Les Misérables, Book 2: The Great Bourgeois, Chapter 2 summary
Book 2: The Great Bourgeois, Chapter 2 of 365 · 2 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 2, M. Gillenormand’s spacious Paris home, rich furnishings, and old-fashioned clothing establish a portrait of his tastes and habits rather than advance an action. The account also describes his marriages, his changeable warmth, and his contempt for the French Revolution, linking his personal manner with his surroundings.
What happens
- M. Gillenormand owns a house in the Marais and occupies a large apartment overlooking both street and garden.
- Tapestries, a lacquer screen, and heavy curtains fill his rooms, while stairs give him direct access to the garden.
- He especially values a decorated boudoir inherited from his maternal great-aunt.
- The narrator describes his two marriages, contrasting his difficult conduct as a husband with his charm as a lover.
- His interest in painting, Directory-style clothes, and forceful dismissal of the French Revolution complete the portrait.
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What to notice
M. Gillenormand’s blunt judgment makes his political hostility explicit. Its confident tone also matches the account of his forceful personal manner.
Quick check
Whose clothing style does M. Gillenormand follow?
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