The book Ill be talking about today is The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a fiction genre book by Victor

Hugo. Some examples of other books he has written are: The Man Who Laughs, Les Miserables, and
The Last Day of a Condemned Man. The main characters introduced in the story are: Quasimodo,
Claude Frollo, La Esmeralda, Gringoire, and Captain Phoebus.
Quasimodo, a deformed "hunchback" who has only one eye and cannot hear, lives in the bell tower
of Notre-Dame, where he is responsible for ringing the bells. During the course of the novel, he
proves that he is a brave and kind character with a noble heart. Claude Frollo, a priest of Notre-
Dame and the archdeacon of Josas, adopts Quasimodo as an infant and becomes the hunchbacks
master. He becomes a melodramatic villain whose evil passion destroys everyone. La Esmeralda is a
gypsy girl who is beautiful, kind-hearted, and charming. She is a street entertainer who performs
tricks with her pet goat, named Djali. Because of her loveliness, men cannot resist her.

Gringoire is a poet and philosopher who studies with Claude Frollo. When La Esmeralda marries him
to save him from the gypsies, he gives up his studies and becomes a street performer with her.
Captain Phoebus, the final character, is the captain of the archers in the Kings army. He seduces La
Esmeralda, which causes Claude Frollo to stab him. When the priest leaves Phoebus to die in a pool
of blood, La Esmeralda is found near his body and arrested for the crime.

During the 1482 Festival of Fools in Paris, Quasimodo, the hunchback of Notre Dame, is elected the
Pope of Fools for being the ugliest person in Paris. He is hoisted on a throne and paraded around
Paris by the jeering mob. Pierre Gringoire, a struggling poet and philosopher, tries unsuccessfully to
get the crowd to watch his play instead of the parade. Claude Frollo appears and stops the parade
and orders Quasimodo back to Notre Dame with him. Looking for something to eat, Gringoire
admires the graceful beauty of La Esmeralda, a gypsy street dancer, and decides to follow her home.
After rounding a corner, she is suddenly attacked by Quasimodo and Frollo. Gringoire rushes to help
her but is knocked out by Quasimodo as Frollo runs away. The King's Archers, led by Phoebus arrive
just in time and capture the hunchback.
Later that night, a group of beggars and thieves are about to hang Gringoire when La Esmeralda
comes forward and offers to save his life by "marrying" him for four years only. The next day,
Quasimodo is put on trial and sentenced to two hours of torture. He suffers both the pain of being
stretched and pulled apart as well as being publicly humiliated by the crowd of people, who hate
him for his ugliness. He begs for water, but no one answers his pleas until La Esmeralda comes forth
and brings him something to drink.
The theme of determinism dominates the novel, especially in the scene where Frollo watches a fly
get caught in a spider's web. Many characters in the novel do not believe in free will. For example,
when Pierre Gringoire follows La Esmeralda, he "resigns his free will" and accepts any direction that
she chooses. Similarly, Frollo believes that all actions have been predetermined and that nothing can
stop him from catching La Esmeralda. Just as the fly is bound to get caught in the spider's web, he
thinks that she is bound to fall into one of his traps. He thus uses this example of "fatality" to justify
his actions since nothing he or anyone else can do will change the predetermined outcome. As he
warns his associate, one should never "meddle with fatality."
The entire plot of the novel takes place in the city of Paris in the fifteenth century. Most activity
takes place in and around the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, one of Paris most notable landmarks. From
the tower of Notre Dame, the entire city is visible. Beneath the tower is the Place de Greve, a dark
and sinister place where criminals are hung. Many of the novels tragic events take place in the Place
de Greve. The Court of Miracles, a Parisian neighbourhood, is also of importance to the novel, for
the gypsies and vagabonds live here and have formed their own mini- government.
Victor Hugos language is unrivalled in richness and matchless in imagery in this novel. With vivid
detail, significant symbols, and sweeping strokes, the author reveals his delight with life, his love of
movement, and his respect for grandeur. In my opinion, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a great
book to read, filled with many dramatic scenes that are sure to stir your emotions. I highly
recommend this book to high school students to read.