Actually I thought the same and then wasn't sure if it was maybe a little too far-fetched, so I'm glad I wasn't alone in that! I mean, there is that direct juxtaposition of Mabeuf and Javert who together form the cross, and there must be meaning inthat. And I definitely see a parallel there already in how the suicide of the one is sublime and the other is not, which maybe is reason enough for that image of the cross formed by both of their bodies.
But also, there is a parallel where the both of them and the deaths they choose, and their reaction to the suffering they are faced with, echo the reaction of the thieves faced with Christ. Maybe with Mabeuf it is not so much a reaction to Valjean, but the reaction to Enjolras as another Christ figure. But still that juxtaposition of them echoes that constellation as well, especially if I think about how both engage in dialogue with Christ: Mabeuf only wakes in answer to Enjolras' call for volunteers, and of course Javert is faced with Valjean freeing him.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2014-04-22 12:22 am (UTC)But also, there is a parallel where the both of them and the deaths they choose, and their reaction to the suffering they are faced with, echo the reaction of the thieves faced with Christ. Maybe with Mabeuf it is not so much a reaction to Valjean, but the reaction to Enjolras as another Christ figure. But still that juxtaposition of them echoes that constellation as well, especially if I think about how both engage in dialogue with Christ: Mabeuf only wakes in answer to Enjolras' call for volunteers, and of course Javert is faced with Valjean freeing him.