Relevance vs. Symbolism
Within each fictitious character, there is a battle between relevance and symbolism. Relevance is how the character can be found inside every one of us, there are mundane nuances that make them attached to reality. An example of relevance is if the character seeks redemption, similar to most of us, who have also been indebted to someone once or again. If relevance is concrete, then symbolism is the abstract. Symbolism is what the character represents in the novel, book, composition. Symbolism can be summarized into one word or two, such as "the villain" or "the antagonist". In the case of Les Miserables, Javert is a stoic police and prison officer who does not believe the fluidity of honor. He is a static character who can not bend his mind to believe that Jean Valjean was a redeemed fugitive. Javert could not believe that codified law does not equal to righteousness, and that the human spirit is ever-changing. Javert's binary nature raises relevance--- we hav...