les miserables essay

Les Miserables

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Books 1-4

Part 1, Books 5-8

Part 2, Books 1-4

Part 2, Books 5-8

Part 3, Books 1-4

Part 3, Books 5-8

Part 4, Books 1-7

Part 4, Books 8-15

Part 5, Books 1-4

Part 5, Books 5-9

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

Valjean's quest for redemption begins with an escape from prison. How does Valjean struggle to escape his criminal past? What societal and cultural obstacles stand in his way?

Javert is a man driven by a total commitment to the law. How does this commitment waver? What drives him to die by suicide at the end of the novel?

In what ways does Fantine’s death explore the tragic plight of the poor during the period in which Les Misérables is set?

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“Les Miserables”, analysis of the novel by Victor Hugo

The epic novel “Les Miserables” was created by Hugo for thirty years. The French writer put two strictly opposite images of his era, the convict and the righteous, in the basis of the plot, not in order to show their moral difference, but in order to unite them into the single essence of Man. Hugo wrote his novel intermittently. In the beginning, the plot twists and turns of the work were created, then it became overgrown with historical chapters.

The main goal of the “Les Miserables” French writer saw showing the way, which passes as a separate person, and the whole society “from evil to good, from wrong to just, from lies to truth. The starting point is matter, the final point is the soul. ” The central connecting image of the novel – convict Jean Valjean – embodies the inner realization of this idea.

The most “rejected” hero of the work goes through a difficult path of moral formation, which began for him with an unexpected meeting with the righteous Bishop of Dinh – seventy-five-year-old Charles Miriel. The pious old man was the first person who did not turn away from Jean Valjean, learning about his past, sheltered in his house, treated as an equal, and not only forgive the theft of silverware, but also presented two silver candlesticks, asking to use them with for the poor. In the hardened labor and constant injustice of the convict’s soul, an internal revolution took place, leading him to the first step of moral formation – he began to lead an honest and pious way of life, taking up industrial production and taking care of his workers.

The second turning point in the fate of Jean Valjean was the case of Champmathieu. Rescuing a person unknown to him from hard labor and revealing incognito was given to the hero by hard internal struggle – Jean Valjean suffered all night long thinking about whether he should risk the well-being of the whole region for the sake of the life of one person, and whether it will be testify of his excessive pride. To meet the fate of the hero is sent, without taking any decision. He speaks his name at the court hearing, having seen in Champmathieu a common, close-minded old man who has no idea about what is happening around him.

The most tragic for Jean Valjean is the third stage of his spiritual formation, when he refuses Cozette. He loves his daughter called all-consuming love, combining an infinite variety of feelings (love for daughter, sister, mother and, possibly, Woman), he goes to the barricade of the street Chanvreri, where he saves from the death of Marius – the very Marius whom he hates with fierce hatred so that later it’s not just to give him the most precious thing he has – Cosette, but also to tell about who he is.

The life of Jean Valjean begins after the release from prison. In the beginning, he learns to do good to people, then to sacrifice himself in the name of truth, then to give up what he loves most in the world. Three refusals – from material wealth, from oneself and from earthly attachments – purify the soul of Jean Valjean, making it equal to the righteous Bishop Dean and the God himself. The former convict dies, reconciled with his soul, as befits a real Christian.

The complete opposite of Jean Valjean in the novel is the police inspector Javert. Strictly following the letter of the law, he sees neither true kindness, nor philanthropy around him as long as it does not concern him. The unexpected release, bestowed upon him by his worst enemy, knocks out Javert from his usual rut of honoring justice. He begins to think about what is in the world something more than the laws invented by people. Javert so sharply sees the existence of God, that his soul, tormented by sins, does not have time to resist the revealed abyss of truth, and he commits suicide.

From the time of Jean Valjean’s release from prison and eighteen years past his death. The artistic time of the novel is not limited to the framework of October 1815 – the beginning of the summer of 1833. Hugo periodically plunges the reader into the past, telling about the Battle of Waterloo (June 18, 1815), about the history of the Small Picpus Monastery, about the development of the Parisian sewers, then about the future, when he talks about the 1848 Revolution that grew out of the 1832 uprising.

