Marius's Role in the Novel

In the novel Les Miserable’s one of the most important and outstanding themes is definitely degradation of man by poverty. This constant struggle and battle against poverty is evident throughout the whole novel and especially in the characterization of Marius. Marius was a well-raised young man that never knew what it felt like to be truly hungry, he had received a respectable education and had lived a very easygoing life. Though Marius experienced a paradigm shift when he was suddenly forced to abandon his luxurious lifestyle for a simpler one. When Marius left his grandparents house he began a new phase in his life where he was not only forced to work but also forced to eat and live by the small amounts he earned. “There was a period in Marius life when he swept his own hall, when he bough pennyworth of Brie cheese at the market-woman’s, when he waited for nightfall to make his way to the baker’s and buy a loaf of bread, which he carried furtively to his garret, as if he had stolen it” (Hugo 181). This new lifestyle killed the old Marius and left him with no ounce of self-esteem or self-respect, Marius encountered a future without hope. I personally believe Victor Hugo portrayed Marius lifestyle change so drastically to emphasize the importance of the theme, degradation of man by poverty in his novel. Even though as the climax in the novel progresses Marius economical and emotional situation does as well, Victor Hugo made a clear point by demonstrating how when a man experiences an economical situation so poor for a moment he has no hope and strength left to overcome his problems.