Who Cosette is
Cosette is a child whose early life shows how poverty leaves people open to cruelty. Her mother, Fantine, leaves her with the Thénardiers while she looks for work to support them both. The couple seem kind, but they make Cosette work and keep demanding more money from Fantine.
How Cosette changes
When Valjean finds Cosette, she is about eight years old and wears rags. She must fetch water at night from a spring in the dark woods, carrying a bucket almost her own size. He carries the bucket for her, buys her a doll, and pays the Thénardiers to let her leave.
With Valjean, Cosette begins a different life, receiving the affection denied to her at the inn. After a tense escape from Javert in Paris, they find shelter in a convent, where she attends school.
Cosette and the others in the story
Valjean becomes a father to Cosette, and caring for her gives him someone to love. As a young woman, she meets Marius Pontmercy, and their affection grows through shy glances and notes. Their growing love sits alongside Valjean's renewed fears for her safety.
Otázky
Who is Cosette's mother?
Cosette's mother is Fantine, a poor young woman who struggles to provide for her daughter.
Is Cosette Jean Valjean's daughter?
Cosette is his ward, not his daughter by birth. He takes her into his care and treats her as his own child.
Who does Cosette fall in love with?
Cosette falls in love with Marius Pontmercy, a young idealist who notices her in the Luxembourg Gardens.