The main scene of the novel is Paris, the point of intersection of all plotlines is Gorbot’s shack, in which Tenardier arranges an ambush for Jean Valjean. The main and minor heroes of the novel, related to each other by kinship and eventual ties, do not always know about them: for example, Cosette does not recognize his former guardian in Tenardier, Gavroche does not recognize his two younger brothers, Jean Valges, Tenardier and Javert alternately, not recognizing each other friend The latter circumstance serves as the basis for the formation of many plot intrigues.

The adventurous beginning of the “Les Miserables” is primarily associated with the image of Jean Valjean. The psychologism of the novel is also manifested in this character. Cosette and Marius are the heroes of the romantic warehouse: their characters remain almost unchanged throughout the story, but their main feature is love for each other. The heroes of the Parisian bottom – the Tenardier family, the gangster community “The Cock’s Hour”, the street boy Gavroche – are associated with the naturalistic core work. In The Les Miserables, Hugo is equally good at transmitting the inner experiences of the heroes, as well as a detailed description of the premises, buildings, streets, and landscape panoramas.

The love theme in the novel is closely connected with the theme of death: the loving Marius Eponina invites him to the barricades, preferring to see the hero dead than belonging to another woman, but eventually gives up and dies, saving the life of the beloved; Marius goes to the barricades because he cannot live without Cosette; for the same reason, Jean Valjean leaves after him. As befits the romantic characters, the characters have little contact with reality – they are at the mercy of their feelings and do not see other ways of developing the situation, except to “be with your loved one” here and now or die.

Heroes “rejected” by society finally leave him at the time of the highest internal upsurge of the lower classes: the former church warden Mabeuf loses his life, hoisting the banner of the Revolution on the barricade, Gavroche dies, collecting cartridges for the rebels, “Friends of the ABC” die for the sake of a bright future for all mankind.

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Les Misérables Essays

Les miserables by Victor Hugo and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hossieni both have tragic themes. Les miserables is a story set during 1815 in Digne, France about the struggles and quest for freedom of a convicted man by the name of Jean-Valijean. During the course of the story, his...

"It is precisely of him that I wished to speak. Dispose of me as you please; but help me first to carry him home. I only ask that of you. " Upon examination of Les Miserables, it is clearly evident that the elements of Forgiveness, Self ? Sacrifice, and Courage are only a few of the main themes...

1 031 words

In Les Miserables, Victor Hugo portrays human nature in a neutral state. Humans are born with neither good nor bad instincts, but rather society affects our actions and thoughts. Hugo portrays the neutral state of mind through Jean Valjean and Cosette. The two extremes of good and evil are...

Les Miserables is an epic tale of hope, empathy, sympathy, redemption and hate set in post-revolutionary France. Written by acclaimed author Victor Hugo, Les Miserables follows the transformation of its two main characters from criminal to honest man and from dedicated reactionary to compassionate...

1 102 words

The novel Les Miserables was written in 1862 by Victor Hugo. Behind the plot of Les Miserables lie inklings about the meaning of life and about human nature. Components of Romanticism and realism are used by Hugo in order to successfully project his feelings about the plight of mankind. Various...

Written by Victor Hugo after the French Revolution, Les Miserables is a story that examines the many levels of social injustice in nineteenth-century France. Its protagonist, Jean Valjean, is central to the understanding of this injustice. Sentenced to 19 years in prison for committing a petty...

Reaction Paper – Les Miserables Les Miserables translated variously from French as The Miserable Ones, The Wretched, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, The Victims) (1862) is a novel by French author Victor Hugo and is widely considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. It follows the...

1 456 words

In Webster’s Dictionary the word justice is defined by the words fairness and rightfulness. Around the world, the figure of justice is portrayed as blind from all information but objective facts. In the novel Les Miserables written by Victor Hugo, the figure of justice is meant to be completely...

Claudia Lara Burke English 11 Nov. 27, 2009 Fatal Flaw In the film Les Miserables, Jean Valjean is a hero because he often sacrifices himself in order to be fair and to protect his loved ones. Valjean, a reformed convict, sacrifices himself and gives up his freedom after a long period of his life...

