How Setting Can Create Meaning

In the opening scene of Les Misérables (Tom Hooper, 2012), setting is used to create meaning. To create an atmosphere that seems inescapable, there are tall, even gigantic, stone walls/stairs. The fact that the majority of characters are stuck in a pit at the bottom of these walls shows that these characters are considered the lowest of the low in society. Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe), is shown to be at the very top of the stairs, exerting and emphasising, his authority over them. The stone structure itself is quite grimy, representing the dirty lives these criminals have led.

The prisoners (indicated that they are such by their clothing and make-up.) are knee deep in water, which could be interpreted as them drowning in their sorrows, and the past they wish they could escape.

Another key element for the setting in this scene is the use of pathetic fallacy. At the start of the scene, the skies are extremely dark, and there is heavy rain pouring down. This shows that this is a stormy phase in our main protagonist, Jean Valjean’s, life. The rain could also portray the sadness of the prisoners, hinting that they feel like crying. Then, once they have finished their work and Valjean (Hugh Jackman) is being interrogated by Javert, the skies are clear, but the ground around him is still wet and dirty. By the end, the ground is completely dry and the sky is clear, showing the end of his imprisonment, and the start of a bright new day.