Work as Redemption: Insights from Les Misérables

Daily writing prompt

If you could be a character from a book or film, who would you be? Why?

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Victor Hugo’s “Les Misérables” offers one of literature’s most in-depth studies on how work provides more than just subsistence. Work can be a pathway to redemption and a means to discover identity and service. This is shown through the transformation of its hero, Jean Valjean. His journey and transformation from convict to benefactor highlight the transcendent dimension of labor. It shows the changes labor can induce in the life of a person.

From Enforced Labor to Intentional Craft

Valjean’s relationship to work begins with mechanizing chattel enslavement. He served 19 years for the theft of a loaf of bread. His work as punishment, prisoner 24601, was a daily reminder of his humiliating status as an outcast. The experience could have poisoned his view of labor forever. Still, he was touched by the Bishop’s act of mercy. Valjean learns that work, freely chosen and done with integrity, becomes an instrument of rebirth.

The crucial pivot comes when Valjean devises a method for making jet beads and black glass. He then establishes a factory in Montreuil-sur-Mer. His entrepreneurial effort means much more than an economic opportunity. It becomes his outlet for articulating a new moral purpose. His business decisions, as Mayor Madeleine, always center around human dignity. He employs people in a poor region. He pays decent wages. He uses the profits from the venture to start schools and hospitals.

The Morality of Craftsmanship

His attitude toward craftsmanship is a revelation of his moral evolution. His creation of more efficient manufacturing processes demonstrates not just technical skill. It also shows his creative savantism that earlier had been stymied by society. Valjean’s physical had been a means of escape or survival. When he lifts a cart off a trapped Fauchelevent, his gifts are channeled toward rescue, not resistance.

Inspector Javert starts suspecting Mayor Madeleine’s real identity in a line that I think is even more telling. Valjean faces a deeply moral decision. He must decide to save his own skin. Alternatively, he can choose to save that of an innocent man who is wanted for his crimes. His decision to publicly express this suggests that his work-shaped reputation has lost its significance. Moral values that his work was meant to embody and uphold have taken precedence over reputation.

The Spiritual-Professional Parallel

Valjean’s spiritual awakening is implied in the Bishop’s gift of silver candlesticks. Valjean is a changed man. It is in professional life that this spiritual transformation finds expression. And the discipline it takes to build a business mirrors the discipline it takes to be reformed morally. His belief in justice is also clear in the fair treatment of workers. And the anonymity with which he’s given to charity is a mark of humility.

This parallel reminds us that spiritual principles manifest most truly and durably in the daily increase of human labor. They are evident in good business decisions. They are not found in moments of religious ceremonial expression. For Valjean, running a factory is really an act of devotion and prayer. Each fair wage means an atonement, and each job created an act of grace.

Identity Through Contribution

If you read Hugo’s novel, Valjean takes on different identities. As prisoner 24601, Monsieur Madeleine and Ultime Fauchelevent. His truest identity, though, comes from what he gives rather than what he says he is. He is known among the community for the prosperity he brings, the justice he administers, and the mercy he shows.

This development is a sign that true identity lies not in titles. Our gift is that the essence of our work is seen most in how it affects others’ lives. It creates positive changes for them. Valjean’s value, as a person and a member of a community, lies ultimately in his creations. What he makes with his hands and mind benefits others.

What We Can Learn from the Past for Our Professional Lives Today

Today, we face a professional shift. Workplace disengagement is on the rise. The question of work-life balance is ever-present. Valjean imbues us with at least a half-dozen significant and profound insights:

1. Work as Redemption: If you approach work with integrity, it becomes a tool for redemption. It helps you reconnect with your better self. At the very least, it connects you with a better self. This is more favorable than the one with whom you have failed to measure up.
2. Make More Than Money: There’s something much more rewarding than professional success — the human service.
3. Skills as Service: Good technical abilities and business savviness should focus outwards. They can better the lives of others. This makes them a true asset.
4. You Are Your Impact: Our work makes a difference. Through these differences, we grow and discover who we are. We learn not to define ourselves by job titles.
5. Moral Integrity: Our professional lives and moral lives don’t need to be separate or in opposition. Decisions we make about our work can be expressions of our loftiest values.

We strive to make the philosophy of “Work is Worship” most abundant. It becomes a regular expression of our loftiest goal for humanity and ourselves. “Work as Worship” does not mean performing labor with religious zeal. Valjean’s transformation from chain gang to caring leader also holds a lesson. We realize that our daily work, when carried out with intention and integrity, can become a profound attachment. It also serves as our most heartfelt expression of devotion. It reflects what we hold most dear.