Marius Pontmercy

Marius Pontmercy (French pronunciation: [maʁjys pɔ̃mɛʁsi]) is a fictional character, one of the protagonists of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables. He is a young student, and the suitor of Cosette. Believing Cosette lost to him, and determined to die, he joins the revolutionary association Friends of the ABC, which he associates with, but is not a part of, as they take part in the 1832 June Rebellion. Facing death in the fight, his life is saved by Jean Valjean, and he subsequently weds Cosette, a young woman whom Valjean had raised as his own.

When Marius first appears, he is living with his rich and monarchist grandfather, Monsieur Gillenormand. All his life, he has been told that his father (Georges Pontmercy, a colonel under Napoleon) abandoned him to Gillenormand. Shortly after Marius turns seventeen, he is sent to see his father, who is ill. He arrives just after his father dies. His father has left Marius a note, instructing him to help Thénardier in any way possible, since the Colonel believes that Thénardier saved his life at the Battle of Waterloo.

While Marius is visiting church, Mabeuf, the church warden, tells him that his father has been coming to mass regularly, hiding behind a pillar so as to not violate an agreement with Gillenormand that would cause his son to be disinherited. Marius begins looking up his father in the official military histories and after learning that his father was a highly decorated veteran of Napoleon's army, who had been made a baron and a colonel by Napoleon (though neither the barony nor the rank of colonel is recognized by the current regime). As a consequence, Marius develops a kind of idol-worship of his father. After an argument with his grandfather, Marius moves out and refuses financial assistance from his family. His grandfather instructs Marius' aunt to send Marius money every month, but Marius always returns it.

Marius meets Courfeyrac, a fellow student, who introduces him to a society called the Friends of the ABC, a political group committed to republican revolution. Almost immediately, Marius' Bonapartist beliefs come into conflict with the republican views of the group's members. Marius nevertheless remains on good terms with them—especially Courfeyrac, with whom he lives for a time. "In a few days," Hugo writes, "Marius was the friend of Courfeyrac... Marius, in Courfeyrac's presence, breathed freely, a new thing for him." Marius descends further into poverty and, despite all his hardships, manages to complete his studies and become a recognized lawyer. On Courfeyrac's advice, he learns German and English in order to work for a publisher translating manuscripts into French.

Marius regularly takes walks in the Luxembourg Garden, where he frequently sees Cosette and Jean Valjean, and does not pay much attention to either. After a six month break from walking in the Luxembourg Gardens, he returns to find that Cosette has quickly grown into a young lady, and falls in love with her. He returns every day to see her, pretending to read a book. Eventually, Marius follows Valjean and Cosette home, where he asks their doorman about Cosette. Valjean learns of this and, fearing that Marius is a spy working for the police inspector Javert, moves away that week.

Having not seen Cosette for months, and not knowing where she might have gone, Marius is tormented over trying to locate her. One early February day, he encounters Éponine and Azelma Thénardier, running away from the police. He recovers an envelope the girls have dropped. Back at his apartment, he examines the four letters it contains and realizes that they are fraudulent pleas for help, all in the same handwriting with the same misspellings, but containing different stories and signatures.

The next day, Éponine visits Marius, gives him a letter and begs for money. Upon reading it, he recognizes it is yet another in the series he read last night. Éponine proves to Marius that she is literate, and tells Marius that he is handsome. Marius hands her back the packet of letters, and she happily takes them. Feeling sympathetic to her, Marius gives her his last five francs.

Marius begins to take an interest in her family, the Jondrettes (who are his neighbors). Peering through a crack in the wall, Marius sees Jean Valjean and Cosette talking with Jondrette about returning to give the family money. Marius asks Éponine to find Valjean and Cosette's address. He tells her that if she does this, he will give her whatever she wants. After she leaves, Marius overhears Jondrette talking about robbing and killing Valjean. Distressed, Marius visits Javert, who gives him two pistols and instructs him to fire them during the robbery.