Marius Pontmercy
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| Name | Marius Pontmercy | |
| Sex | Male | |
| Age | 21 | |
| Love Interest | "Cosette" Euphrasie Fauchelevent |
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Marius Pontmercy is a principal fictional character in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables. He is a rebel student who fights at the barricades with Enjolras and the other rebels. Marius is the only one among the rebel students who does not die at the barricades.
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[edit] Novel
[edit] Marius and his Father
We first meet Marius in book three of Les Misérables where he lives with his rich grandfather, Monsieur Gillenormand. Early on, he does not very much like his father, Colonel Georges Pontmercy, because his grandfather had instilled dislike of his father in Marius all of his life. Shortly after Marius turns eighteen, Gillenormand tells him to visit his dying father. Unfortunately, Marius is too late to see his father, as he had died moments before Marius arrived. Marius discovers a note written by his father to him instructing him to help Thénardier in any way possible, the innkeeper having saved his father's life at Battle of Waterloo. While visiting church, Mabeuf (the church warden) tells Marius that his father has been coming to mass every two or three months just to watch his son. Marius develops an idol-worship of his father and Napoleon Bonaparte. After a fight between him and Gillenormand, Marius moves out, refusing help from his family.
The reason why Monsieur Gillenormand doesn't like Marius' father is that Marius' father was an anonymous colonel in Napoleon's army, and then lived in poverty, and Monsieur Gillenormand is a rich noble and a supporter of Louis Philippe. This is an image of the French restoration, and just as Victor Hugo did, Marius first follows his casual royalist convictions before finally coming to worship the ideas of the French Revolution and Bonapartism.
[edit] The Friends of the ABC
Marius meets Courfeyrac, his next-door neighbor. Courfeyrac introduces him to a society called the Friends of the ABC, a political society believing heavily in social change. After an argument with Enjolras, an anti-Bonapartist republican, Marius leaves the group. Marius descends further into poverty. Marius sees Cosette and Jean Valjean one day in the Luxembourg Gardens. He falls in love with Cosette and returns to the garden every day just to look at her, usually with his friend and Thénardier's daughter Éponine, whose unrequited love for him Marius never notices.
[edit] The Attack on the Gorbeau House
Marius takes interest in his neighbors, the Jondrettes. Peering through a crack in the wall, Marius sees Valjean and Cosette discussing with Jondrette about a donation towards him. Later, Marius overhears Jondrette talking about killing Valjean. Distressed, Marius visits Javert who gives him two pistols and instructs him to fire them when the robbery reaches its peak. When Valjean returns to Jondrette's house, Jondrette and Patron-Minette attack and bind him. Jondrette reveals that his name is Thénardier, a fact that throws Marius into distress. Thénardier is about to kill Valjean when Javert intervenes and arrests them all, except Valjean who escapes through a window.
[edit] Marius and Cosette
Still obsessed with Cosette, Marius asks Éponine to find her for him, which she does. Éponine leads Marius to Cosette's house. After spying on Cosette for a while, the two finally meet and the two lovers profess their feelings for each other. Their love blossoms after a while, but Valjean shatters that bliss when he announces that he and Cosette will leave for England in a week. Marius goes to Gillenormand to try to reconcile and to get permission to marry Cosette. However, after Gillenormand suggests that Marius make Cosette his mistress, Marius storms out of the house. Marius returns to Cosette's house, but finds that she is not there. Advised by a voice, he goes to the barricades the Friends of the ABC set up.
[edit] The Barricades
Marius drives away troops by threatening to blow up the barricade. A young boy, Éponine in disguise, saves Marius's life. As she lies dying, she asks Marius to kiss her when she dies and hands him a letter from Cosette. He fulfills his promise and then promptly reads the letter. The letter reveals Cosette's whereabouts. Marius writes her one back, saying that he will die on the barricades. He gives it to Gavroche to deliver to Cosette.
[edit] The Wedding and Afterwards
As the barricade falls, Marius is shot but Valjean saves him. Valjean descends into the sewers, carrying Marius. Thénardier holds the key to let Valjean out of the sewer. Demanding money, he gives Valjean the key but rips off a piece of Marius's jacket. Valjean takes Marius to Gillenormand's house. After six months of raging fever, Marius regains consciousness. Gillenormand gives Marius permission to marry Cosette and the two men reconcile. The wedding day is a happy one.
After the wedding, Valjean visits Marius and tells him his past. Shocked, Marius and Valjean agree that it would be best if Valjean never sees Cosette again. Marius starts to think of Valjean as a criminal. Marius slowly pushes Valjean out of Cosette's life. A few weeks later, a disguised Thénardier visits Marius attempting to blackmail Valjean. Marius sees through the disguise and asks what Thénardier wants. Thénardier tries to convince Marius that Valjean killed a man, showing Marius a piece of his coat as proof. Pulling out his bloodied coat, Marius throws a bag of money at Thénardier. Realizing that Valjean saved him at the barricades, Marius and Cosette visit him. The three make their peace as Valjean dies.
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