Bahorel in Les Misérables
Minor character
A boisterous, theatrical member of the Friends of the ABC who helps build barricades and is killed early in the street fighting.
Who is Bahorel?
Bahorel is one of the young republicans in the Friends of the ABC circle. He appears as a loud, irreverent presence in the Café Musain back room—playing dominoes, joking about love, and joining the group's political debates. He moves easily from mockery and theatrical provocation to earnest insurrectionary action: he tears down an archiepiscopal placard in the street, amuses Gavroche with his daring, and takes part in the march toward the Quai Morland and the erection of barricades. At the Rue de la Chanvrerie redoubt he works alongside Courfeyrac, Enjolras, and others to construct the defenses and waits through the tense night. In the first major clash—“the first flood”—Bahorel kills an attacker but is himself struck down, one of the early casualties whose death sharpens the barricade's loss and suffering. Throughout his appearances he embodies the group's mix of jocularity and courage, contributing both comic energy and physical sacrifice to the uprising.
Personality
- Boisterous
- He plays dominoes and engages in loud, playful talk in the Café Musain back room (Back Room of Café Musain).
- Theatrical
- He tears down an archiepiscopal placard in the street to mock authority and provoke onlookers (The Beginning of Shadow).
- Courageous
- During the first violent surge at the barricade he kills an intruder while defending the redoubt (Gavroche and the First Flood).
- Impulsive
- He moves quickly from banter to direct action, joining the march and helping to build the barricade without hesitation (The Beginning of Shadow; The Flag: Act First).
Character arc
Bahorel enters as a lively, mocking member of the student circle whose energy helps animate the Friends of the ABC. Early scenes present him as part joker, part provocateur—playing games in the Café Musain and participating in witty, noisy debates. That comic persona shifts into concrete militancy as he participates in street actions: he publicly humiliates clerical authority by tearing down a placard and marches with the others toward the Quai Morland. At the barricade his role becomes practical and combative; he labors in the construction and stands guard through the night. In the first assault—when municipal guards surge through the breach—his impulsive bravery turns fatal: he kills an attacker but is himself slain. Bahorel's arc is brief but complete: the same daring, theatrical temperament that enlivened the club propels him into self-sacrificial combat, ending with his death in the chaotic first flood of fighting and underscoring the tragic cost of youthful revolt.
Relationships
- Courfeyrac Comrade-in-arms and friend who works alongside Bahorel at the barricade.
- Gavroche A streetwise youth who admires Bahorel's daring and studies him as a model on the march.
- Enjolras The group's leader whose plans and command set the tasks that Bahorel follows in the insurrection.
- Jean Prouvaire Fellow member of the Friends of the ABC who shares the company's nights and speechful intimacy at the barricade.
- Feuilly Another insurgent comrade present in the march and at the construction of the barricade.
Why Bahorel matters
Bahorel represents the mingling of jest and genuine political commitment within the student circle: his humor and mockery coexist with willingness to fight. His theatrical insults toward authority and quick transition to armed defense illustrate how youthful energy fuels revolutionary action. His early death in the first flood dramatizes the sudden cost of insurrection, turning comic bravado into tragic sacrifice and highlighting the theme that idealism and camaraderie can be swiftly consumed by violence.
Chapters with Bahorel
More Les Misérables characters
Jean ValjeanProtagonist
CosetteMajor character
Marius PontmercyMajor character
CourfeyracMajor character
JavertAntagonist
ThénardierAntagonist
EnjolrasMajor character- MMariusMajor character
All chapter summaries ›Characters ›
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