Les Misérables, Book 3: Mud, but the Soul, Chapter 6 summary
Book 3: Mud, but the Soul, Chapter 6 of 365 · 4 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 6, Jean Valjean carries the dying Marius into a flooded collapse in the sewer, where their combined weight pulls him dangerously deep into the mire. A surviving section of pavement gives him a foothold and a way across, and he pauses on his knees to address God before continuing.
What happens
- Rain causes the sewer pavement to collapse into the sand beneath it, creating a flooded pit in Jean Valjean’s path.
- Unable to retreat, Jean Valjean enters the mire with Marius and sinks deeper as he advances.
- He holds Marius above the water until only his own head and raised arms remain above it.
- A desperate step reaches solid pavement, and Jean Valjean climbs its submerged slope to safety.
- He falls to his knees, addresses God, and rises chilled and filthy but inwardly filled with light.
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What gives Jean Valjean a way out of the mire?
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