Les Misérables Volume 4, Chapter 1 Summary

Summary

In a tense night scene at the grand barricade near Rue Saint-Denis, Enjolras, Combeferre, Courfeyrac and other insurgents wait in silence for an attack. At ten o'clock Gavroche appears, singing a mocking song and announcing the approach of enemy forces; his arrival electrifies the defenders and they take up positions with carbines aimed from behind the barricade and from windows. The street ahead is described as a dark, oppressive void pierced by the glint of bayonets and gun-barrels, creating the impression of a phantom multitude advancing.

A challenge comes from the darkness—"Who goes there?"—followed by the insurgents' proud reply, "The French Revolution!" The troops immediately open a violent volley that lights the façades and tears down the red flag from the barricade, wounding several men. The sudden, brutal attack convinces the defenders they face disciplined regulars, and Enjolras insists the flag be raised again as a matter of honor and morale. He asks who will volunteer to plant it while they are still being fired upon; silence and hesitation answer him, including from the bravest men, revealing the cost of conspicuous courage in the face of disciplined military fire.

The chapter ends on that suspended, dramatic question: who will expose himself to almost certain death to restore the symbol of the insurgency? The scene compresses sound, light, and movement to convey the shock of the first contact and the moral pressure placed on the group's leaders and volunteers.

Key events

1. Gavroche arrives singing and warns of approaching troops.
2. Insurgents take battle positions at the barricade and windows.
3. The approaching column is seen as a glitter of bayonets in darkness.
4. A voice challenges; Enjolras answers "The French Revolution!"
5. The troops fire a violent volley that cuts the flagstaff and wounds men.
6. The red flag falls and Enjolras demands someone replant it; no one volunteers.

Analysis

This chapter compresses action and symbolism into a brief, operatic moment that tests the insurgents' courage and cohesion. Structurally it functions as an opening act: suspense builds through sonic detail (the measured tread, the click of guns), then ruptures into violent contact, shifting the scene from tense waiting to sudden loss. The red flag operates as a central symbol—its fall signifies not only physical damage but a threat to morale and identity; Enjolras' insistence on replanting it frames honor and revolutionary principle as acts that may require sacrificial, highly visible courage. Gavroche's entrance provides youthful bravado and local knowledge, a contrast with the more philosophical Combeferre and the severe Enjolras; his seizing of "Javert's gun" links personal objects to the wider conflict.

Hugo emphasizes sensory contrasts—darkness pierced by metallic glints and an "empurpled" flash—to dramatize the battlefield as both theatrical and fatal. The anonymous challenge from the darkness and the crowdlike image of bayonets make the enemy seem impersonal and inevitable, heightening the moral claustrophobia when no one steps forward. Narratively, the chapter shifts responsibility onto the group: collective bravery is demanded, yet individuals balk. The rhetorical exchange and the open-ended question about volunteering set up character choices and dramatic consequences for the following acts, while underscoring themes of sacrifice, symbolism, and the tension between individual fear and collective honor.

Important quotes

“That is Gavroche," said Enjolras.”

NarratorIdentifies Gavroche's arrival and the immediate recognition that his voice and presence signal news of the enemy.

“Who goes there?”

Unknown voiceThe challenge from the darkness that initiates the deadly exchange and dramatizes the menace of the unseen troops.

“The French Revolution!”

EnjolrasEnjolras' defiant reply; a proud, politic proclamation that provokes the volley and highlights the symbolic stakes of their resistance.

Characters in Volume 4, Chapter 1

• Enjolras
• Combeferre
• Gavroche
• Courfeyrac
• Bossuet
• Joly
• Bahorel
• Feuilly
• Javert