Jean Valjean (French: [ʒɑ̃ val.ʒɑ̃]) is the protagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables. The story depicts the character's struggle to lead a normal life and redeem himself after serving a 19-year-long prison sentence for stealing bread to feed his sister's starving children and attempting to escape from prison.

Jean Valjean is the protagonist of Les Misérables. The story depicts Valjean's struggle to lead a normal life after serving in prison for 19 years. He learns honesty from Bishop Myriel and promises a dying Fantine to care for her child, Cosette.

Hardened by prison and rescued by the kindness of M. Myriel, Valjean is a blank slate, molded by his encounters and circumstances. This ability to change makes him a universal symbol of hope—if he can learn love and charity after suffering so much injustice, anyone can.

Beginning in 1815 and culminating in the 1832 June Rebellion in Paris, the novel follows the lives and interactions of several characters, particularly the struggles of ex-convict Jean Valjean and his experience of redemption. [6]

The 19 years spent by Valjean in the galleys transform him from a desperate boy into a hardened criminal—revealing, according to Hugo, the social evil of the prison system. Valjean is then transformed by his encounter with the Bishop of D---.

Jean Valjean, fictional character, the fugitive protagonist of Victor Hugo’s sweeping novel Les Misérables (1862). This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper .

Valjean faces two major tests of his newfound moral courage. The first happens when Javert comes to confess to him that he (Javert) has wrongly suspected Valjean of being, well, himself. Turns out, Javert says, some other guy is actually Valjean, and he's about to …

Jean Valjean is released from prison and steals a Bishop’s silver. He determines to lead an honest life. Jean Valjean becomes the mayor of Montreuil Sur Mer after changing his name.

Jean Valjean seems like a three-dimensional character at first. But deep inside his emotions, he shows a defined viewpoint on life making him a flat character. One of the most compassionate things he did was guarding Cossette and treating her as if she were his own daughter.

Jean Valjean is the primary protagonist in Les Misérables. The story of his post-prison life is that of a man searching for grace and redemption in a cruel and unforgiving world. Valjean is introduced to the plot at a moment when he has already learned the unfairness of the world.