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Les Misérables
As I've served my mission, I didn't expect was become familiar with several musicals, one of them being Les Misérables. One of my missionary friends is an Elder from France named Elder Fourtina. He was a huge fan of Les Mis, so he had the original broadway soundtrack with him. I've also heard about it from several other missionaries who have served around me. In short, I don't have any direct experience with Les Misérables, however, I've heard enough bits and pieces that I know the basic story.And what a story it is. I've never experienced a story so emotionally stretching. It presents all of the sorrows and joys of life on a single slice of history, the French Revolution. What impresses me the most about Les Misérables is that while it depicts the dark reality of sin, it also depicts the shining light of redemption. The challenge here isn't to find the commandments in Les Misérables, but to decide which ones to include in this post.
The Commandments in Les Misérables
The main themes of the story are repentance and forgiveness. From the very beginning, when the main character, Jean Valjean is freed from his nineteen years of imprisonment, he is convinced that nothing can redeem him from his past. In order to escape his hopeless situation, he attempts to rob the bishop who had taken him in. When the bishop not only forgave Valjean for his robbery, but gave him two silver candlesticks to become an honest man, the darkened world of Jean Valjean begins to brighten. Could his soul have really been bought for God? In response to this single act of forgiveness, Valjean turns his entire life around. His new-found faith drives him to save several lost souls, including Cosette and Marius.On the flipside of the story, Javert, a cunning policeman, does everything in his power to capture Valjean, whom he considers unredeemable. However, when Valjean shows mercy to him, proving that he has truly changed, Javert is forced to make a decision. He has to choose between forgiving Valjean and giving up his own life. Tragically, he chooses the latter and dies a miserable suicide. The good that he may have done in the world is lost, because he simply could not forgive. The burden of sin is miserable, but it may not be as heavy as the grudges we can bear when we don't forgive.
One of the most tragic characters in Les Misérables is Fantine, Valjean's sister. Her tragedy begins from having an illegitimate daughter with her lover. Her lover quickly abandons her, leaving her alone with her daughter, shattered dreams, and a burning sense of guilt. In her desperate circumstances, she makes a fatal mistake of going into prostitution to provide for her daughter. The scriptures teach that sexual sin is spiritually and emotionally destructive (even in desperate circumstances and she suffers and eventually dies from it.
Finally, how could any of us forget Valjean's heart-tugging prayer in "Bring Him Home." I am always astonished at how inspired this song is. From this prayer, Jean Valjean demonstrates absolute faith that God knows him and will answer his prayers. In the climax of the song, Valjean cries out, "If I die, let me die! Let him live! Bring him home!" In essence, it reminds me of the Savior's prayer in Gethsemane, where he valued his father's will over his own. "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." In the end, Valjean's prayer is granted. Marius is protected.
Overall, I like to believe that Les Misérables is such an impressive story because it shows so many angles of life. We can observe how the commandments protect us from sorrow and also how disobeying them leads to suffering.
The Apostles and Les Misérables?
During the process of making this post, I made a surprising discovery. During this past General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, one of counselors to the presiding bishop cited Les Misérables in his talk. Interested, I wanted to see if there were any other years where Les Mis was referenced by our apostles. I was very surprised.Ye Are No More Strangers- 2013
Redemption- 2013
Bring Him Home- 2003
Thoughtful piece!
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