Gavroche
Encyclopedia
Gavroche is a fictional character from the novel Les Misérables
by Victor Hugo
.
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. He has two sisters, Éponine
and Azelma, and two unnamed younger brothers. He is also technically unnamed; the reader is told he chooses the name for himself, but is not provided with his real name. Mme. Thénardier only loves her daughters, and M. Thénardier shows no affection for any of his children. Gavroche is told by his parents to live in the street, because he would have a better life there.
The Thénardiers sell (or rent) their two youngest sons to a woman named Magnon. Due to a freak accident, the two boys are separated from Magnon without identification, and encounter Gavroche purely by chance. They are unaware of their identities, but Gavroche invites them to live with him and takes care of them. They reside in the hollow cavity of a giant elephant statue
, the Elephant of the Bastille
conceived by Napoleon
as a fountain, but abandoned unfinished. This was no imaginary construction; located at the Place de la Bastille
, it had been designed by Jean-Antoine Alavoine
. The two boys soon leave him the next morning. They are last seen at the Luxembourg Gardens retrieving and eating discarded bread from a fountain. It is unknown what has happened to the two after that.
At dawn, Gavroche helps his father, Patron-Minette
and Brujon escape from prison due to the request of Montparnasse
.
During the student uprising
of June 5–6, 1832, Gavroche joins the revolutionaries at the barricade.
After an exchange of gunfire with the National Guards, Gavroche overhears Enjolras
remark that they are running out of cartridges. He decides he can help. He goes through an opening in the barricade and collects the cartridges from the dead bodies of the National Guard. In the process of collecting the cartridges and singing a song, he is shot and killed.
is the slang used by thieves, criminals, and others who live in the streets. Victor Hugo was one of the first to note the slang and write it down. The character of Gavroche is used to introduce the concept of argot to the reader. The word "argot" has actually come to be the current French and Spanish term for "slang".
stage musical
.
Les Misérables
Les Misérables , translated variously from the French as The Miserable Ones, The Wretched, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, or The Victims), is an 1862 French novel by author Victor Hugo and is widely considered one of the greatest novels of the nineteenth century...
by Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
.
Gavroche in the novel
Gavroche is the eldest son of M. and Mme ThénardierThénardiers
The Thénardiers, commonly known as Thénardier and Madame Thénardier , are two of the primary villains in Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables and the stage musical of the same name...
. He has two sisters, Éponine
Éponine
Éponine Thénardier is a fictional character in the 1862 novelLes Misérables by Victor Hugo.- Éponine in the novel :As children, Éponine and her younger sister Azelma are described as pretty, well-dressed, charming and a delight to see. They are pampered and spoiled by their parents the Thénardiers...
and Azelma, and two unnamed younger brothers. He is also technically unnamed; the reader is told he chooses the name for himself, but is not provided with his real name. Mme. Thénardier only loves her daughters, and M. Thénardier shows no affection for any of his children. Gavroche is told by his parents to live in the street, because he would have a better life there.
The Thénardiers sell (or rent) their two youngest sons to a woman named Magnon. Due to a freak accident, the two boys are separated from Magnon without identification, and encounter Gavroche purely by chance. They are unaware of their identities, but Gavroche invites them to live with him and takes care of them. They reside in the hollow cavity of a giant elephant statue
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
, the Elephant of the Bastille
Elephant of the Bastille
The Elephant of the Bastille was a monument in Paris between 1813 and 1846. Originally conceived in 1808 by Napoleon, the statue was intended to be created out of bronze and placed in Place de la Bastille, but only a plaster full-scale model was built...
conceived by Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
as a fountain, but abandoned unfinished. This was no imaginary construction; located at the Place de la Bastille
Place de la Bastille
The Place de la Bastille is a square in Paris, where the Bastille prison stood until the 'Storming of the Bastille' and its subsequent physical destruction between 14 July 1789 and 14 July 1790 during the French Revolution; no vestige of it remains....
, it had been designed by Jean-Antoine Alavoine
Jean-Antoine Alavoine
Jean-Antoine Alavoine was a French architect best known for his column in the Place de la Bastille, Paris , the July Column to memorialize those fallen in the Revolution of 1830...
. The two boys soon leave him the next morning. They are last seen at the Luxembourg Gardens retrieving and eating discarded bread from a fountain. It is unknown what has happened to the two after that.
At dawn, Gavroche helps his father, Patron-Minette
Patron-Minette
Patron-Minette was the name given to a street gang in Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables and the musical of the same name. They acted as secondary villains and were referred to, in the book, as "Devils of Crime". The gang consisted of Montparnasse, Claquesous, Babet, and Gueulemer...
and Brujon escape from prison due to the request of Montparnasse
Patron-Minette
Patron-Minette was the name given to a street gang in Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables and the musical of the same name. They acted as secondary villains and were referred to, in the book, as "Devils of Crime". The gang consisted of Montparnasse, Claquesous, Babet, and Gueulemer...