Les Miserables Published 1862 I| | INTRODUCTION| When Victor Hugo's novel Les Miserables first came out in 1862, people in Paris and elsewhere lined up to buy it. Although critics were less receptive, the novel was an instant popular success. The French word “miserables” means both poor wretches...

2 220 words

Short Summary of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo In some ways the novel is structured traditionally. It has a rising action that is the part of the narrative that sets up the problems that are to be resolved. This consists of Valjean's life up to the point when he saves his enemy Marius by carrying...

1 221 words

Hena Alyssa Marie L. CapatiMrs. Ma. Victoria Bacani IV-BSED LES MISERABLES (Reaction paper) The movie, Les Miserables is based on the novel of Victor Hugo, though the book is 100 of times better than the movie and there is a different final, they only talk about the same thing. Les Miserables is...

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Reflection on Les Miserables Les Miserables, which means “The Miserables Ones” in English, is a musical portrayal of the French Revolution. The musical is an epic tale and portrayal of the spirit of the very poor, people who have suffered throughout their lives. There are four main characters...

1 511 words

Keith Hamrick 4/26/2010 Creative Presentation – Les Miserables as a Musical Les Miserables (Les Mis for short) is a musical that was composed in 1980 by the French composer Claude-Michel Schonberg with the libretto, or text, by Alain Boublill and lyrics by Herbert. It is one of the most performed...

Jacob Crandall November 21, 2011 Comp II Les Miserables: A Summary Imagine a world where your legal system is so unjust, you would be sent to prison for 20 years for stealing an single apple. This is the world of Jean Valjean in the adaption of Victor Hugo’s classic play, Les Miserables. This...

The Single Path of Javert In the novel, Les Miserables, Victor Hugo displays a lifestyle of a police officer named Javert with only one purpose; to serve justice. In the novel, Javert acts to what he truly believes is morally correct, but when his conscience gets the best of him, he overlooks his...

Looking into the movie, I have found that it is a very parallel story line. The two main characters lead very similar lives just on the opposite sides of the road. Javert, seems to be the law and nothing more, and Valjean, may be just the lowly criminal, but if you take a closer look you can only...

Les Miserables Essay “So long as the three problems of the age- the degradation of man by poverty, the ruin of women by starvation, and the dwarfing of childhood by physical and spiritual night- are not solved… books like this cannot be useless,” (Hugo Preface). In his novel, Les Miserables...

1 199 words

Page One The theme of this book is the importance of love and compassion, and social injustice. Three genres that affect the theme in Les Miserables are: Historical Research, Literary Analysis and Creative Element. The historical research gave you knowledge of the author, and what was going on...

2 090 words

For my AP World History Movie Review, I chose to watch Les Miserables; a movie based on the inspirational novel by Victor Hugo. I selected this movie because i had a summer assignment on it for ADV English and also because i thought it would be a good idea to watch the movie before reading the...

• Les Miserables

Victor Hugo

• Literature Notes
• Essay Questions
• Book Summary
• About Les Misérables
• Character List
• Summary and Analysis
• Part 1: Fantine: Book I
• Part 1: Fantine: Book II
• Part 1: Fantine: Book III
• Part 1: Fantine: Book IV
• Part 1: Fantine: Book V, Chapters 1-7
• Part 1: Fantine: Book V, Chapters 8-13
• Part 1: Fantine: Books VI-VIII
• Part 2: Cosette: Book I
• Part 2: Cosette: Book II
• Part 2: Cosette: Book III
• Part 2: Cosette: Book IV-Book V, Chapters 1-5
• Part 2: Cosette: Book V, Chapters 6-10
• Part 2: Cosette: Books VI-VII
• Part 2: Cosette: Book VIII
• Part 3: Marius: Book I
• Part 3: Marius: Books II-III
• Part 3: Marius: Book IV
• Part 3: Marius: Books V-VI
• Part 3: Marius: Book VII
• Part 3: Marius: Book VIII
• Part 4: St. Denis: Book I
• Part 4: St. Denis: Books II-III
• Part 4: St. Denis: Books IV-V
• Part 4: St. Denis: Book VI
• Part 4: St. Denis: Book VII
• Part 4: St. Denis: Books VIII-IX
• Part 4: St. Denis: Book X
• Part 4: St. Denis: Books XI-XV
• Part 5: Jean Valjean: Book I, Chapters 1-10
• Part 5: Jean Valjean: Book I, Chapters 11-24
• Part 5: Jean Valjean: Book II-Book III, Chapters 1-9
• Part 5: Jean Valjean: Book III, Chapters 10-12, Book IV
• Part 5: Jean Valjean: Books V-VI
• Part 5: Jean Valjean: Books VII-IX
• Victor Hugo Biography
• Cite this Literature Note

