Ali Cepon
Ms.Molyneaux
H. English, Per.B
May 8, 2015
Luxembourg Changes Cosette
In Hugo’s
Les Misérables we get to see Cosette turn from a young hopeless little girl
into a beautiful young lady. There is one particular place where this change
occurs, “Luxembourg” (267). Cosette is a young girl who only loves one, her
father. While making her and Jean
Valjean’s daily walks in Luxembourg something hits her, something that brings
her into womanhood, love. Her eyes that “were of deep celestial blue” meet with
a man named Marius (191). One day Cosette and her father walk to their usual
place in Luxembourg, but this time after sitting on their usual bench they
decide to take a little walk to the fountain. Cosette “had taken the arm of”
her “father, and they were coming slowly towards the middle of the walk where
Marius was” (196). When she passes Marius she says five simple words, “It is I
who come,” and from that moment on they were “desperately in love” (196-97).
This is really a key place for Cosette. This is when she begins to have
feelings for someone other then her father. Soon after this she looks into the
Toussaint’s mirror and realizes that “she was beautiful and handsome, [and at
this moment] the consciousness of her beauty came to her entire” (250). All of
the events that occur after Cosette meets Marius in “Luxembourg” change her
into a young lady (253). She gets her first crush, she realizes that she is
beautiful, and she reunites with the one she adores. Cosette has changed from a
young girl who likes to play in the garden to a young lady who makes eye
contact with her love in “Luxembourg, near the Gladiator” (267).
I really like how you are talking about Cosette’s change. This change into a woman comes when she learns to love other people. In Luxembourg, she finds Marius and this changes her because she grows into a young lady. Cosette finally realizes that she is beautiful and others admire her for her inner and outer beauty. Also, this place is important because the change in Cosette also affects the people around her. Jean Valjean, for example, changes because the daughter he loves and wants to protect is growing away from the protective bubble he placed around her.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the fact that Luxemburg has changed Cosette because she has gained confidendece and accepted herself as a young woman. When she finally realizes she is pretty, Cosette sees herself as a lady rather than a child. This allows her to be open to looking for another man, which happens to be Marius. She has only ever loved one man, Jean Valjean, her father. This step of gaining an admirer shows how she is maturing. Her transformation also impacts Jean Valjean. He becomes even more protective because he doesn't want to lose Cosette. Cosette's transformation allows her to see the world in a new way.
ReplyDelete