Javert
Sign in to saveAlso known as Inspector Javert
Javert (), no first name given in the source novel, is a fictional character and a main antagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables. He was presumably born in 1780 and died on June 7, 1832. First a prison guard, and then a police inspector, his character is defined by his legalist tendencies, authoritarian worldview, and lack of empathy for criminals of all forms. In the novel, he persecutes the protagonist Jean Valjean after his violation of parole and theft from the child Petit Gervais.
Key facts
- Character.name
- Javert
- Character.series
- Les Misérables
- Character.image
- Javert.jpg
- Character.caption
- Javert – illustration from original publication of Les Misérables, after a painting by Gustave Brion
- Character.creator
- Victor Hugo
- Character.portrayer
- Jean Toulout Charles VanelCharles LaughtonRobert NewtonAnthony PerkinsGeoffrey RushJohn MalkovichDavid OyelowoRoger AllamTerrence MannPhilip QuastEthan FreemanAnthony CrivelloNorm LewisBradley JadenRussell CroweEarl CarpenterHadley FraserJeremy SecombMichael BallRobert WestenbergChuck WagnerRobert CuccioliDavid BurtBernard BlierJordan Donica
- Character.gender
- Male
- Character.occupation
- Prison guard Police inspector Detective
- Character.religion
- Roman Catholic
- Character.nationality
- French
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Javert.jpg
Show 4 more facts
- name in native language
- Javert
- date of death
- 1832-06-07
- date of birth
- 1780-00-00
- Commons category
- Javert
via Wikidata · CC0
~12 min read
Article
11 sectionsContents
- Character
- In the novel
- Part One: Fantine
- Part Two: Cosette
- Part Three: Marius
- Part Four: St. Denis
- Adaptations
- Musical
- In popular culture
- References
- External links
Javert (), no first name given in the source novel, is a fictional character and a main antagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables. He was presumably born in 1780 and died on June 7, 1832. First a prison guard, and then a police inspector, his character is defined by his legalist tendencies, authoritarian worldview, and lack of empathy for criminals of all forms. In the novel, he persecutes the protagonist Jean Valjean after his violation of parole and theft from the child Petit Gervais.
== Character == Hugo writes that Javert is composed of two "simple" sentiments, which are "respect for authority" and "hatred of rebellion". In Javert's eyes, "murder, robbery, all crimes, are only forms of rebellion". He also "(envelops) in a blind and profound faith everyone who had a function in the state, from the prime minister to the rural policeman". Reflective thought is "an uncommon thing for him, and singularly painful" because thought inevitably contains "a certain amount of internal rebellion".