Study Help Essay Questions

1. Les Mis é rables is one of the most widely read novels of all time. How do you explain its appeal?

2. Trace Victor Hugo's numerous antitheses.

3. Comment on Hugo's preface: "As long as there shall exist, by virtue of law and custom, a social damnation artificially creating hells in the midst of civilization and complicating divine destiny with a human fatality . . . books like this cannot be useless."

4. "My belief is that this book will be one of my major achievements, if not my major achievement." Do you agree with Victor Hugo's appraisal of his own work?

5. To those who accuse Victor Hugo of implausibility, Baudelaire answers: "It is a novel constructed like a poem, where each character is an exception only by the hyperbolic way he represents a generality." Elaborate.

6. One of Victor Hugo's most poignant and recurrent themes is what François Mauriac calls "the desert of love" — that is, unfulfilled love. Trace Hugo's variations on this theme.

7. One of Hugo's editors, Marius-François Guyard, claims to see a solid framework behind the apparent disorder of Les Misérables. What is your estimate of the novel's structure?

8. To what extent is Javert a symbol and to what extent an individualized characterization?

9. Thénardier is an absolutely evil man. Can such a character be considered realistic? Is he convincing?

10. Diderot defines one form of genius as the tendency to see abstract ideas only through their concrete manifestations. How does Victor Hugo illustrate this definition in Les Misérables ?

11. Discuss Les Misérables as a realistic novel.

12. It has been said that Jean Valjean's dominant emotion is caritas (charity — active, outgoing love for others), but that it is not his only passion. Discuss some other emotions that Jean Valjean experiences in the course of the book and show how they conflict with or reinforce his caritas .

13. What are the principal social evils Victor Hugo is attacking in Les Misérables ?

14. What social reforms does Victor Hugo advocate, directly or indirectly, in Les Misérables ?

15. What is Hugo's view of human nature? Does he believe it is naturally good or vitiated by original sin, or does he take a position somewhere between these two extremes?

16. Marius has been described as a typical young Romantic of his era. Discuss him and compare him with other Romantic heroes in books, plays, or poems of the Romantic period that you may have read.

17. Explain Cosette's function in the novel in regard to character development, plot development, and theme.

18 . What are Hugo's principal weapons as a propagandist? Discuss the effectiveness of each.

19. Gavroche is considered one of the most memorable characters in French literature. Analyze the techniques Hugo has used to make him so.

20. Discuss the Romantic elements in Les Misérables .

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Les Miserables, Essay Example

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 “Evaluation Essay Les Miserables, the Movie”

“Whether true or false, what is said about men often has as much influence on their lives, and particularly on their destinies, as what they do (Hugo, 1).” This statement was taken from the classic novel, Les Miserables, and was the basis of the story. Fortunately, for those who wish to watch the film version of this classic novel, there is a great film that portrays the story as well. Recently, I had the pleasure of watching, “Les Miserable”, a film adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel written in 1862. The movie version was made in 1998 and directed by Bille August. The main characters of the movie were played by Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, Uma Thurman and Claire Danes. As in the classic novel, the plot of the movie follows the adult life of Jean Valjean, played by Liam Neeson, who was sentenced to prison for 19 years for stealing bread and then paroled. After release from parole, he is unable to find somewhere to sleep because no one will give an ex-convict a room; however, the character, Bishop Myriel, offers to let him spend the night. Valjean replies that he will be a changed man tomorrow. Valijean steals the Bishops silverware during the night and is later arrested. The Bishop tells the police that he gave them to Valijean and reminds Valijean that he must keep his promise of becoming a changed man. Valijean keeps his promise and becomes a changed man, he even becomes major with a successful factory and helps a single mother turned prostitute take care of her daughter after she passes; however, his past and his title as an ex-convict keep him from pursuing his promise to become a changed man as he is pursued by police Inspector, Javert. This story illustrates to the reader how one mistake can ultimately change your life, whether you are a good person or not. Can someone overcome their mistake and change their destiny? This storyline is what captivated me during the movie. I thought the movie was a great rendition of the book, especially in regard to the portrayal of the characters, costumes, music, and special effects. There were, however, some discrepancies between the book and the novel which could be argued as a bad portrayal of the book.

