Close-Passage Analysis: The Cosette Archetype.
Throughout "Fulfillment of the Promise to the Departed," the reader sees Cosette as an archetype of Cinderella, complete with the evil step mom and stepsisters. On pages 130 to 138 of the section, the reader is shown clearly to what extent Cosette is abused, and how well the character and her archetype flow with the paper. Through Hugo's literary devices the reader can perceive the archetype of Cinderella portrayed by Cosette.
The imagery from the section is fully focused on how much Cosette is abused, and how horrible her surroundings are. One quote used to give the reader a perfect image of Cosette's Cinderella figure is, "She was clad in rags; her bare feet were in wooden shoes; and by the light of the fire she was knitting woolen stockings for the little Thernardiers." The quote shows an image of Cosette that is rather disturbing to the reader, and, at the same time, sums up exactly how she is treated by the Thenardiers. Not only does it accomplish those two things but the passage also tells the reader about the rags she wears, the shoes she does not have, and how she is being treated similar to a slave, which makes the archetype of Cinderella obvious. Another quote use to make the Cinderella archetype more apparent is, "That doll was not a doll, it was a vision. It was joy, splendor, riches, happiness and it appeared in a sort of chimerical radiance to this unfortunate little being, buried so deeply in a cold and dismal misery." With the quote the reader can envision little Cosette staring at these beautiful dolls, which seem to represent all things good in the world to her. The good represents the longing for her "prince to come rescue her. It shows how sad she is with her current life, and how just looking at these beautiful dolls seem heavenly to her. When Jean Valjean buys her one of these dolls, she looks at herself as a princess and he is her prince, which is just like Cinderella.