Les Misérables Volume 2, Chapter 4 Summary

Summary

The chapter opens with an extended spatial metaphor: readers are asked to imagine a capital letter A set on the ground to understand the dispositions of the armies at Waterloo. Hugo identifies the left limb as the road to Nivelles, the right limb as the road to Genappe, and the tie as the hollow road to Ohain, placing Mont-Saint-Jean at the apex where Wellington is stationed and the Belle-Alliance and Hougomont at the lower tips. He emphasizes that the plateau of Mont-Saint-Jean is the strategic prize whose possession decides the battle. Small features of the terrain—a hollow, a clump of trees, a cross-path—can become decisive supports for troops, and generals must be attentive to every slight relief of the ground.

Hugo then sketches the famous figure of Napoleon on the heights of Rossomme on June 18, 1815, describing his uniform, posture, horse, and the familiar accoutrements that compose the image of the “last of the Cæsars.” He observes that public imagination long veils such figures in a legendary dimness, but that history's clearer light ultimately reveals contradictions: the same man can cast both heroic rays and dark shadows. The chapter closes with a more general aphorism about fame and the double verdict of history, suggesting that the enduring image of a leader often suffers once exposed to scrutinizing daylight.

Key events

1. Hugo asks readers to visualize the battlefield as a capital A to explain dispositions
2. He locates roads, tips, and the plateau of Mont-Saint-Jean within that diagram
3. Argues that small terrain features can determine the course of a battle
4. States Wellington holds the better position on June 18, 1815
5. Gives a detailed portrait of Napoleon on horseback at Rossomme
6. Reflects on legend versus historical light and the dual judgments of posterity

Analysis

This chapter functions as an orienting interlude: it shifts the narrative from character-driven scenes to a panoramic, almost essayistic meditation on military geography and the nature of historical fame. By using the simple, memorable image of a capital A, Hugo provides readers with a cognitive map that organizes forthcoming action and clarifies stakes; the concrete study of terrain also dramatizes his recurring theme that small, seemingly insignificant details have moral and historical weight. The juxtaposition of precise, tactical instruction with an expansive portrait of Napoleon underscores Hugo's method of moving from technical description to ethical reflection. The sketch of Napoleon performs both characterization and symbol: the physical accoutrements (hat, coat, saddle-cloth) evoke the public icon, while the narrator’s commentary on legend versus history signals that this icon will be subjected to critical light. Stylistically, Hugo blends realist description with aphoristic commentary, foreshadowing later moral judgments and preparing the reader to see battles as sites where personal glory and historical judgment collide. The passage also introduces a motif—light and shadow—to explore how fame is constructed and later dismantled, which will recur when individual destinies are weighed against wider historical forces.

Important quotes

“Those persons who wish to gain a clear idea of the battle of Waterloo have only to place, mentally, on the ground, a capital A.”

NarratorOpens the chapter with the central spatial metaphor that orients the reader to the battlefield's layout.

“The one seeks to trip up the other.”

NarratorCondenses Hugo's analogy of two armies as wrestlers, emphasizing the tactical importance of small features of terrain.

“That whole figure of the last of the Cæsars is present to all imaginations, saluted with acclamations by some, severely regarded by others.”

NarratorPresents the familiar, almost legendary image of Napoleon while signaling the coming scrutiny of history's light.

Characters in Volume 2, Chapter 4

• Napoleon
• Wellington
• Reille
• Jérôme Bonaparte
• d’Erlon
• Picton
• Hill