Day 19 of 25 Days of Les Misérables: Bring Him Home

The world inhales as it prepares for a battle. A bunch of rich boys have taken up arms for the working class. Marius is one of them. Torn between his desire to be with Cosette and his commitment to the cause of his brothers at arms, he struggles with a decision.

            He decides to stick with his original plan and writes a letter to Cosette to tell her goodbye. The letter is intercepted by Valjean. He immediately dons a disguise in order to make his way to the barricade where Marius is fighting.

            In the book, Valjean contemplates killing Marius. From what we’ve seen of Valjean, we know he’s capable of this action.  But his love for Cosette keeps him from it. He has one mission when he reaches the barricade. That mission is to see that Marius leaves the battlefield alive.

            Lets talk about a different kind of love at first sight. That love is the love of a parent for a child. Valjean loved Cosette the moment he met her, though she had done nothing to gain that love other than simply existing. He loves her as a daughter and because of her will risk his own life to save the life of a man she loves.

            Then something unexpected happens for Valjean. He loves Marius, too. At first he loves him for Cosette’s sake. Then he loves him for his own sake. He prays the most beautiful prayer over Marius the morning of the second and final battle.

            “Bring Him Home” is probably the most famous song from Les Miz. It displays Valjean’s willingness to sacrifice himself for his children (Cosette and Marius). He asks God to let Marius live and instead take Valjean home to be with God.