It tells the story of Julien, a poor young man who, through his intelligence and perseverance, climbs the social ladder, but is 始终 trapped by his humble origins, ultimately leading to tragedy. Although he has ambition and talent, he is limited by his background and the times. Julien’s character has both dark aspects and rational, determined sides, all of which influence his growth and 结局. While he despises the hypocrisy of high society, he is eventually swallowed by the tide of the times. Julien’s tragedy is the result of the intersection of personal fate and the historical context, which is deeply regrettable.
Julien’s story begins with his love for Madame de Rênal, which, though based on a desire to conquer, ultimately becomes the beginning of his downfall. Whether it’s the letter from the Marquis de La Mole or his competitive mindset with Valenod, it all leads to his tragic end. His affair with Mademoiselle de La Mole becomes the catalyst for his destruction. All of this stems from Julien’s strong self-esteem and his inability to escape his lowly origins. He believes that someone as humble as himself has conquered the noble Madame de Rênal, which complicates his emotional world.
Although modern society is vastly different, people’s pursuit of money, status, and class remains unchanged. The greed and darkness of human nature still exist in characters like Julien. If Victor Hugo were present today, he would surely see similar social phenomena to those in his writing: climbing from the bottom to the top, only to face the danger of falling. Their endings might involve breaking the law or being betrayed; I can’t imagine a more profound conclusion, but I’m certain they will eventually fall into the abyss.
Julien, the son of a carpenter,凭借 his exceptional intelligence, continues to climb higher and gain wealth and status. However, behind this is endless darkness. Born into poverty, the shadow in his heart cannot be dispelled no matter how successful he becomes. From carpenter’s son to tutor in the mayor’s house, to top student in the academy, and finally to the marquis’s assistant, each step is 靠 his intelligence and character. He is arrogant and hypocritical, yet also possesses qualities such as patience, rationality, and determination. These factors push him forward while also driving him toward tragedy.
At the end of the story, Victor Hugo writes “To the fortunate few,” which I believe is deeply meaningful. This may be related to the historical context of the time, where people at the center of the whirlpool could hardly see the whole picture, and most people who received education at that time were limited and could hardly resonate with the author.
Although I don’t know much about the history of that era, I feel the color of that time from Victor Hugo’s words. The most prominent is the splendor formed by the interweaving of birth, power, and money, yet behind this beauty lies danger. Although Julien dislikes the bad habits of high society, after integrating into this circle, he does not lose himself nor change his pursuit of power and status, which is very different from those upper-class figures. However, no matter how strong Julien is as an individual, he cannot resist the great current of the times nor escape the limitations of his birth.
For Julien, besides the dark character hidden in his heart, what has always surrounded him is his birth—not just the opinions of others, but even he himself has been trapped in this mental depression. However, this is a tragedy of the times; an era where birth is paramount is destined to be so. And this mindset is the root cause of his tragedy. His recurring thoughts about Mademoiselle de La Mole are still “a man of his background has conquered her.”
It is 可想而知 that such an era paired with a protagonist like Julien is destined to result in tragedy. But what’s somewhat surprising is that “our hero” finally 迎来 a tragic judgment in such a form. Perhaps by then he was no longer the same person, or perhaps his nature was just like this. He chose to shoot and retaliate against Madame de Rênal, whom he actually still loved. What’s more tortuous is that although Mademoiselle de La Mole had used her power to hope to avoid the death penalty, in the end, Valenod, who had taken office, held power, and had once been a rival in love with Julien for Madame de Rênal, confirmed the death penalty. In the end, he was still crushed by the things he hated.
The beginning of all of Julien’s changes seems to stem from his love for Madame de Rênal. Although this love originated from a distorted desire to conquer, his life ultimately collapsed because of Madame de Rênal—whether it was the letter to the Marquis de La Mole or because Valenod was once a rival in love. However, he did not harbor resentment; instead, he finally realized his true feelings for Madame de Rênal. In addition, his affair with Mademoiselle de La Mole was also one of the reasons for his final 结局, but all of this began with his strong self-esteem and his inability to escape the quagmire of his lowly origins. The starting point of both relationships was his belief that someone like him had conquered such noble people.
Although the present era is completely different, people’s pursuits remain unchanged: money, status, class, etc., and the greedy, dark nature of people has never disappeared. People like Julien must exist. If the author lived in the present era, he might also write stories with similar cores: climbing from the bottom up, and finally falling. In the end, it might be due to breaking the law or being betrayed. My poor imagination can hardly think of any profound ending. How will these people fall from the tightrope high in the air? But no matter what, they will definitely fall.