xjehan-deactivated20171031:

1. Cosette literally woke up one morning and was like, “oh god, I’m beautiful“ and then genuinely seemed upset about that fact for a while before she got used to it. Like the fact Cosette just woke up and decided to live that ****flawless life is inspirational. 
2. Cosette was a terrified, abused six year old in the middle of a dark, horrifying forest that was probably her second worst nightmare and she looked up to see a huge, looming man and decided, “yes, him i like” and just decided to fall in love with him and totally accept him as her Papa/Lord and Savior because Cosette just instinctively knew. Because Cosette has great instincts and even though all that shit had happened to her and she was still hopeful and still was able to trust a complete stranger despite all the emotional trauma she was sustaining, and just wow Cosette is so much
3. Little Cosette being abused and mistreated and disappointed her entire life but still puts out her shoe on Christmas Eve hoping maybe this year will be the year Father Christmas remembers her. Actual living embodiment of hope for the entire novel for a reason and totally unfathomable that she could even have that much hope in the world but she does? She just keeps trooping forward never giving up that last thread of hope that maybe this time even though there’s literally no reason she should be hoping for anything but more misery. Oh my god Cosette is just so great that unfailing optimism is exactly what Valjean needed from her and its what Marius will be needing from her considering all his friends are dead. 
4. The way Cosette sees her Papa torturing himself as penance for all he’s done in his past by depriving himself of so many things, so she subtly starts doing the same so that he’ll feel guilty that she hangs out in his cold rooms or eats the same gross stuff he does and he’ll stop because he doesnt want her to have to live like that. And just how clever Cosette is with both perceiving what her father is doing even though she doesnt know why, and knowing that he loves her enough to give her anything. And what she wants is for him to enjoy life and stop punishing himself because she knows he’s a good person and knows he should let go of all those past horrors, whatever it was he did. So just the way Cosette loves her Papa more than anything and insists that he’s the best kind of person and plays him over so that he stops punishing himself and starts letting the good bits of life seep through the cracks. Cosette is just such a Good Person and its totally natural to her nature but Valjean definitely helped that goodness grow and gave her somewhere to pour it all into until she fully entered the world. 
5. The way both Valjean and Marius thought Cosette was totally unaware of Marius’ love-stalking in the park and Marius was like, “oh god if she’ll only notice me!!” and Valjean was like, “oh god what if she notices him!!” but Cosette is super astute and instinctual and observant so she already noticed the hot booby lurking behind statues and trees and having asthma attacks every time she walked past him. She was totally checking Marius out already but is better at playing it cool than both Valjean and Marius so the way Cosette is just like, “i want that one” and spends months eyeing him without anyone noticing is pretty great. Also when she thinks Marius isnt going to work out I’m pretty sure she already starts thinking about the other hotties she sees in the park so like girl knows whats up, okay. 
6. Just like overall Cosette represents the hope of the entire novel, the shining brightness in the hellscape of trauma and tragedy Hugo has written, and there’s a reason why her face is the one plastered on the musical posters. But more than just being that prop, I think Cosette truly embodies that hope and that kindness inspiring people like Marius and Valjean. She actively helps people and actively strives to be a good person despite all the hardship she’s had. But she’s also incredibly clever and instinctual and independent and level-headed. I think modern Cosette would go so far without all the old school conventions/sexism holding her back. If she were given free reign I think she’d get so much accomplished and would be that kind of person that just inspires everyone to be a better person and to have hope for a better future despite the darkness of the past. I know people say that Cosette is a flat character because she doesn’t do much in the novel, but she’s essential to the plot and what she does do speaks volumes about her character and her influence on the other characters. She’s so important to the plot, but she’s also so important to humanity. She’s not trying to martyr herself or become a saint or be remembered or anything, she’s just trying to make people happy. I think she concentrates on the individuals she meets instead of the larger society because its an immediate way of helping people, and immediate way of making them happy in whatever way she can. She’s got all this trauma inside her that’s never discussed or dealt with, but I think she’s sort of turned a lot of that darkness into light just by her determination to be kind and help people. I mean it starts with her father, obviously, the desire to help him and the fact that they both save each other from the darkness trying to consume them. She’s just an incredible character, for all that she’s regulated to a “flat character” and a “symbol” to scholars.