Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre-Dame weaves an extraordinarily tragic tale of love and loss. More than 150 years after the novel's initial release in 1831, Quasimodo, the titular hunchback, is still examined even today because of humans' morbid fascination with the bizarre and the tortured; however, Quasimodo is even more so examined because of the purity of his heart and the depth of his love despite his egregious circumstances. Although the novel ends in tragedy for nearly all of the main characters, there is a hopeful lesson woven into the story beneath the catastrophe: a lesson that inspires humans to be better. Quasimodo's journey teaches the reader about love and how it can alter perceptions of the world. Ultimately, Quasimodo still remains a widely studied and respected character today due the enormity of his suffering, his hideousness, and his love.
The hunchback's story relates a human's attempt at reaching self-actualization, or the realization and embracement of one's true purpose in life, a concept widely studied and published upon by psychologist Abraham Maslow (Maslow, 1954). He proposed a hierarchy of needs which must be met before self-actualization can occur. The needs for security in physiological maintenance, safety, love, and esteem must be fulfilled before the possibility of realizing one's true purpose can even be considered. Maslow detailed how difficult it is to self-actualize and how it is not a state effortlessly maintained, but one which can fluctuate with time and experience. The desire to discover who one is and what reason there is for living is indeed a powerful motivator, but finding the answer frequently proves futile. It is exceedingly rare for a person to fully self-actualize, a truth candidly displayed in The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. Self-actualization proves completely elusive for all of the characters, with each lacking the fulfillment of the necessary preceding needs. This stark actuality is crucial for understanding and appreciating each character's individual personality and journey, especially Quasimodo, and details the ruthless trials of a distinctly human endeavor absent in all later adaptations of the story.
In the novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo (1831/1965), a small but severely deformed boy around the age of four years old was found on the steps of Notre-Dame cathedral in 1467. Claude Frollo, a priest at the time, adopted the child and named him Quasimodo. This may have been due to the fact he was found on Quasimodo Sunday (the Sunday after Easter Sunday) or that the boy was a malformed person: "Indeed, Quasimodo, one-eyed, hunchbacked, and bowlegged, could hardly be considered as anything more than an almost" (Hugo, 1831/1965, p. 143). Frollo raised Quasimodo within the cathedral of Notre-Dame, where he grew to become the bell-ringer. For accepting him and caring for him, Quasimodo was utterly loyal to Claude Frollo, so much so that he is referred to as a slave and a dog to his master. The priest taught the hunchback to read, write, and speak, but after a few years he lost his hearing due the thunderous tones of the bells. After becoming deaf, Quasimodo voluntarily chose to become mute as well, speaking only when absolutely necessary and communicating with Frollo through a sort of sign language. Only through ringing the bells did Quasimodo feel joy, as they were the only sounds he could truly hear. Quasimodo's love for the bells gave Notre-Dame a certain life, illuminating the breathtaking soul within the cathedral which only came alive when the bells sang. The hunchback loved only his master and Notre-Dame… until he met a certain gypsy girl named Esmeralda.
On January 6, 1482, Quasimodo was crowned the Pope of Fools, proclaiming him as the ugliest person in Paris. The citizens sarcastically cheered for his hideousness and mockingly applauded him, however Quasimodo accepted all of the contempt and jeering regardless, as "it was the first moment of self-love he had ever enjoyed, indeed, that he had ever experienced" (Hugo, 1831/1965, p. 64). As he was paraded around the city on men's shoulders, Claude Frollo, now archdeacon of Notre-Dame, was in a crowded square watching a young gypsy named Esmeralda dance and perform tricks with Djali, her talented goat. Frollo had sworn to himself to never touch a woman when he was younger, eventually growing to despise women, especially the foreign and mysterious gypsies; however, he lusted for this beautiful girl like he had never for any woman before. The girl spun in circles as she danced, her colorful skirts displaying her delicate and graceful limbs, with dark hair and luminous eyes contrasting against her golden-tinted skin. She effortlessly hypnotized the surrounding crowd with her absolute beauty and grace.
An old woman suddenly shouted and sneered at the dancing gypsy, causing the young girl to shudder. Aged and frail, wearing nothing but a sack as a makeshift dress, she was widely known as the Sachette, meaning Sack Woman. Years before, her beautiful baby girl had been abducted by gypsies and replaced with a deformed four-year-old monster. The Sachette lived in an old and empty cell in the Tower of Roland, perpetually mourning the loss of her beloved daughter. She lashed out at every gypsy she saw, blaming the whole of them for her pain. After her verbal abuse upon Esmeralda, the Pope of Fools processional entered the square, and Frollo spotted Quasimodo being carried around on display. He swiftly snatched the crown from the hunchback's head and berated Quasimodo with angry gestures in their secret form of sign language before ordering him to leave. In an instant, Quasimodo's one moment of pride and high self-esteem was shattered.
Later that night, