Jean Val Jean
... it evident that ValJean is the core of his family financially, but emotionally, he is all alone. There are three key words that describe Jean Valjean in this stage of his life; Lonely, isolated, and hopeless. Hugo uses imagery to express all of these traits surrounding Jean. For example, “At night he came in without saying a word” This quote from the passage represents isolation. Although he came home every night, to a house full of people, he never spoke to them, it shows that he feels unconnected to them. Furthermore, “they took his food and never spoke to him” his nieces and nephews took his dinner from him every night, and never spoke a word. He pretended not to notice that she had taken his food. He worked everyday and didn’t benefit, she took all the money to feed her children. This gives the readers an idea of hopelessness. Jean worked as a pruner, just as his father had done. When he got home at night, he stayed to himself, shutting everyone else out, and was used to being shut out by them. He barely had anything to eat, and although he worked all day everyday, he received no profit, fo...