Les Misérables, Book 2: The Ship Orion, Chapter 3 summary
Book 2: The Ship Orion, Chapter 3 of 365 · 12 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 3, Jean Valjean breaks his ankle chain and saves a sailor hanging from the Orion’s rigging, but falls into the harbor while returning to his detachment. His body remains missing, and a newspaper reports his drowning, identifying the rescuer by name and prison number.
What happens
- The damaged Orion reaches Toulon, and the narrator condemns ceremonial military spending and France’s campaign against Spanish liberty.
- The narrator describes warships’ immense strength and vulnerability before explaining the damage that brings the Orion into port.
- A sailor falls from a yard and hangs from a swinging footrope, while his frightened crewmates hesitate.
- An elderly convict obtains permission, breaks his ankle chain, climbs into the rigging, and carries the sailor to safety.
- The crowd demands a pardon, but the convict falls into the sea while descending, and searchers find no body.
- The next day’s newspaper declares the convict drowned and identifies him as Jean Valjean, number 9,430.
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In this chapter
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What does the newspaper report about Jean Valjean’s body?
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