The main character in the movie, as mentioned previously, is Jean Valijean played by Liam Neeson. Liam Neeson brings this novel to life. His character has struggled with almost 20 years of imprisonment for stealing bread. We, as the audience, instantly feel compassion for him because we know he was only trying to survive. We can also see a change in his spirit after 19 years of cruelty from the prison guards. This is where the character of Javert, the town’s police inspector is introduced. Geoffrey Rush plays Inspector Javert. His character is immediately portrayed as a villain, as he cruel demeanor forces Valijean with slave-like work in the prison. Javert’s character personality is gruesome and dark and is obsessed with enforcing laws even with mistaken assumptions about the people he pursues. The fact that the villain in the story is more respected in society than Valijean’s character is also captivating. It made me feel angry and upset that a person who wasn’t particularly a criminal is treated severely, while the real villain, Javert, is respected in society.

The other characters in Les Miserables are also characterized in the same manner. For instance, the character, Fantine, played by Uma Thurman is portrayed as a nice woman who does everything to support her daughter, Cosette. Fantine was left by Cosette’s father to fend for herself and had to leave her daughter in the care of a couple who owned an Inn, the Thenardiers. The Thenardiers were cruel to Cosette and demanded excessive payment for her care. Fantine was forced into prostitution when she lost her job at Jean Valijean’s factory for being a single mother. I could not do anything, but feel for her character. Uma Thurman does a great job of portraying this character, in a way she is strong because she is doing what she can to provide for her child, but at the same time she shows a weak and absent minded side because we wonder why she leaves the child in the care of abusive people.

Valijean becomes close to Fantine after she is arrested and abused by Javert for prostitution. We again see the compassion in Valijean’s character and the inconsiderate character of Javert. Fantine becomes ill and dies during the time where Javert finds that his suspicions of Valijean’s true identity are real. Valijean is sentenced to life, but escapes Javert after saving a man on a boat. He himself falls into the water to escape. He finds Cossette and finds shelter at a convent from the man whom he rescued on the boat. There is a lot of irony to each character. If Valijean never was sentenced to life, he would have never been able to rescue that man who helps him find a job and shelter at a convent.

Cosette’s character is portrayed as curious and smart, but at the same time naïve. Although she grew up in poverty and fear and under the abusive care of the Thenardiers, she doesn’t become a cruel person. As soon as Valijean took her, she becomes a happy child and transforms into a well-educated young woman. That is the next scene in the movie, Cosette as a young woman who meets Marius, a rebellious character part of the French revolution. The irony in the characters is displayed here because you have Cosette who wants to be free in order to be with Marius. Valijean refuses this, even though he has spent his life not being set free.

The film was set in Paris, France during the 18 th century; however, the movie was filmed at Barrandov Studios in Prague. I think this was a good choice since the scenery and architecture are more gothic looking in Prague, which makes the entire movie more somber. In addition, the 18 th century costumes lack color in order to give a more somber appeal as well. Each character is dressed in mostly gray and black. In fact, there is no sign of color until Valijean and Cosette are in the convent where Valijean works as a gardener, a more happy time.

