Éponine Thénardier is ‘the proof that not only guys get friend zoned.’ She is one of the most tragic characters in Les Misérables. When she is first set up, she is not very likable. She is a spoiled tattletale, and has picked up her parent’s example of mistreating Cosette. She is very little described, so the authoress of this website assumed her as the stereotypical pampered and lavished mean little girl. However, when she grows up, she becomes different. Being very in love with Marius, she starts to doubt her parents, and eventually musters the courage to defy their evil acts. She also tries very hard to impress him, and therefore stops speaking argot. She ‘knows her way around’, and is very street smart. Finding Cosette’s address in less than twenty four hours, she still tells it to Marius even though she knows that he will only see Cosette. This echoes to Valjean saving Marius. Marius constantly avoids her though, as she always stalks him while he stalks Cosette. Her personality is layered, and she is very conflicted. Unlike Cosette, she maintains none of her childhood innocence. After Marius goes to the barricades, she saves him from a bullet, wanting to die before him. She confesses that she was a little in love with him, and in her last moments, gives him Cosette’s letter. She might have been selfish in at first wanting Marius to die, but ultimately her acts of selflessness make her an enduring character.
