Review of The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Title : The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Author : Victor Hugo
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a classical story of infatuation which was originally published in 1831. In the story the year was 1482 and the place which the author mentioned in weaving the story is Paris. The title of book suggests that the story is about a person having a hunchback and who dwells at Notre Dame.
In the beginning of the story “Festival of Fools” is celebrated acknowledging the characters Pierre Gringoire, Master Coppenole, Quasimodo, La Esmeralda, Dom Claudo Frollo and Captain Phoebus de Chateaupers. In that festival a competition is conducted in which the person with the ugliest facial expression will be the winner. Quasimodo who was a deaf man becomes the winner of that contest as he has the natural ugliness on his face which was quite monstrous. Soon Quasimodo’s attention is released as a beautiful girl named La Esperanza came on board to dance. Everyone’s attention was totally captured by her looks and the way she was spinning, tapping and swinging while dancing.
Then Frollo the father of Quasimodo made a plan to kidnap Esmeralda as he was fallen in love with her and ordered Quasimodo to help him by abducting her. Quasimodo follows the order and tries to abduct Esmeralda. But Captain Phoebus saves Esmeralda and captures Quasimodo. Quasimodo is then taken in public who were treating Quasimodo very badly by hurling stones at him.
The story revolves around so many situations and then Esmeralda has been imprisoned as she is accused of the murder of Captain Phoebus. Frollo comes to jail to meet her and said her that he will rescue her if she loves him. But she denied. Then Quasimodo rescues him from jail and took her to Notre Dame. Again Frollo put his love in front of her but she denied. Then He left her with a lady name Gudule.
Gudule shows a shoe to Esmeralda saying it was the shoe of her lost daughter. Esmeralda finds that it is the same shoe which she had. The she told about to Gudule that the shoe pair is with her. After discovering this Gudule came to know that Esmeralda is her lost daughter. Then Gudule tries to hide Esmeralda but she failed and then Esmeralda is taken away and sentenced to death. She was hung then. After a long years Esmeralda skeleton is found with a hunchback skeleton.
Author has painted romance in the story using fresh episodes. The characters in the story are confusing at times. The first half of the story would be difficult to understand if the reader loses his attention. As the second half starts the story becomes interesting unfolding every chapter very clearly. The end of the story was woeful and may fill the reader with wretched feeling.
The writing style of the story was simple providing an easy go throughout the whole book. The way author narrates the story is really compelling which will help the reader to drift through the every chapter of the story without having in-complexities.
Sometimes the connection of the story becomes weak which may unhinge the reader’s mind. Although the author had written every chapter very clearly but some of the pieces are not fixed up like the way it should be.
A nice read!
Rating : 4/5
Reviewer : Megha Biloniya