Gavroche () is a fictional character in the 1862 novel ''
Les Misérables
''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century.
In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...
'' by
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...
. He is a boy who lives on the streets of Paris. His name has become a synonym for an urchin or
street child
Street children are poor or homeless children who live on the streets of a city, town, or village. Homeless youth are often called street kids or street child; the definition of street children is contested, but many practitioners and polic ...
. Gavroche plays a short yet significant role in the many
adaptations of ''Les Misérables'', sharing the
populist
Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...
ideology of the
Friends of the ABC
The Friends of the ABC (french: Les Amis de l'ABC) is a fictional association of revolutionary French republican students featured in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. In French, the name of the society is a pun, in which '' abaissé ...
and joining the revolutionaries in the
June 1832 rebellion. He figures in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th parts of the novel.
In the novel
![Victor hugo gavroche a 11 ans](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Victor_hugo_gavroche_a_11_ans.jpg)
Gavroche is the eldest son of
Monsieur and Madame Thénardier. He has two older sisters,
Éponine
Éponine Thénardier (; ), also referred to as the "Jondrette girl", is a fictional character in the 1862 novel ''Les Misérables'' by Victor Hugo.
The character is introduced as a spoiled and pampered child, but appears later in the novel as a r ...
and
Azelma, and
two unnamed younger brothers. Hugo never provides his given name but says Gavroche has chosen his own name. His parents show him no affection and send him to live in the street, where he is better off than at home.
![MLAupperBarakkaGarden](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/MLAupperBarakkaGarden.JPG)
The Thénardiers sell (or lend) their two youngest sons to a woman named
Magnon
A magnon is a quasiparticle, a collective excitation of the electrons' spin structure in a crystal lattice. In the equivalent wave picture of quantum mechanics, a magnon can be viewed as a quantized spin wave. Magnons carry a fixed amount of e ...
.
Due to a freak accident, the two boys are separated from Magnon without identification, and encounter Gavroche purely by chance. They are unaware of their identities, but Gavroche invites them to live with him and takes care of them. They reside in the hollow cavity of a giant elephant
statue
A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...
, the
Elephant of the Bastille
The Elephant of the Bastille was a monument in Paris which existed between 1813 and 1846. Originally conceived in 1808 by Napoléon I, the colossal statue was intended to be created out of bronze and placed in the Place de la Bastille, but only ...
conceived by
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
as a fountain, but abandoned unfinished. This was no imaginary construction; located at the
Place de la Bastille
The Place de la Bastille is a square in Paris where the Bastille prison once stood, until the storming of the Bastille and its subsequent physical destruction between 14 July 1789 and 14 July 1790 during the French Revolution. No vestige of the ...
, it had been designed by
Jean-Antoine Alavoine
Jean-Antoine Alavoine (4 January 1778 – 15 November 1834) was a French architect best known for his column in the Place de la Bastille, Paris (1831–1840), the July Column to memorialize those fallen in the Revolution of 1830. The column, cons ...
. The two boys soon leave him the next morning. They are last seen at the
Luxembourg Garden
The Jardin du Luxembourg (), known in English as the Luxembourg Garden, colloquially referred to as the Jardin du Sénat (Senate Garden), is located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France. Creation of the garden began in 1612 when Marie de' ...
retrieving and eating discarded bread from a fountain. It is unknown what has happened to the two after that.
At dawn, Gavroche helps his father,
Patron-Minette
Patron-Minette was the name given to a street gang in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables'' and the musical of the same name. The gang consisted of four criminals: Montparnasse, Claquesous, Babet, and Gueulemer. They were well acquainted ...
and
Brujon escape from prison due to the request of
Montparnasse
Montparnasse () is an area in the south of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail. Montparnasse has bee ...
.
During the
student uprising of June 5–6, 1832, Gavroche joins the revolutionaries at the barricade. After an exchange of gunfire with the National Guards, Gavroche overhears
Enjolras
Enjolras () is a fictional character who acts as the charismatic leader of the Friends of the ABC in the 1862 novel ''Les Misérables'' by Victor Hugo. In both the novel and the musical that it inspired, Enjolras is a revolutionary who fights fo ...
remark that they are running out of cartridges. He decides he can help. He goes through an opening in the barricade and collects the cartridges from the dead bodies of the National Guard. In the process of collecting the cartridges and singing a song, he is shot and killed.
Inspiration and character
![Boy from liberty leading the people](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Boy_from_liberty_leading_the_people.png)
The character of Gavroche may have been inspired by a figure in
Eugène Delacroix
Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix ( , ; 26 April 1798 – 13 August 1863) was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school.Noon, Patrick, et al., ''Crossing the Channel: Britis ...
's painting ''
Liberty Leading the People
''Liberty Leading the People'' (french: La Liberté guidant le peuple ) is a painting by Eugène Delacroix commemorating the July Revolution of 1830, which toppled King Charles X. A woman of the people with a Phrygian cap personifying the conc ...
