Who Fantine is
Fantine is a young woman in Paris whose wealthy lover, Tholomyès, abandons her with their baby daughter. Without money or protection, she must find a way to support herself and Cosette.
What Fantine wants
Fantine wants to provide for Cosette, even when doing so costs her more than she can afford. She leaves her daughter with the Thénardiers, believing that the innkeeper and his wife care for children. They demand increasing payments and invent expenses while treating Cosette as a servant.
How Fantine changes
Work in Madeleine's factory gives Fantine a brief measure of security, but gossip about her unmarried motherhood puts that at risk. The workshop supervisor dismisses her without the mayor's knowledge, leaving her without wages while the demands for money continue. She sells her hair, then two front teeth, and turns to selling her body to keep providing for Cosette.
Fantine and the others in the story
When Fantine strikes a man who insults her in the street, Javert arrests her and prepares to send her to jail. Madeleine intervenes and overrules him, bringing her need for help into conflict with Javert's rigid understanding of the law.
Questions
Who is Fantine's daughter?
Cosette is Fantine's daughter, whom she leaves with the Thénardiers while seeking work.
Why does Fantine lose her job?
The workshop supervisor dismisses Fantine after other workers discover she has a child without a husband. Madeleine does not know about the dismissal.
What does Fantine represent?
Fantine shows how poverty and social judgment can strip a person of security. Her sacrifices for Cosette reveal the care behind choices that others condemn.