Figure Profile— Javert

        Hello, readers! Last week I’ve just finished my article about the most important figure, Jean Valjean; then today I’m going to introduce another key role, which is my favorite one, inspector Javert.

        Generally, Javert is referred to as the main villain of the story, due to his ceaseless persistence in bringing Jean Valjean to justice and stern treatment toward those who ‘commit a crime,’ Javert is sort of depicted as a man of cruelty, lacking sympathy and compassion. In the songs Prologue: Work Song, and Fantine’s Arrest, Javert explicitly shows his thorough distrust against the guilty, whether they are framed or not; hence, to most audiences, he seems to be rather unreasonable and partial to those in power in this respect.

(start from 2:07 to 4:14)

        However, it is not until the story develops to The Confrontation of both sides, that we can look into the deeper aspects of his background and personality. In fact, Javert is no other than those miserable people; he has a despicable past as well, yet rather than becoming corrupt and rotten, the humble background molds him into an upright man, with relentless pursuit for perfect discipline. He’ll never allow anyone violating the principles, including himself, which is manifest in his solo, Stars. Through his soliloquy, Javert conveys his fearless and determination; by the witness of the stars, he swears his life and commitment to complete devotion.

Song lyrics: The Confrontation

        During the revolution, he infiltrates into the student party and tries to crumble them down from inside; however, his identity is seen through and thus he is captured, waiting for execution. However, unexpected, he is saved and freed by his greatest enemy, Jean Valjean, without any cost or bargains. Javert is astounded, broken down, and confused, along with his outlook on life and value scattered into debris. Everything once he thought was wrong seems right, and the man once he considered evil now becomes a saint; his life together with the order he sticks to are totally subverted and mess up. Unable to tackle the overwhelming sense of guilt, Javert resorts to suicide at last.

        Javert is a man who lives out the true meaning of perfect rectitude and rigid self-regulating, though it leads to the drawback of being narrow-minded and stubborn, resulting in his tragic end, his persistence, his responsibility, his courage and his determination are fairly impressive as well as admirable.