It had been a long time since I had been moved by grace. And that night, the musical taught the lesson to my heart again. How shall one live without grace? How harsh and burdensome is the yoke of the law! And how beautiful the life that is redeemed by grace!
Grace was shown to Jean Valjean not in a dramatic “Let me pardon you” way. The benevolent bishop turned the other cheek, and gave the thief his cloak after he had taken his tunic. After the police released Valjean, the bishop never learnt what his gift of freedom had done for his brother. He “bought a soul” with the silver for God!
Javert was a slave of the law. He spent his life seeking to arrest 24601, to uphold the law and put him back in chains behind the prison walls for breaking his parole. When Valjean saved his life and pardon him, Javert realized that he could not give Valjean up to the authorities. Unable cope with the dilemma that he was shown mercy by the one he had been persecuting his whole life, and that his life obsession to bring 24601 to “justice” was undone, Javert drove himself to suicide.
The law had never seemed this tragically heavy and burdensome to me. The one who lives by and under the law was enslaved and bound to a Master who brings death.
The only regret I have of the musical and story, is how so many characters revolved around Cossette and how central she was to the development of the story- but yet her character remains so ill-defined and shallow. Even her love interest Marius surprisingly had more character than her.
The themes in the story are so beautiful, deep, well-explored and skillfully woven through the many story-lines and plots. The music and lyrics are profoundly well written. The experience baptizes one in love and grace, and sends one remembering “to love another person is to see the face of God”.
I love Les Miz!
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