn of events when he interacts with the bishop. Through the short time we have seen him he has changed the way he communicates and why, and I am excited to see how the movie continues.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI liked your point about how Valjean and the bishop live their lives based on different views. I also noticed that with Valjean and Javert where Valjean acted to feed his family, while Javert was simply living by the law. I hope we get to see more examples of this throughout the movie.
ReplyDeleteHey Megan,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your examination of ethics through the interactions of Valjean between him and the bishop and him with the officers in power when he was a prisoner. Javert the head officer shows that any crime, whether small or big, is still a crime and holds his ethics high in that regards by telling Valjean that he will always be a criminal. "Once a criminal, always a criminal". The government also carries this same view by requiring Valjean to always carry a document which labels him as a criminal. The government and Javert cannot see past why Valjean committed the small crime of the stealing bread for his starving family. Their values and ethical standards are different from Valjean's.
The bishop showed Valjean his values and morals on how to treat others led Valjean to want to lead a better life. They didn't communicate openly but the bishop's action of not turning Valjean in for stealing silver to the police officers showed Valjean the standard in which the bishop holds for everyone -- that everyone, no matter how far they've fallen, can still find light and become a better person. Valjean then goes on to live a life that will have similar values and morals.