Les Misérables, Book 2: The Great Bourgeois, Chapter 1 summary
Book 2: The Great Bourgeois, Chapter 1 of 365 · 3 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 1, the narrator introduces M. Gillenormand, a man over ninety whose strong health, pride, and habits mark him as a survivor of another age. His treatment of his household and his remarks about women and civilization establish his temper, vanity, and outlook.
What happens
- Old residents of several streets remember M. Gillenormand fondly.
- The narrator presents him in 1831 as a vigorous bourgeois over ninety who retains all his teeth.
- Gillenormand blames his withdrawal from women on insufficient money and dreams of wealth to spend on mistresses.
- He strikes people who contradict him, scolds his unmarried daughter, and hits his servants.
- He trusts a jealous barber to shave him and boasts about his own insight.
- His sayings compare civilized behavior with animal violence and the consumption of men.
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Quick check
Why does Gillenormand say he no longer attracts women?
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