Victor Hugo didn't even need this many words - Thoughts on 'Les Miserables'

[bookgazing]

‘At the end of the day you're another day older
And that's all you can say for the life of the poor
It's a struggle, it's a war
And there's nothing that anyone's giving
One more day, standing about, what is it for?
One day less to be living.’

These lyrics are taken from‘At the End of the Day’, one of the early songs performed in the theatre production of ‘Les Misérables’. The lyrics are sung by a crowd of poor characters in nineteenth century France, who use ‘At the End of the Day’ to explain their situation to the audience. As the song progresses they say they are ‘cold', contending with plague, and ‘one day nearer to dying’. If we assume that the audience is made up of reasonable human beings, this description of life should be enough to encourage them to feel pity for the people who are singing.

The lines above are sung quickly with a staccato crunch to them; a pace and rhythm which reflects the frantic lives of the crowd that is singing. The first, second, fifth and sixth lines contain phrases which could be complete sentences on their own and when the singers come to the end of these lines you can hear them snap down hard on the final word, emphasising through tone the way the trap of poverty closes on them every day. These musical elements remind the audience of the crushing grasp of circumstances, but at the same time, because of the harsh and hammering nature of this song, the poor are given a musical power quite beyond any influence they wield in their world.

And as the lyrics progress it's clear that this song is not the appeal for alms that an audience might expect to hear from people suffering as the crowd are, but a laundry list of complaints - and rather angry complaints at that. Metaphorically cloaked intimations of what is to come if these complaints are not dealt with begin to appear as the song progresses:

‘Like the waves crash on the sand
Like a storm that'll break any second
There's a hunger in the land
There's a reckoning still to be reckoned
And there's gonna be hell to pay
At the end of the day!’

These words indicate that the crowd have not been distracted by the pain they have suffered during the ‘struggle’ and ‘war’ of poverty. They clearly see what they lack and who has more than their fair share, because they are confronted with that knowledge every day. And the longer they stay hungry, the keener their sense of what is owed. For this crowd pain is the catalyst for action, and soon they will come knocking on the doors of ‘the righteous’ hypocrites that the song treats with contempt as they ‘hurry past’, asking for what they feel is due. At the end of the song the audience comes away with the impression that though these people are cold and in pain, poverty has also filled them with an anger which is beginning to bubble to the surface. The people singing are taking their chance to privately display their contempt for those who oppress them, using ‘At the End of the Day’ as a swelling aside for the ears of the audience only.

When the main crowd song finishes individual female workers sing:

‘There are children back at home
And the children have got to be fed
And you're lucky to be in a job
And in a bed!
And we're counting our blessings!’

the audience is left very aware that the people see these ‘blessings’ clearly for the scraps they are. ‘At the End of the Day’ may be about the plight of the poor, but its call for understanding and sympathy is outraged; the arrangement and performance of this song practically forbids pity and as the lyrics progress the growing discontent of the crowd is clear. Here is a warning about the future, that is full of animosity and hope.

The idea that inequality is present, and so materially unfair that it requires opposition, needs to be aired frequently, especially in the UK today. Our Prime Minister backs benefit cuts. It is common to see well-off MPs claiming to be ‘men of the people’ and at the same time deriding those people as cheats, who deserve to lose the support they need. Our government and certain powerful sections of the media are invested in establishing a false, damaging image of people who struggle with financial difficulties. ‘At the End of the Day’ fights to advance a different view and does so in the voice of the people who, were they present in society today, would be labelled scroungers and trash by many who have never had to worry about money. And it is not the only part of this musical that gives poorer people a voice. What a good year for a film adaptation then.

( General story spoilers for the musical and the film - beware )

Interesting posts

gyzm: 'les mis as explained to me by tumblr'
Hello Tailor: 'Les Mis: Seriously, Javert? Seriously??'
The Booksmugglers: 'From Page to Screen: The 2013 Oscars Edition'
Fandomspotting: Jam Session #1: Jam Valjean
meangirls + Les Mis - via cleolinda