Les Miserables: Life Changing Events Life changing events are those occurrences, situations, opportunities and choices that truly affect the long-term development of an individual and their circumstances in life. There are many events in our lives that are not life changing; the typical day can be seen as a series of such events -- a meal is eaten, a route to work or school is chosen, a conversation is had, etc. In order for an event to be life changing, it needs to somehow disrupt the standard activities of the everyday in a way that fundamentally shifts how one interacts with or perceives the world in an irrevocable way. When a chosen meal of cereal leads to a chipped tooth from a stray bolt and the subsequent lawsuit enables your family to move out of a small apartment and to a new bought-and-paid for home in the suburbs, this standard event has become...

The line, "Jean Valjean opened his eyes wide, and stared at the venerable Bishop with an expression which no human tongue can render any account of" indicates that Valjean is experiencing a life changing event. At this point in the novel, the Bishop from whom Valjean stole some silver items has just bestowed a gift of even more silver upon him and lied to the officers that have essentially arrested Valjean, telling them the silver was all a gift. This is the incident that essentially restores Valjean's faith in humanity after his experiences in prison, and leads to his determination to lead a better life without the bitterness of his former existence. Previously, Valjean had experienced a life where everyone was out for himself, but the…