.
During the student uprising
June Rebellion
The June Rebellion, or the Paris Uprising of 1832, was an unsuccessful, anti-monarchist insurrection of Parisian Republicans—largely students—from June 5 to June 6, 1832...
of June 5–6, 1832, Gavroche joins the revolutionaries at the barricade.
After an exchange of gunfire with the National Guards, Gavroche overhears Enjolras
Enjolras
Enjolras is the charismatic leader of the Friends of the ABC in the 1862 novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.- The Friends of the ABC :...
remark that they are running out of cartridges. He decides he can help. He goes through an opening in the barricade and collects the cartridges from the dead bodies of the National Guard. In the process of collecting the cartridges and singing a song, he is shot and killed.
Argot
ArgotArgot
An Argot is a secret language used by various groups—including, but not limited to, thieves and other criminals—to prevent outsiders from understanding their conversations. The term argot is also used to refer to the informal specialized vocabulary from a particular field of study, hobby, job,...
is the slang used by thieves, criminals, and others who live in the streets. Victor Hugo was one of the first to note the slang and write it down. The character of Gavroche is used to introduce the concept of argot to the reader. The word "argot" has actually come to be the current French and Spanish term for "slang".
Differences in the musical
There are a few notable plot differences in the Cameron MackintoshCameron Mackintosh
Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh is a British theatrical producer notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "the most successful, influential and powerful theatrical producer in the world" by the New York...
stage musical
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
.
- The playbill for the musical indicates that Gavroche's parents are the Thénardiers, but this is not indicated in the context of the musical itself. Also, Gavroche himself refers to the Thénardier family as if he were not a member of it.
- Gavroche's two younger brothers and his sister Azelma are cut completely.
- Marius gives a farewell letter to Éponine to deliver to Cosette. In the novel, it is Gavroche who delivers it.
- The musical changes the song that Gavroche sings at the barricade. (The version on the French concept album, however, is the same as in the book.)
Songs
Gavroche sings in the following songs in the musical:- Look Down
- Stars (at the end of the song)
- The ABC Café / Red and Black
- One Day More
- Javert at the barricade/Little People
- The Second Attack (Death of Gavroche)
- Finale/Do You Hear The People Sing? (Reprise)
Musical
- Fabrice Bernard, 1980 Original French Concept Album
- Florence Davis, Cyrille Dupont, Fabrice Ploquin, 1980 Original French Musical
- Ian Tucker, Oliver Spencer, Liza Hayden, Original London Cast
- Braden Danner, Original Broadway Cast
- RD Robb (understudy), Original Broadway Cast
- Rider StrongRider StrongRider King Strong is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Shawn Hunter on the 1990s sitcom Boy Meets World.-Early life:...
, San Francisco 1988 - J. D. DanielsJ. D. DanielsJ.D. Daniels is an American actor best known for playing Peter Mark in The Mighty Ducks and Ben in CB4. He is now attending Columbia University in New York City.-Biography:...
, Broadway - Chris FountainChris FountainChristopher Ryan Fountain is an English actor best known for his role as Justin Burton on the Channel 4 teen soap Hollyoaks, a role he played from 2003 until his departure in June 2009. He is also now known for playing Tommy Duckworth in Coronation Street. He played the role of PC Paul Tait in...
- Daniel Wright
- Blake Currie
- James BuckleyJames Buckley (actor)James Patrick Buckley is an English actor, best known for his roles as Jay Cartwright in the British comedy The Inbetweeners and Derek "Del Boy" Trotter in Rock & Chips.-Early life:...
- Marc Marut, Illya WoloshynIllya WoloshynIllya Woloshyn is a Canadian actor of Ukrainian descent. He started acting at a very young age, playing the role of Jacob in Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang at Young People's Theatre in Toronto, and later Gavroche in the original Toronto production of Les Misérables at the Royal Alexandra...
, Toronto 1989 - Sam RiegelSam RiegelSamuel Brent Oscar "Sam" Riegel is a voice actor, writer and director who appears in many television cartoons, anime, and video games. He began as a child actor in theater in Virginia, and moved to New York City to perform in Broadway and off-Broadway shows...
, New York - Taylor John, Broadway 1991
- Roon Staal, The Netherlands 1991
- Ludwig BriandLudwig BriandLudwig Briand is a French actor born on 9 May 1981 at Soisy-sous-Montmorency. Named after Ludwig van Beethoven, he got his first acting job in 1991 at the age of ten as Gavroche in the stage musical Les Misérables. Then another musical Paul And Virginie as Paul...
, Cyrille Vannier, Alexis TomassianAlexis TomassianAlexis Tomassian is a French dubbing actor born on July 13, 1979.-Television animation:*All Grown Up! *American Dragon: Jake Long *Avatar: The Last Airbender...
, 1991 Paris Revival - Adam SearlesAdam SearlesAdam Searles is a British stage, film, and television actor notably known for his performances as Gavroche in Les Misérables at the Palace Theatre, London and as the original Artful Dodger in Cameron Mackintosh's 1994 production of Oliver! at The London Palladium...
, (10th Anniversary Concert) - Andrew Neale, Perth 2001
- Jordan Dunne, West End 2001
- Nick JonasNick JonasNicholas Jerry "Nick" Jonas is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actor best known as one of the Jonas Brothers, a pop-rock band he formed with his brothers Joe and Kevin. The Jonas Brothers originally started as an attempted solo singing career for Nick, but the record producer liked the...
(of the Jonas BrothersJonas BrothersThe Jonas Brothers are an American boy band. The band gained its popularity from the Disney Channel children's television network. From the shore region of New Jersey, the band consists of three brothers: Paul Kevin Jonas II , Joseph Adam Jonas , and Nicholas Jerry Jonas...
), Broadway 2003 - Mikkel Rosleff, (The Danish Tour) 2003 - 2004
- Stewart Johnson, Florida 2007
- Austyn Myers (from the movie Meet DaveMeet DaveMeet Dave is a 2008 American family comedy film directed by Brian Robbins and starring Eddie Murphy. The film was co-written by Bill Corbett and Rob Greenberg...
), Jacob Levine, Brian D’Addario, 2006 Broadway Revival - Brandon O'Rourke, Philadelphia 2008
- Jimmy Menchl, Grosse Pointe South, 2008
- David Noël, Simon Dufresne, 2008 Québec City Production
- Sage Ryan, 2008 Hollywood Bowl Concert
- Joseph Serafini, Pittsburgh CLO, 2009
- Samuel Tye, Perth Australia, 2009
- Laurence Westrip, Perth Australia, 2009
- Robert Madge, 25th Anniversary Concert
Film and television
- Anthony Phillips, 1917 Adaptation
- Charles Badiole, 1925 AdaptationLes Misérables (1925 film)Les Misérables is a French silent film based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo.-Cast:* Gabriel Gabrio as Jean Valjean* Paul Jorge as Monseigneur Myriel* Sandra Milowanoff as Fantine & Cosette* Andrée Rolane as Cosette...
- Émile Genevois, 1934 AdaptationLes Misérables (1934 film)Les Misérables is a 1934 film adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel of the same name. It was written and directed by Raymond Bernard and stars Harry Baur as Jean Valjean and Charles Vanel as Javert...
- Kolya Smorchkov, 1937 Adaptation
- Rinaldo Smordoni, 1948 AdaptationLes Misérables (1948 film)Les Misérables is a 1948 Italian drama film directed by Riccardo Freda. It is based on the Victor Hugo novel of the same name.-Cast:* Gino Cervi – Jean Valjean* Valentina Cortese – Fantina / Cosetta* Hans Hinrich – Javert...
- Bobby Hyatt, 1952 AdaptationLes Misérables (1952 film)Les Misérables is a 1952 American film adapted from the novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. It was directed by Lewis Milestone, and featured Michael Rennie as Jean Valjean, Robert Newton as Javert, Sylvia Sidney as Fantine, Debra Paget as Cosette, Edmund Gwenn as the bishop, Cameron Mitchell as...
- Jimmy Urbain, 1958 AdaptationLes Misérables (1958 film)Les Misérables is a film version of the Victor Hugo novel released in France on March 12, 1958. Written by Michel Audiard and René Barjavel, the film was directed by Jean-Paul Le Chanois...
- Edoardo Nevola, 1964 Adaptation
- Gilles Maidon, 1972 Adaptation
- Carlos Arguelles, 1973 Adaptation
- Dexter FletcherDexter FletcherDexter Fletcher is an English actor. He is best known for his role in Guy Ritchie film, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels as well as television roles in such shows as the dramedy Hotel Babylon, the critically acclaimed HBO series Band of Brothers and earlier in his career, the children's show...
, 1978 AdaptationLes Misérables (1978 film)Les Misérables is a TV film based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo. The film was written by John Gay and directed by Glenn Jordan.-Differences from the novel:... - Emmanuel CurtilEmmanuel CurtilEmmanuel Curtil is a French actor known primarily for his voice work, having dubbed the voice of Matthew Perry for the first eight seasons of the American sitcom Friends...
, 1982 AdaptationLes Misérables (1982 film)Les Misérables is a 1982 French drama film directed by Robert Hossein. It is one of the numerous screen adaptation of the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo.-Plot summary:... - Adam SearlesAdam SearlesAdam Searles is a British stage, film, and television actor notably known for his performances as Gavroche in Les Misérables at the Palace Theatre, London and as the original Artful Dodger in Cameron Mackintosh's 1994 production of Oliver! at The London Palladium...
, 1995 ConcertLes Misérables - The Dream Cast in ConcertLes Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert a.k.a. Les Misérables in Concert is a concert version of the musical Les Misérables, produced to celebrate its 10th anniversary. It was filmed in October 1995 at the Royal Albert Hall and released on DVD, VHS and LD in 1998 and re-released on DVD in North... - Shane Hervey, 1998 AdaptationLes Misérables (1998 film)Les Misérables is a 1998 film adaptation of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel of the same name, directed by Bille August. It stars Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, Uma Thurman, and Claire Danes....
- Jérôme Hardelay, 2000 Adaptation
- Robert Madge, 2010 Concert
Theater & Performance
- Das Freie Theaterwerk 'Gavroche' e.V., German theatre association (2008)
Cultural references
- In French, the word "Gavroche" has come to mean "street urchin" and "mischievous child."
- There is a homeless organization in VarnaVarnaVarna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
, BulgariaBulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
named the Gavroche Association. - There are several restaurants across the world which use the name, including oneLe GavrocheLe Gavroche is a restaurant on 43 Upper Brook Street in Mayfair . It was opened in 1967 by Michel and Albert Roux although the original premises were on 61 Lower Sloane Street until 1981....
in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
run by the Roux brothers, MichelMichel RouxMichel Roux is a French-born chef and restaurateur working in Britain.Born in Charolles, Saône-et-Loire, Roux moved to Paris with his family after the war, where they set up a charcuterie...
and AlbertAlbert RouxAlbert Roux OBE is a French-born restaurateur and chef working in Britain. He and his brother Michel operated Le Gavroche, the first restaurant in the UK to gain three Michelin stars. He helped train a series of chefs that went on to win Michelin stars, and his son, Michel Roux, Jr...
, which was the first in BritainGreat BritainGreat Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
to be awarded three Michelin starsMichelin GuideThe Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...
. - There is a French-language magazine about ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
named Gavroche. - While it predates the novel by three decades, the boy brandishing the pistols in Eugène DelacroixEugène DelacroixFerdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school...
's Liberty Leading the PeopleLiberty Leading the PeopleLiberty Leading the People is a painting by Eugène Delacroix commemorating the July Revolution of 1830, which toppled Charles X of France. A woman personifying Liberty leads the people forward over the bodies of the fallen, holding the tricouleur flag of the French Revolution in one hand and...
is often associated with Gavroche. Gavroche fires a pistol in the novel; it is possible that Hugo meant to allude to the painting. - Bulgarian poet Hristo SmirnenskiHristo SmirnenskiHristo Smirnenski , born as Hristo Izmirliev, was a Bulgarian poet and prose writer. His hometown was Kukush in Macedonia, Ottoman Empire, , which had militant traditions and an enterprising population. Hristo spent a happy childhood in a friendly and understanding patriarchal home...
has a poem called The Brothers of Gavroche. - A famous Polish punk/ska group Alians named one of its albums 'Gavroche'.
- Nobby Nobbs takes the place of Gavroche in Terry PratchettTerry PratchettSir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
's DiscworldDiscworldDiscworld is a comic fantasy book series by English author Sir Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back of a giant turtle, Great A'Tuin. The books frequently parody, or at least take inspiration from, J. R. R....
novel Night Watch, which is loosely based on Les Misérables. - In the French graphic novel series "Aspic, Détectives de l'Étrange", Gavroche appears as Hugo Beyle, and is said to have survived the barricades thanks to the mystical watch his father stole at Waterloo. He teams up with Auguste Dupin and Flora Vernet (herself a cousin of Sherlock Holmes) to fight Moriarty who is helped by the ghost of Javert.
- In the American TV show GleeGlee (TV series)Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
, a minor character owes his namesake to Gavroche.
Sources
- Les Misérables, Victor Hugo. (Marius, Book I; Saint Denis, Book VI; Jean Valjean, Book I)
External links
- Gavroche at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Search for Gavroche at the Internet Broadway DatabaseInternet Broadway DatabaseThe Internet Broadway Database is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade association for the North American commercial theatre community....
- Search for Theaterwerk Gavroche
- Search for Theaterwerk Gavroche at the German Web Presence 'Verband Berliner Amateur-Theater