Quote by Victor Hugo, Les Miserables (Vol
What are the convulsions of a city in comparison with the insurrections of the soul? Man is a depth still greater than the people. Jean Valjean at that very moment was the prey of a terrible upheaval. Every sort of gulf had opened again within him. He also was trembling, like Paris, on the brink of an obscure and formidable revolution. A few hours had sufficed to bring this about. His destiny and his conscience had suddenly been covered with gloom. Of him also, as well as of Paris, it might have been said: Two principles are face to face. The white angel and the black angel are about to seize each other on the bridge of the abyss. Which of the two will hurl the other over? Who will carry the day?
Summary
This quote from Victor Hugo's Les Misérables highlights the contrast between external events occurring in a city and the internal struggle within an individual's soul. The protagonist, Jean Valjean, experiences a personal turmoil that parallels the convulsions of an uprising happening in Paris. Hugo suggests that individual battles of conscience and morality can be as significant and profound as larger social upheaval. Valjean's fate is portrayed as uncertain, poised between light and darkness, just like the city itself. The quote asks who will triumph in this inner conflict and reflects on the universal struggle between good and evil.
Topics
Decisions
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