The music in the movie also plays along with the dark and somber mood. I felt that the music composition in the movie told the story itself. For instance, the theme song in the movie, Suite 1: Valjean’s Journey, is an intense and dramatic symphony piece. When you listen to it along with the movie, the song intensifies as Valijean struggles with his problems. Another example is when Cosette meets with Darius. The tone of the music is soft, signifying romance and love.

The movie was set in 18 th century France and the setting was composed quite astounding to exemplify this era. The architecture and the special effects used in the movie made it seemed as if the movie was recorded during this time. In addition, the special effects used toward the end of the movie during the French Revolution scenes with Marius were great. There was 18 th century weapons and cannon balls used during the war scenes, as well as sound effects to coincide with the war scenes.

Overall, I thought the movie was an excellent portrayal of the classic novel. In fact, the film received a 76% ‘fresh’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes with a critique indicating that the movie was intelligent, handsomely crafted adaptation of the classic novel. (Rotten Tomatoes) There could be some arguments against this rating, however, claiming that there were some major parts of the book left out. For instance, the film decreased the role of the Thenardiers, who were caring for Cosette. In the movie there are only in one scene; however, in the book they return to Paris after Cosette has grown and plot their own revenge on Valijean and Cosette. In addition, Marius is portrayed as the leader of the revolution in the movie; whereas, in the book he is only a participant. Furthermore, the movie ends with Javert committing suicide and Valijean walking away smiling. In the book, there are many more events after Javert suicide, such as Valijean’s death and the wedding of Marius and Cosette.

Besides the discrepancies between the book and the movie, overall the movie was a great portrayal of the classic novel, Les Miserables. For those who love dramatic movies with an excellent storyline, this movie comes highly recommended.

Works Cited

Hugo, V. Les Miserables (Signet Classics). Unabridged Version edition (March 3, 1987). 1488 pgs.

Rotten Tomatoes. Les Miserables 1998 . Web. Retrieved on April 21, 2012 from: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1083326-les_miserables/

Works Referenced

August, B . Les Miserable . Film. 1998. Columbia Pictures.

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Les Miserables

Romanticism in les miserables jasmine melwing college.

The Romantic era began with the desire to create something new and pleasureful, and to leave classicism in the past. Parker explains that “Romanticism is the art of presenting to people the literary works which ...are capable of giving them the greatest possible pleasure; classicism, on the contrary, of presenting them with that which gave the greatest possible pleasure to their grandfathers” (Parker 307). Parker thus summarizes the mood by which Romantics were fueled, one characterized by a need to create from their own imaginations, not from those of their ancestors. Romanticism is characterized in a plethora of ways, and ranges from foundations of artwork, to literature, to music, to philosophy- anything requiring creation. The ideals of Romanticism, in addition to creating something new, encompass individualism, imagination, beauty, love, nature, the supernatural, the sublime, organicism, the Byronic hero, and many more depending on the creator.

However, Parker precisely pinpoints the dominating and most recurring traits in Romanticism: “The essential elements of the romantic spirit are curiosity and the love of beauty” (Parker 308). Imagination and beauty, most often in nature, find themselves as key points for Romantic...

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A Pathbreaking Singer Arrives at the Met, With Pearls and Tattoos

Dav­óne Tines, who stars in the oratorio “El Niño,” is challenging traditions in classical music and using art to confront social problems.

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By Javier C. Hernández

The bass-baritone Dav­óne Tines, wearing Dr. Martens boots, a sleeveless black shirt and six vintage pearl rings, stood on a rehearsal stage at the Metropolitan Opera in Manhattan the other day and began to sing.

“My soul’s above the sea and whistling a dream,” he sang, a passage from the Nativity oratorio “El Niño” by John Adams, in which Tines makes his Met debut this month. “Tell the shepherds the wind is saddling its horse.”

Tines, 37, known for his raw intensity and thundering voice, has quickly become one of classical music’s brightest stars. He has won acclaim for performances of Bach, Handel and Stravinsky, and he has helped champion new music, originating roles in operas like Adams’s “ Girls of the Golden West ” and Terence Blanchard’s “ Fire Shut Up in My Bones .”

Tines has also used his art to confront social problems, including racism and police brutality. In 2018, he was a creator of and starred in “ The Black Clown ,” a searing rumination on Black history and identity inspired by a Langston Hughes poem. In 2020, he released a music video after the police killing of Breonna Taylor, calling for empathy and action.

