Women in Pieces

Mahatma Gandhi, a Hindu peacemaker, once stated, "To deprive a man of his natural liberty and to deny to him the ordinary amenities of life is worse than starving the body; it is starvation of the soul, the dweller of the body." Being "starved" does not only mean physically not eating, but it also means a count for being deprived from what is needed to continue in a healthy lifestyle. In the preface of Victor Hugo's novel, Les Misérables, he explains that as long as "social asphyxia", and the three great problem of the age remain on Earth, his book is useful. Understanding the existing condition of the ruin of women through starvation is useful because it helps one see the world more cautiously and be sure not to fall into society’s trap. Fantine was destroyed when she was fired and could no longer support herself. The female Thénardiers are broken when they lose Cosette and have no one to do work for them. Equally as important, Cosette is spoiled when she is treated like a slave by the Thénardiers.

Fantine’s unemployment leads to the ruin of her pride, physical being and mental state. Fantine has no choice but to have the Thénardier’s watch over her daughter, Cosette, while she goes to find work in Montfermeil. Fantine’s coworkers soon find out she has a daughter that she has been hiding and gets fired, leaving her with barely any money to send to the Thénardier’s for taking care of Cosette. In order to obtain money, Fantine looks towards desperate actions resulting in an even steeper decline. After losing her job, the text declares, “At first, Fantine was so much ashamed that she did not dare to go out” (62). By starving Fantine of her job and money, she falls deeper in her decline resulting in a decrease in confidence be...

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... older than she actually is. Similar, Eponine emotionally gets broken when she is without Marius’ love, the written work expresses, “She seemed thoughtful and did not look at him. She had lost the assurance which she has had in the morning. She did not come in, but stopped in the dusky hall” (299). Eponine’s actions reflect the feeling of being uncomfortable. Prior to this scene, Marius had just spoken boldly to Eponine, and she did not like Marius acting in that manner towards her because she cares about him and she wishes for him to act gently towards her. By Marius not showing any gentleness towards Eponine she grows uncomfortable and somewhat awkward. If society had been more aware of the Thénardiers stealing from Fantine then they would have gone to jail which would have been more enjoyable than living in poverty and having to deal with the lifestyle they chose.