Les Misérables, Book 5: The Descent, Chapter 12 summary
Book 5: The Descent, Chapter 12 of 365 · 4 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 12, M. Bamatabois torments Fantine outside a café and pushes snow down her bare back, provoking her to attack him before a laughing crowd. Javert seizes her, turning her rage into terror, while the man who starts the violence takes the chance to escape.
What happens
- The narrator describes provincial idlers, their pretensions, their fashions, and the political meanings attached to different hats.
- On a snowy January evening, M. Bamatabois repeatedly insults a woman walking outside the officers’ café.
- When she ignores him, he creeps behind her and pushes snow down her bare back.
- The woman, revealed as Fantine, attacks him with her nails, fists, and feet as an amused crowd gathers.
- Javert seizes Fantine, who falls silent and trembles with fear, while M. Bamatabois escapes.
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In this chapter
What to notice
The closing sentence contrasts Bamatabois’s freedom with Fantine’s seizure by Javert. His role in provoking the fight brings him no immediate restraint.
Quick check
What causes Fantine to attack M. Bamatabois?
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