The Hunchback of Notre - Dame by Victor Hugo

Anthony Writes;

I am reading the book The Hunchback of Notre- Dame by Victor Hugo.  This book is definitely a classic.  The main character in The Hunchback of Notre- Dame is named Quasimodo, who is the hunchback of Notre- Dame.  Quasimodo was abandoned as a child and left in Notre- Dame.  Quasimodo was adopted by Archdeacon Claude Frollo.  Quasimodo has a giant humpback, a wart over his eye, and he is also deaf.  The entire book is divided into 10 different sections.  In the first section, the character Pierre Gringoire is introduced.  During the Festival of Fools, Pierre Gringoire’s play is being performed, however the crowd finds it boring and uninteresting.  A beggar named Clopin Trouillefou climbs onto the stage and gets every ones attention.  The crowd then must elect the Pope of Fools. Each candidate sticks his head through a hole, and the ugliest face wins.  Quasimodo wins.

In section 2 of the novel, Gringoire, the failed play writer wanders around looking for a quite place to sleep.  Gringoire finds a bonfire surrounded by spectators watching the gypsy La Esmerelda.  Gringoire sees Quasimodo follow Claude Frollo.  Gringoire starts to follow La Esmerelda, and they are both attacked by Quasimodo.  When Gringoire wakes up, he is captured by a group of beggars, who are going to execute him.  La Esmerelda saves him by saying she is going to marry him.

In section 4, the novel tells the story of how Quasimodo was adopted by Claude Frollo.  Nobody else wanted him, and Claude Frollo felt bad, realizing that the same thing could have happened to his younger brother, Jehan.  Quasimodo becomes the bell ringer, which causes him to become deaf, but he still loves it.  The bells are the only things that make him happy.