'', which depicts the successful 1830
July Revolution
The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution (french: révolution de Juillet), Second French Revolution, or ("Three Glorious ays), was a second French Revolution after the first in 1789. It led to the overthrow of King ...
, two years before the events described in the novel. The painting depicts revolutionaries advancing from a barricade over the bodies of government troops. A young boy waving pistols leads the way, beside the figure of Liberty herself carrying the ''
tricolore''. The boy carries a cartridge box over his shoulder. The painting, commissioned by the new government, was taken down in 1832 after the
June Rebellion
The June Rebellion, or the Paris Uprising of 1832 (french: Insurrection républicaine à Paris en juin 1832), was an anti-monarchist insurrection of Parisian republicans on 5 and 6 June 1832.
The rebellion originated in an attempt by republ ...
described in the novel because of its revolutionary message. Champfleury wrote in August 1848 that it had been "hidden in an attic for being too revolutionary". According to Albert Boime, "after the uprising at the funeral of Lamarque in June 1832 it was never again openly displayed for fear of setting a bad example".
Gavroche's death can also remind of the death of
Joseph Agricol Viala, a child hero of the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
. Like Gavroche, he was killed while adventuring himself on open terrain between two fighting forces in order to accomplish a non-hostile yet essential action for his faction.
Mario Vargas Llosa
Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquess of Vargas Llosa (born 28 March 1936), more commonly known as Mario Vargas Llosa (, ), is a Peruvian novelist, journalist, essayist and former politician, who also holds Spanish citizenship. Vargas Ll ...
calls Gavroche "one of the most appealing and tender characters in fiction", who, despite his relatively small role in the novel, "brings a breath of happiness and humanity a love of life, wit, goodness, and courage in the face of adversity. His purity of spirit is strengthened rather than diminished by poverty, homelessness, and injustice." Where other characters are hardened by experience, Gavroche lives by his wits and shows kindness to everyone he encounters. In his view, as Javert embodies rigor and order, Gavroche represents the unruly, eccentric, and imaginative.
Victor Brombert sees Gavroche as the embodiment of Hugo's themes of "the political implications of popular speech and popular laughter. The people of Paris are like this irrepressible child, with a "grim love of freedom and courage" but still in need of education and political formation."
John Frey says that Gavroche possesses "a Gallic spirit (l'esprit gaulois), unknown to the more serious child outcasts found in the novels of Charles Dickens, little Joe, for example, in ''Bleak House''". In other words, Gavroche is cheerful and resourceful rather than a victim. According to Frey, because of his basic honesty and "good will" he would never be suspected of being a member of the Thénardier clan, and unlike the only other positive Thénardier, Éponine, he is not compromised by continuing to act as a member of the family. Notably however, the creators of the 1980 musical adaptation were inspired to think of Gavroche, and ultimately to create the musical, when watching a London production of ''
Oliver!
''Oliver!'' is a coming-of-age stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens.
It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before op ...
'' after Dickens' similar character of
The Artful Dodger
Jack Dawkins, better known as the Artful Dodger, is a character in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist''. The Dodger is a pickpocket, so called for his skill and cunning in that occupation. He is the leader of the gang of child criminals ...
appeared on stage.
The words of the song sung by Gavroche before his death are a parody of conservative views about the French Revolution: blaming all alleged modern social and moral ills on the influence of
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his ...
and
Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...
. Gavroche sings "Joie est mon caractère / C'est la faute à Voltaire / Misère est mon trousseau / C'est la faute à Rousseau." (I have a cheerful character / It's Voltaire's fault / Misery is my bridal gown / It's Rousseau's fault).
Argot
Argot
A cant is the jargon or language of a group, often employed to exclude or mislead people outside the group.McArthur, T. (ed.) ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (1992) Oxford University Press It may also be called a cryptolect, argot ...
is the slang used by thieves, criminals, and others who live in the streets. Victor Hugo was one of the first to note the slang and write it down. He uses the character of Gavroche to introduce the concept of argot to the reader. Hugo devotes a lengthy chapter to importance of argot to the evolution of language in order to defend the extensive use he makes of it.
Adaptations
![MV07](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/MV07.jpg)
Since the original publication of ''Les Misérables'' in 1862, the character of Gavroche has been in a large number of adaptations in numerous types of media based on the novel, including
books
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical ar ...
,
films
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
,
musicals
Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...
,
plays
Play most commonly refers to:
* Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment
* Play (theatre), a work of drama
Play may refer also to:
Computers and technology
* Google Play, a digital content service
* Play Framework, a Java framework
* P ...
, and
games
A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such ...
.