During a rehearsal break at the Met, he described his art as cathartic, saying his aim was to “pick apart the complicated, contentious existence that is knit into the American landscape.”

“It’s a blessing to be a performing artist because you get an explicit place to put your feelings,” he said. “It’s the blessing of having a channel.”

Those feelings are expressed in a voice that is “not only low, but profound,” said the theater director Peter Sellars, who helped start Tines’s career in 2014 when he cast him in the chamber opera “Only the Sound Remains,” with music by Kaija Saariaho. “He really goes to very extreme and intense places,” Sellars said. “The performance is not just nice, it’s not just acceptable, it’s not just neat and well done. It has the quality that we’re present for an occasion.”

Through his wide-ranging work, Tines has helped to upend traditions in classical music. He has torn up the typical recital format, presenting deeply personal, carefully curated programs instead. He has embraced a wide variety of genres, moving freely from Bach cantatas to Black spirituals to minimalist music and gospel.

And Tines, at nearly 6 feet 3 inches with a muscular build, has challenged notions of what a classical star should look like. He wore a sleeveless all-white robe dress and Prada boots for the role of Jesus in Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion” with the New York Philharmonic last year. (“Jesus wears Prada,” he wrote on Instagram .) At the Grammys, he wore a sweater-dress inspired by his grandmother and decorated his shoes with earrings, as she often did before going to church.

As a gay Black man from Northern Virginia, Tines said he has often felt like an outsider. At a Lincoln Center cafe, he looked across the street to the Juilliard School, his alma mater. He began to recount his struggles there, describing how he felt misunderstood by teachers and colleagues because he could not relate to the standard vocal repertoire.

“I had to find my own path,” he said. “I had to find myself in other ways.”

Tines grew up in Fauquier County, Va., about an hour and a half outside of Washington, where his family has lived for generations. As a child, he was acutely aware of the racial and economic divisions in his hometown; he once said he “grew up in a Ralph Lauren ad on slave burial ground.” He was raised primarily by his grandparents. (His grandmother still calls at least twice a day.)

He grew up singing at a Baptist church in Orlean, Va. His grandfather, who served in the military and rose to become a chief warrant officer at the Pentagon, had served as music director at several churches in the area. But Tines’s real passion was for the violin, which he played in youth ensembles, rising to the rank of concertmaster. His grandparents encouraged him to give singing a try, and in high school he won leading roles in productions of “Ragtime” and “Les Misérables.”

He went to college at Harvard, where he studied sociology. It was not until his senior year, when he took part in a production of Stravinsky’s opera “The Rake’s Progress,” that he began to think more seriously about opera.

At Juilliard, where he enrolled for graduate studies, he said he felt dehumanized because people were seen “for what they can do, as opposed to who they are.” He also felt a disconnect with the core repertoire — works like Schubert’s “Winterreise,” which depicts a man dealing with the rejection of a woman he loves.

“I had to contend with the assumption,” he said, “that this was the repertoire that I cared to engage with.”

But he found ways to connect. When he was struggling with a Brahms song about missing a loved one, he thought about his mother, who died when he was 22.

“I found that if I envisioned a person that I loved and then lost, I could sing the song with integrity,” he said. “This very long phrase in the Brahms was an incredible vehicle for holding all the wailing and crying I still had to do.”

In the early phase of his career, Tines said he felt like a hermit crab looking for bigger shells as he moved from show to show. He developed a specialty in new music, working with composers he had met in school.

When Matthew Aucoin, a Harvard classmate, was working on “Crossing,” an opera about Walt Whitman’s time as a nurse during the Civil War that premiered in 2015, he wrote the role of an escaped slave fighting for the Union for Tines.

Aucoin said he was drawn to Tines’s perceptiveness and his tender falsetto register. “He’s a Renaissance man,” he said, “blessed with not only a voice but also a fabulously keen eye, ear and mind.”

