Les Miserables is a spiritual, adventure story of love working in the lives of stunning characters. For a Christian it's impossible not to notice the Biblical narrative of this story. I see a story pointing out the agape love found only in Jesus Christ and how that manifests itself in the world we live in.
Facets of Love and the characters
Gracious Love (Valjean)
Jealous Love (Factory women)
Sacrificial love (Fantine)
Innocent Love (Cosette)
Self-Centered Love (Thenardiers)
Unrequited Love (Eponine)
Brotherly Love (Marius)
Good summary of Les Miserables the movie can be found here
http://www.stuartfernie.com/mis.html
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1707386/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1707386/faq?ref_=tt_faq_2#.2.1.3
Other biblical study tools
https://www.openbible.info/topics/acts_of_kindness
http://biblereasons.com/reasons-why-the-world-hates-christians/
Facets of Love and the characters
Gracious Love (Valjean)
- Main character is hardened by life but a simple act of grace (unwarranted kindness) changes his life as he turns to God and becomes a new honest man
- He shows Redemptive Love for Cosette, buying her from the Thenardiers for a sum of 1,500 franc (3 years pay)
- He spends his life doing good and sacrificing much for the good of others ( 1 John 4:8)
- He loves to be right and punishes those he sees as wrong
- Matthew 23:15,23 Jesus explains how trying to correct someone by the law will only make them twice the son of hell as they are, that while they are trying to live for the law they "have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness."
- Jesus came to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17) and summarized the law as "love God, love people" (Luke 10:27)
- He sees the scared, hungry and homeless man Valjean and gives him food and shelter
- Valjean steals from him, yet when he is returned by the police he gives him not only freedom but riches
- This is like Titus 3:3-8; We too were once foolish, deceived and enslaved by passions but God saved us as the scripture says, "when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. "
- The Bible has lots to say about acts of kindness
Jealous Love (Factory women)
- Fantine was exceptionally beautiful (teeth and hair later sold)
- Also she was "righteous", they see Fantine is single and "righteously" won't accept the foreman's advances - yet finding out she's had a child out of wedlock make it a priority to get her fired
- Genesis 37:11 tells of Josephs brothers being jealous of him
Sacrificial love (Fantine)
- Worked so Cosette would have shelter, sold her teeth, hair and finally her body to pay for her child (John 15:13)
Innocent Love (Cosette)
- A child out of wedlock, born into this hard sin-stained world (Psalm 139:13-16)
Self-Centered Love (Thenardiers)
- Stealing from and lying to everyone while living a life of mutual betrayal and disgust (Romans 1:28-32)
Unrequited Love (Eponine)
- Loving Marius or at least the fantasy of being swept away by a wealthy, good man
- Yet she was willing to give her life for his
Brotherly Love (Marius)
- Marius sees people suffering and wants to help even though he himself is not suffering (Romans 12:10)
Love at first sight (Marius and Cosette)
- Marius sees Cosette and immediately knows he loves her (Issaac and Rebekah, Genesis 24)
- Leader of the people who were oppressed and dying under the powers that be (Prophets Love, Deuteronomy 18:15,18; Isaiah 40:3, John 3:27-30)
Good summary of Les Miserables the movie can be found here
http://www.stuartfernie.com/mis.html
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1707386/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1707386/faq?ref_=tt_faq_2#.2.1.3
Other biblical study tools
https://www.openbible.info/topics/acts_of_kindness
http://biblereasons.com/reasons-why-the-world-hates-christians/