Les Misérables, Book 8: Cemeteries Take What Is Entrusted to Them, Chapter 5 summary
Book 8: Cemeteries Take What Is Entrusted to Them, Chapter 5 of 365 · 9 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 5, Fauchelevent accompanies the hearse to Vaugirard cemetery, confident that his arrangements with the convent and Jean Valjean are working. His confidence collapses when he discovers that Mestienne is dead and his replacement, Gribier, refuses every invitation to drink as the procession reaches the grave.
What happens
- A funeral procession approaches Vaugirard cemetery, where strict sunset rules govern entry and departure.
- Fauchelevent feels confident after Mother Crucifixion’s burial, Cosette’s departure, and Jean Valjean’s entry into the room for the dead.
- At the cemetery gate, Fauchelevent learns that Mestienne is dead and Gribier has replaced him.
- Fauchelevent repeatedly invites Gribier to drink, but Gribier refuses and insists on attending to his work.
- Gribier describes supporting seven children through gravedigging and paid letter writing while the hearse approaches the burial ground.
- The hearse stops beside an open grave, leaving Fauchelevent sweating and dismayed.
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In this chapter
What to notice
Gribier makes feeding his children his reason for refusing wine. His refusal blocks Fauchelevent’s attempt to manage him as he manages Mestienne.
Quick check
Why does Fauchelevent’s confidence collapse at the cemetery?
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