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Volume 3, Book 2: The Great Bourgeois
Explanation and Analysis—Gillenormand in a Rage:
For the most part, Marius was raised by his grandfather Monsieur Gillenormand, a tempered man and a staunch royalist. With imagery, the novel illustrates Gillenormand's begrudged character while also presenting him as a foil:
He was over ninety years of age, his walk was erect, he talked loudly, saw clearly, drank neat, ate, slept, and snored. He had all thirty-two of his teeth. He only wore spectacles when he read. He was of an amorous disposition, but declared that, for the last ten years, he had wholly and decidedly renounced women […] He was superficial, rapid, easily angered. He flew into a passion at everything, generally quite contrary to all reason. When contradicted, he raised his cane; he beat people as he had done in the great century. He had a daughter over fifty years of age, and unmarried, whom he chastised severely with his tongue, when in a rage, and whom he would have liked to whip.
Gillenormand is not painted as a likeable character in Les Misérables, particularly through this lurid description. Though Gillenormand is physically in good shape and seems to have his wits about him, he possesses a major flaw. His temper should not and cannot be overlooked, something Marius soon learns when Gillenormand evicts him from the house over a heated political argument.
There are also parallels here between Monsieur Gillenormand and Madame Thenardier, both of whom are guardians with tempers and tendencies to resort to violence. To create a foil, Fantine and Jean Valjean are people who have erred and sinned in the eyes of society but continue to be guardians with good hearts. Gillenormand, on the other hand, may have a good heart but does not always use it aptly. However, unlike Madame and Monsieur Thenardier, Gillenormand's love for his child prevails in the end, when he takes the injured Marius back into his life and blesses the marriage with Cosette.
Related Themes:
