I had the privilege of seeing Les Miserables on Broadway this past weekend, and was absolutely blown away. However, as a decade-long fan of the classic musical, experiencing it on Broadway rehashed some feelings I've had contained inside for a while. Now, I hate to be that guy, but there is a truth I must reveal, and while it may be an unpopular opinion; it must be said.
I am not ashamed to proclaim, once and for all, that Cosette is without a doubt, a horrible character. No other character evokes the feelings of displeasure and exasperation that Cosette does whenever she appears on stage. (Well, maybe the romance scenes between Cosette and Marius cause more vitriol to appear). I humbly contend that Eponine is the superior character in Les Miserables. Why, you may ask? For a myriad of reasons, Eponine puts up with dealing with the garbage that all the other characters dish out at her on a regular basis.
Cosette represents everything that Marius and his companions have set out to fight against.
Being the adoptive daughter of Jean Valjean, lives the life of the bourgeois class. She is dressed in the finest clothing, and lives with her father in an idyllic noble estate. She has never worked for anything she has received, and lives off the laurels of Valjean, who himself became wealthy by stealing from the Bishop. Marius and his companions have railed against the greed of the French upper class, yet he falls in love with the archetype of that class.
Why he ignores Eponine is beyond my comprehension. She has worked her entire life to keep herself alive, despite having the world’s worst parents and living in the slums of Paris. Rather than fall in love with who he says he’s with, Marius falls in love with the exact opposite.
Eponine would literally do anything for Marius, and he entirely disregards her for Cosette.
Eponine loves Marius so dearly that she would literally jump in front of a barricade for him. Cosette has never made such a sacrifice, or any sacrifice really for Marius. She takes his love for granted while Eponine toils away to try to earn his affection. She literally risks her life to declare her love to him at the Barricade, and all Marius can think about is telling Eponine to risk her life even more to take a letter to Cosette's house.
In short, Eponine is the unsung hero of Les Miserables. She represents everything the musical champions--she has suffered at the hands of the French nobility, and she is one of the individuals who has fell through the cracks and who no one dares "look down" upon. She works hard for what she is passionate about, and gives her life to the French cause. Eponine is a hero, and Cosette can't even come close.
