Les Misérables, Book 3: The Grandfather and the Grandson, Chapter 4 summary
Book 3: The Grandfather and the Grandson, Chapter 4 of 365 · 5 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 4, Marius travels to Vernon at his grandfather’s instruction but finds his father, M. Pontmercy, already dead, leaving their estrangement unresolved. He keeps a paper requesting that he bear his father’s title and help Thénardier, yet returns to his studies with little grief or lasting thought of his father.
What happens
- M. Gillenormand tells seventeen-year-old Marius that his father is ill and asks him to travel to Vernon the next morning.
- Marius arrives at dusk and learns that his father dies just before his arrival, while trying to meet him.
- The doctor, priest, and servant grieve deeply, while Marius feels distant, ashamed, and awkward.
- A handwritten paper asks Marius to bear his father’s title and assist Thénardier, whom his father credits with saving his life.
- After the burial, Marius returns to Paris and his law studies, wearing mourning but scarcely thinking about his father.
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In this chapter
What to notice
The parallel sentences make the missed meeting final. Neither medical help nor the son’s presence reaches the colonel before death.
Quick check
What does the colonel’s paper ask Marius to do for Thénardier?
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