In the musical
French songwriter
Alain Boublil
Alain Boublil (born 5 March 1941) is a French musical theatre lyricist and librettist, best known for his collaborations with the composer Claude-Michel Schönberg for musicals on Broadway and London's West End. These include ''La Révolution ...
had the idea to adapt Victor Hugo's novel into a musical while at a performance of the musical ''
Oliver!
''Oliver!'' is a coming-of-age stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens.
It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before op ...
'' in London:
Cultural references
*In French, the word ''Gavroche'' has come to mean "
street urchin
Street children are poor or homeless children who live on the streets of a city, town, or village. Homeless youth are often called street kids or street child; the definition of street children is contested, but many practitioners and policym ...
" and "mischievous child".
* There is an organization that aids the homeless in
Varna, Bulgaria
Varna ( bg, Варна, ) is the third-largest List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, city in Bulgaria and the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and in the Northern Bulgaria region. Situated strategically in the ...
, named the Gavroche Association.
* There is a French-language magazine about
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
named ''Gavroche''.
* Bulgarian poet
Hristo Smirnenski
Hristo Dimitrov Izmirliev ( bg, Христо Димитров Измирлиев), known as Hristo Smirnenski, (September 17, 1898, OS – June 18, 1923) was a Bulgarian poet and prose writer who joined the Bulgarian Communist Party and whose w ...
wrote a poem calle
''The Brothers of Gavroche''
*
Nobby Nobbs
{{Unreferenced, date=December 2009
Nobby is the diminutive form of the name Norbert. It is also a nickname most commonly used in English for those with the surname Clark or Clarke.
Origins as a nickname
A number of possible explanations exist f ...
takes the place of Gavroche in
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his ''Discworld'' series of 41 novels.
Pratchett's first nov ...
's ''
Discworld
''Discworld'' is a comic fantasy"Humorous Fantasy" in David Pringle, ed., ''The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' (pp.31-33). London, Carlton,2006. book series written by the English author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat pla ...
'' novel
''Night Watch'', which is loosely based on ''Les Misérables''.
* In the French graphic novel series ''Aspic, Détectives de l'Étrange'', Gavroche, having survived the barricades thanks to the mystical watch his father stole at Waterloo, reappears as Hugo Beyle. He teams up with others to fight Moriarty who is helped by the ghost of Javert.
* The French brewery St. Sylvestre has a beer named "Gavroche" in honour of the character.
* There are several restaurants that use the name, including Michelin two-star restaurant
Le Gavroche
Le Gavroche (''The Urchin'') is a restaurant at 43 Upper Brook Street in Mayfair, London. It was opened in 1967 by Michel and Albert Roux at 61 Lower Sloane Street, its premises until 1981. Albert's son Michel Roux Jr is the current chef pat ...
opened in 1967 by
Albert Roux
Albert Henri Roux (8 October 1935 – 4 January 2021) was a French-British restaurateur and chef. He and his brother Michel operated Le Gavroche in London's Mayfair, the first restaurant in the UK to gain three Michelin stars. He helped trai ...
and
Michel Roux
Michel Roux, OBE (; 19 April 1941 – 11 March 2020), also known as Michel Roux Snr., was a French chef and restaurateur working in Britain. Along with his brother Albert, he opened Le Gavroche, later to become the first three Michelin starr ...
, now owned by
Michel Roux Jr.
Michel Albert Roux (born 23 May 1960) previously known as Michel Roux Jr., is an English-French two Michelin starred chef. He owns the London restaurant ''Le Gavroche.''
Early life
Roux was born at Pembury maternity hospital in Kent, whilst h ...
, took its name from this character.
* The
MediaGoblin
GNU MediaGoblin (also shortened to MediaGoblin or GMG) is a free, decentralized Web platform (server software) for hosting and sharing many forms of digital media. It strives to provide an extensible, federated, and freedom-respectful softwa ...
media-publishing platform has a mascot named "Gavroche".
* Neo-pop artist Teodoru Badiu created the whimsical “Gavroche”, the focal character of the popular Skulltoons NFT project, inspired by Victor Hugo’s work.
* The musical ''Gavroche'' is a retelling of the ''Les Miserables'' from the point of view of the young characters, mainly Gavroche and his siblings. The book, music, and lyrics for Gavroche are by Bonnie Gleicher, based on John Hoover's original concept and book.
Sources
* ''Les Misérables'', Victor Hugo. (Marius, Book I; Saint Denis, Book VI; Jean Valjean, Book I)
References
External links
Gavroche (Character)at the
Internet Movie Database
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
Search for Gavrocheat the
Internet Broadway Database
The Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It was conceived and created by Karen Hauser in 1996 and is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade assoc ...
Search for Theaterwerk Gavroche at the German Web Presence Verband Berliner Amateur-Theater
{{lesmis
Child characters in literature
Child characters in musical theatre
Male characters in literature
Literary characters introduced in 1862
Fictional French people
Fictional revolutionaries
Les Misérables characters