Les Misérables, Book 2: The Ship Orion, Chapter 1 summary
Book 2: The Ship Orion, Chapter 1 of 365 · 5 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 1, Jean Valjean is recaptured, condemned to death, and sent to Toulon for lifelong hard labor after the king commutes his sentence. Newspaper accounts describe his concealed fortune and prosecution, while the narrator shows how removing M. Madeleine destroys the town’s businesses, employment, and prosperity.
What happens
- Two newspaper reports identify M. Madeleine as Jean Valjean and describe money he withdraws before his return to prison.
- The second report places his recapture in Paris as he boards transport toward Montfermeil.
- It reports his conviction for violent highway robbery, his death sentence, and the king’s substitution of lifelong hard labor.
- At Toulon, Jean Valjean receives the prison number 9,430.
- Without Madeleine, rival employers divide his enterprise, production deteriorates, wages fall, and workers lose their livelihoods.
- In February 1827, M. de Villèle notes that local tax collection costs have doubled.
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In this chapter
What to notice
The sentence identifies the people most exposed to the industrial collapse. Valjean’s punishment affects not only him but also those whose livelihoods depend on his enterprise.
Quick check
What punishment replaces Jean Valjean’s death sentence?
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