Who is the female main character?

[broadwaybound01]

Hi, i heard all of the musical songs, but i was wondering if Epponine or Fantine was the female lead.

[Charles Darnay]

There is no real female lead. In the first book "Fantine", Fantine (obviously) is the central female character. In the second book "Cosette", Cosette is the central female character. After that, Cosette and Epononine are both central female characters, but neither are the "lead"

[Shya]

Well, I would say Cosette and Eponine equally. I kind of feel sorry for Azelma... we don't hear much about her. But I think that mostly it's about Cosette, since the main main character is Valjean and he spent his life to make her happy.

Unless he was only trying to please the dead mother, Fantine? Fantine is a major character too.

[kiki1982]

I don't actually think there is a female lead character at all in this book... According to the 19th century society: women were not seen on the foreground.
Fantine, I think, is very important for Jean Valjean, because she is the third person he feels for. First he feels for Petit Gervais, as he steels his only money. Then he feels for Fauchelevant who is going to be crushed under his cart and then there is Fantine, who is a woman who went through a lot. I think here is evoqued a kind of love, but higher than man. I suppose for Jean Valjean, she moves him into the manly direction of love. For the first time she will make him a father figure with great responsibility. He goes to get Cosette at Christmas Eve which symbolises the new beginning, not only for Cosette, but also for Jean Valjean. Maybe the reason why he wears always black can be partly found in that direction. Unlike the first time, when he is in trouble (when Javert follows him), he will not do illegal things, but will carry Cosette into the garden of the convent of Petit Picpus and he will re-enter in a legal fashion. The first time there wasn't any food for his nieces and nephews, he just stole a loaf of bread. Now he will provide an education for Cosette and will become her 'father', as if he had been a widower.
Eponine, I think is not a main character. She is in love with Marius and finds the address of Cosette/Ursule out and saves his life at the barricade according to romantic ideal, but for the rest isn't important to the story. She helps Marius because she hopes that he will then love her, like Thénardier, her father, hopes that, because he provides for his family, they will love him unconditionally... Actually Eponine is a lighter and female version of her father. Not so cunning 'because women are not able to', but still selfish.
Cosette, I think, is as important as Fantine for Jean Valjean, because she is for him the reincarnation of her mother. He loves her as he loved Fantine. He projects his love for Fantine on Cosette and so is jealous and sad when he needs to give her to Marius, but loves her so much that he wants her to be happy. He gives her identity papers, a dowry etc. which a real father would give his daughter.

Both Fantine and Cosette don't say much, but kind of 'roam' around in the backround of the book, as two guardian 'angels' that need to have a look whether Jean Valjean is doing well. In the end Cosette will hand him over to the angel Myriel who will take Jean Valjean up to heaven.

[amalia1985]

I agree that there is no specific female lead character, like Esmeralda in Notre-Dame,for example, but Hugo's great talent created some of the most memorable female figures in Les Miserables, and each one of them is important for the development and the outcome of the story. To reply to this, I would say that both Cosette and Eponine are central, although I always turn towards the former, taking in mind the symbolic meaning of her presence for Jean.

[kellic_15]

in the book, there really isn't one definite main female character. But in the musical, Cosette is more dominant. However, Fantine and Eponine play HUGE roles, too. It's just that she's Valjean's daughter (sort of), and Marius's lover, so she gets more stage time and higher billing.

[bazarov]

I haven't watch musical but in novel Cosette is main character definitely. She is Fantine's daughter, later becomes the central point of Jean's life, Marius's love...That's enough I guess.

[Big Dante]

Cosette because she is what drives both Marius and Valjean. Neither can leave without her as shown by Marius' suicidal behaviours and Valjean at the end. Fantine plays a major role in the first part but that is more an introduction to Valjean and what inspires his change in character. Eponine does play a large role in it but she is more of a side character. In a novel with the length of Les Miserables it is hard to distinguish between major and minor characters because even the minor characters get more time. But Cosette certainly plays more importance than Eponine. The story would not work without Cosette.