Others have felt similarly discarded, or even betrayed. Mr. Macron rose to power through his service in a Socialist government, but there is little of the socialist about his policies.

Mr. Macron imbibed from his mentor, the late philosopher Paul Ricoeur, a belief in the transforming power of the individual will. As proof, the young president can point to his own quick rise to the top, a stunning success that undergirds many of his pronouncements.

Similarly, the changes he has pushed through so far — like his lightening of the mammoth French labor code, with barely a whimper from the opposition — only buttress the narrative of individual determination, which he now hopes to infuse in his fellow citizens.

It is an unusual position for a French politician, who for generations have emphasized the protective power of the state — and the proof of any success will come only with a significant drop in the stubborn 10-percent jobless rate, elusive so far. But already surveys show higher levels of confidence among business executives than have been seen in many years.

That is so even though Mr. Macron’s cadre of technocrats are “incredibly far from an electorate that demands protection,” Mr. Perrineau, the political scientist, said in the Le Un interview. Yet Mr. Macron’s poll numbers are climbing again, after a summer trough.

But there are challenges ahead. Mr. Macron may not be so lucky with his next intended shock to the French system, a change to the country’s generous unemployment compensation system, scheduled to be negotiated beginning next week.

Already opposition politicians have reacted furiously to a leaked government document that merely spells out what Mr. Macron promised during his campaign: tighter controls over those seeking compensation, including sanctions and cutoffs for those who refuse more than two “decent” job offers.