Singing the song of angry men

I bought tickets for Les Mis at the Kennedy Center last August. I missed it the last time it came through DC; I had put off getting tickets, foolishly assuming they'd be available closer to when it got to town. Pretty much the entire run was sold out, which caught me off guard; obviously I love Les Mis (it's the best!), but I didn't realize how popular it still is. Little did I know the controversy there would be over this run.

There's been a decent amount of discussion of Trump's affection for Les Mis (and Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals), with people wondering (validly) how he could possibly miss, you know, the point of the show. People tend to focus on the plot of the student uprising of 1832. Trump and his followers clearly see themselves as being analogous to the students and critics are understandably like, "???" 

In thinking about the lyrics to the show, though, it's noticeable that we don't get a lot about what exactly the students are rising against. There's a reference to Lamarque ("the people's man") speaking "for the people here below." The students are rising against the government, fighting the army. Knowing what we know about Victor Hugo, we know who he would--and wouldn't--support in today's politics. But Trump's supporters seem themselves as the downtrodden. I'm not surprised that they think Enjolras is on their side. Politico has a really interesting article about all this.

Josh Davis and Nick Cartell. Photo by Matt Murphy.

But what I want to focus on is the rest of the show. Because that is what I think about when I have the "How can Trump not understand this show?!" thought. Les Mis is about a man who breaks the law for a good reason and then breaks parole and goes on to lead an exemplary life, all the while being chased by someone whose rigid view of the world doesn't allow him to see nuance in people. Javert kills himself because he cannot reconcile a world where a criminal is actually a good person. 

The way the government is functioning right now is all black-and-white thinking. It's Javert. Something is Good or it is Bad and no further thought is needed. I'd say the overarching theme of Les Misérables is the importance of love ("And remember the truth that once was spoken: To love another person is to see the face of God") and compassion ("You must use this precious silver to become an honest man"), and then the fight against social injustice. And that is what the Trump administration is missing.

Also, Trump is clearly Thenardier, the most morally repugnant character in the story.