LES MIS PART I SUMMARY

    The first book of Les Misérables follows the account of Monseigneur Bienvenu or more commonly referred to as the Bishop of Digne. Book 1 showcases many life-defining moments in Bishop Myriel's time including his time spent with man convicted to death, a visit to dying man who was a former member of the Convention, and what he has done for his community.

    One of the first defining moments in the Bishop's job is when he volunteers to spend time with a man convicted to death. Nobody else wanted to accompany this man in his last moments of life so the bishop went and spent the entire day with the convicted man, praying for the man and to God. The following day the man was executed and the Bishop of Digne was left to contemplate the idea of execution. I believe that at the end of this chapter the bishop comes to the conclusion that people have no right to decide whether man lives or not. 

    The second account that stands out in the book is when the bishop pays another visit to a dying man, one who happened to be a part of the group that led to his wife's death. This man has not been convicted of anything, but through the bishop's eyes, along with many others, this man was the big bad. However, this does not stop the bishop from paying the man a visit and they have a conversation about the French Revolution. At the end of this passionate conversation M. Myriel gains respect for the man and asks for his blessing just as he dies. This moment strengthened his desire to help the poor.

    Over the course of all this he has also helped his community in many instances. There was a time when the hospital of Digne was crammed due to an epidemic that had erupted. Seeing as he had a palace that was way bigger than the hospital, the bishop gave it to the hospital and took a smaller home. He also frequented visits to many remote villages that were not visited enough because of the difficulty of reaching them. The bishop also accepted refugees in his home, which he never locked despite the danger of bandits.

    This first book served to build the character of the bishop and was quite detailed. Many difficult events were displayed to the reader and all with the same goal in mind, to make the reader feel like they were there.