La souris qui a pris le chat

La souris qui a pris le chat is Gavroche’s brief, mocking description of Javert’s capture at the barricade. Its image reverses the expected relation between predator and prey: the seemingly vulnerable mouse has caught the cat, and the feared police inspector is now bound and helpless.

The Phrase in Its Scene

After Javert had been searched, his arms were tied behind his back and he was fastened to a post in the low room. Gavroche had watched the whole scene and silently approved it with a nod. He approached the prisoner and said, « C'est la souris qui a pris le chat. » The capture had happened so quickly that it was already over before those gathered around the cabaret noticed what had taken place.

Reversal and Tone

The phrase makes the change in power legible through a small, sharp image. Javert, the cat in Gavroche’s comparison, has been caught by the mouse: the insurgents have subdued the man who represents the authority pursuing them. Gavroche’s remark is not a neutral description. Its wry playfulness punctures the danger of the moment even as the scene keeps Javert’s physical helplessness unmistakable.

The Prisoner and the Image

The surrounding scene complicates the joke. Javert does not cry out; tied so tightly that he cannot move, he raises his head with the fearless composure of a man who has never lied. The phrase marks his reversal of fortune, while his composure preserves the stern self-command that defines him. Its force comes from holding those two facts together: the cat has been caught, but he does not act like prey.