Blog 6

BISHOP´S PERSPECTIVE:

     It was another normal day at the house, accompanied by Madamme Magloire and Mademoiselle Baptistine. At night, I had overheard Madamme Magloire talk about "...fastening the front door" (Hugo 14). I believe that this time Madamme Magloire had been talking about this topic with Mademoiselle Baptistine because of the rumored news on a fugitive, vagrant going around town. As we were talking about this topic which seemed to be common within our home, someone knocked on our door and giving this anonimous person authorization to come in, he opened the door. I was not surprised to see Madamme Magloire so frightened when she saw who it was. 

     I was not afraid at all of this individual even though I had no idea who he was, because he is my brother and son of God. He had come to our home due to the fact that he did not have a place to stay and asked if he could stay or at least have something to eat. He even offered all of the money he had with him. I told him without any hesitation or without thinking it twice that he could come in and join us for supper. Once I told him this, for some reason I am not concious of, he seemed to be amused. This amusement led him to start explaining to all of us in the house who he was and where he came from. He told us he was a convict , that he had passed 19 years in the galley and demonstrated to all of us his yellow passport,  he also told us that his name was Jean Valjean. Besides this he let us know that he had been walking since Toulon and that this day he had walked twelve days. To conclude, he told us a variety of things about him and to finalize all that information he had given us he told us that a woman had advised him to knock on our door and ask for help. Poor brother, too much time in the galleys led him to under estimate himself. I could not help feeling sorry for this individual, Jean Valjean. 

     After we finished supper, we offered him a room. I truly felt that it was within my responsibilities to help him, Jean Valjean, feel at home and also to make him feel like a normal person instead of a convict everyone should hate, avoid and despise.We are all sons of God, which means that we are all equal. No one is inferior or shoddier compared to everyone in this society. Unluckily this yellow passport Jean had shown me previously makes all of those convicts that feel sorry, ashamed and regret what they have done, no matter what it was, be denominated as less important not only by the rest of society but by themselves. Thank God, this woman advised him to come here. I really hope that he can become an honest man in society and somehow become a better person that will help everyone around him leaving the despising on behalf of that man at the inn and those who neglected him aside.