Revolutionary love in Les misérables

Enjolras’s speech and Grantaire’s transformation

Abstract

In Victor Hugo’s “Les Misérables” (1862), the character Enjolras assumes the role of an insurgent leader catalyzing a political and historical transformation within his community. His unwavering dedication to the republican cause finds expression in a speech envisioning a future where love will reign. In his final speech delivered at the barricades, just prior to his death while battling the royal guard, the revolutionary exalts love and establishes it as the bedrock of the utopia guiding his actions throughout the novel and mediating his relationships with fellow republican insurgents. Within the narrative, the devotion and selfsacrifice for the revolutionary cause serve as allegorical representations of charity, specifically agape—the benevolent form of love. The Republic, personified as a nurturing mother, and the Homeland, depicted as a lover, symbolize maternal and romantic love. On the other hand, Grantaire, the libertine gambler and habitual drinker, openly derides revolutionary ideals, embodying a stance of skepticism that stands in contrast to the utopian vision. Nevertheless, his affection for Enjolras drives him to undergo a transformation, ultimately embracing his friend’s cause and choosing to die alongside him.