I always felt that the book deliberately contrasts between people like Valjean, who wasn't brought into the world to be a 'villain' and who was brought to redemption, and Javert, who cast himself in the role of the 'good guy', with Thenardier and the rest of Patron-Minette. They knew they were villains; they reveled in it. Montparnasse was confronted by Valjean, who really just wanted to give him a second chance like he'd gotten. Montparnasse said he wanted to be a criminal because work was too hard. He's not someone who was brought to his position by society. Even before Thenardier lost everything, he was still a scumbag, and I'm sure he was a scumbag when he became a wealthy slave trader in America afterward.
I wouldn't call Javert a villain, just an antagonist. But Thenardier fits the villain mold in my opinion.
But that's the great thing about Les Miserables. It's so open to interpretation that no two people read it the same way.
Iago is a great villain, except it always bothers me that we never really know his true motivation. Is it wrong of me to assume you meant the annoying parrot from Aladdin at first before I realized who you meant? Hahaha, I feel really dumb.
In my pants, she has burst like the music of angels, the light of the sun! --Marius Pantsmercy
Updated On: 9/22/08 at 05:42 PM
