page_title: Marius Pontmercy
section_title: The barricade
hierarchical_section_title: Marius Pontmercy / In the novel / The barricade
caption_attribution_description: English: Death of Éponine from Les Miserables.Français&#160;: Mort d'Éponine dans les bras de Marius.
context_page_description: Marius Pontmercy is a fictional character, one of the protagonists of Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel Les Misérables. He is a young student, and the suitor of Cosette. Believing Cosette lost to him, and determined to die, he joins the revolutionary association Friends of the ABC, which he associates with, but is not a part of, as they take part in the 1832 June Rebellion. Facing death in the fight, his life is saved by Jean Valjean, and he subsequently weds Cosette, a young woman whom Valjean had raised as his own.
context_section_description: Éponine, disguised as a boy, places herself in front of a musket to save Marius' life. Marius drives them away by holding a torch to a powder keg, and threatens to blow up the barricade. Afterwards, he finds Éponine lying on the ground, fatally shot. She confesses to Marius that it was she who told him to go to the barricades, and saved his life because she wanted to die before him. She also tells him she has a letter for him. She asks Marius to promise to kiss her on the forehead after she dies, which he agrees. With her last breath, Éponine confesses her love for him, and dies. The letter she had concealed is from Cosette, and reveals her whereabouts and when she will leave for England. Marius writes a letter back to Cosette, saying since she left again with no forwarding address, he would fulfill his promise and die for her. He gives the letter to Gavroche, to deliver; however, Gavroche delivers the letter to Valjean. Valjean goes to the barricade to find Marius, disguised as a volunteer. When Valjean is tasked with executing Javert, Marius assumes that he has done so, and is a murderer.
caption: Marius cradles the dying Éponine at the barricades.
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