Sellars, who had heard Tines sing at Juilliard, hired him for “Only the Sound Remains,” which premiered in Amsterdam in 2016. Tines landed leading roles in other contemporary operas, playing Ned Peters, a runaway slave, in “Girls of the Golden West,” and Charles in “Fire Shut Up in My Bones,” based on a memoir by The New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow.

But it was “The Black Clown,” which came to New York in 2019, that cemented his reputation as a visionary performer. Working with the composer Michael Schachter and the director Zack Winokur, he adapted Hughes’s poem into a teeming work of music, dance and theater, winning raves for his performance.

Tines, who had admired Hughes since fifth grade, said the poem “struck me like a lightning bolt.”

“The fact that someone was able to speak something that was so personally riveting,” he said, “but also so universal, was a revelation.”

When the Black Lives Matter protests spread in 2020, Tines was at first hesitant to use art to speak out. But he felt that the public was not fully comprehending the significance of the death of Breonna Taylor. In “Vigil,” he looks into the camera, his eyes filled with tears.

“Where there is darkness,” he sings, “we’ll bring light.”

Tines’s Black identity has continued to feature prominently in his work. In 2022, he and the violinist Jennifer Koh created “ Everything Rises ,” a multimedia show about their experiences as people of color in a predominantly white field that incorporated conversations with their relatives.

Adams said that Tines had an ability to “embody that particular kind of nobility and eloquence that you find in the great Black orators.”

“He really has a style to his singing that is unique,” Adams said, “in an operatic world where people sound more and more like each other.”

Tines has won praise for helping redefine the concert experience. In “ Recital No. 1: MASS ,” which came to Carnegie Hall in 2022, he played with the traditional Latin mass structure. He blended Bach with spirituals and other contemporary works, including pieces by Caroline Shaw, Tyshawn Sorey and Julius Eastman, as soul-searching questions were projected behind him.

Tines is now at work on a project, with his band, Dav­óne & the Truth, about Paul Robeson, the pioneering singer, actor and activist with whom he is often compared. (Robeson, known for his rendition of “Ol’ Man River” and other songs, died in 1976 .) He is tracing Robeson’s life and music, including a suicide attempt in a Moscow hotel room in 1961.

Tines, who recently had Robeson’s name tattooed on his left arm, said he was drawn to the vulnerability of that moment in Robeson’s life.

“I could connect to him more in a way to see that he wasn’t just a billboard of its Black exceptionalism,” he said, “but actually just a human .”

In recent days, Tines has been focused on “El Niño,” a work that he has performed several times over the past decade. In the oratorio, which is fully staged at the Met, he sings a variety of roles, including Joseph and Herod; at one point, he is the voice of God.

The soprano Julia Bullock, a classmate from Juilliard who is also singing in “El Niño,” said she was pleased to see her friend find a place in classical music.

“He’s really arriving at something,” she said. “It’s good fun and play and experimentation. It doesn’t feel like he’s worn down or overwhelmed. It’s cool. It’s really cool.”

The other night, after a day of rehearsals at the Met, Tines was at the Blue Building in Manhattan to perform in “Art is Gay,” a night of song and dance hosted by Art Bath, a performance salon. He sang a contemporary version of the hymn “I’ll Fly Away” and an arrangement of a Bach cantata.

Before the show, as the performers were putting on makeup and costumes, Tines approached the countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, who asked how he was faring with “El Niño.”

“Are you alive?” Costanzo said, embracing him.

“It was a long day,” Tines said. “I was at the Met from 9 to 5.” Costanzo snapped his fingers, and the two started singing Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.”

Sitting on a couch at the Blue Building, Tines showed off his pearls, which he has collected while performing in Hong Kong, Germany, St. Louis and elsewhere.

As his Met debut approached, he said he was striving to be a “clear glass” — to make himself “as simple as possible, so that the largess and complexity of what you’re hoping to touch has the space to exist.”

“More so than ever,” he said, “I hope to leave people and myself with an experience that’s quite far beyond people or myself.”

Javier C. Hernández is a culture reporter, covering the world of classical music and dance in New York City and beyond. He joined The Times in 2008 and previously worked as a correspondent in Beijing and New York. More about Javier C. Hernández