Objectives shape ethics in Les Miserables

The way nearly every main character in Les Miserables demonstrates a different modality of communication ethics shows us the need for academic standardization of communication ethics to begin with. As we noted in class, one of communication ethics' defining traits is the objectives of speaker and listener. With many of Les Miserables' songs being extensions of the speaker-listener relationship, its easy to highlight objectives in almost every song and, in doing so, illuminate how one's own ethics are forged by their objective.

Take Javert's earliest communication with Jean Valjean, still Prisoner 24601 in the story's earliest throes. Javert's military position--and the presence of peers and superiors--dictates that he regard Prisoner 24601 with cold, calculating precision. No sympathy, no undue cruelty; only pragmatic indifference, whether giving orders of physical toil or parole papers, will do. Here, we see that Javert's objective--to uphold justice, demonstrate aptness for military duty, and keep prisoners in line--manifests itself in communication ethics that devalue empathy and value distancing oneself from emotions that leave us susceptible to influence.

The bishop Jean encounters while struggling to find food and shelter exhibits communication ethics on a completely opposite end of the spectrum, driven by his objective to spread the word and love of God on Earth. Such an objective--the sworn duty of the bishop, much like Javert's sworn military oaths--demands sympathetic treatment of nearly all humans, a devaluation of material possessions, and graceful forgiveness wherever it's needed. As such, the bishop is astoundingly warm and receptive to Valjean, declining to ask for any information about his past or what circumstances brought him to such a lowly state. This could be construed as lack of empathy--an unwillingness to share in the troubles of others. Rather, any context about the individuals he's helping might color his opinion of them and complicate the act of disseminating God's forgiveness. To the bishop, only helping matters--everything else is ancillary. As an extension of his objective, the bishop also warmly regards the soldiers who deliver a thieving Valjean to him the next morning. No matter the listener, the bishop (as speaker) has one objective that maintains communication ethics of sympathetic treatment and respect--even when those ethics stand in the way of honesty, which he abandons when the soldiers question him.

As the film continues, I expect we'll see more evidence of objective-driven communication ethics, including characters openly acknowledging the conflict between their objectives and the opposing direction that human nature pushes them in. I'm particularly looking forward to Javert's tragic solo as an example of what happens when we are unable to resolve this conflict and vouch completely for one path or the other.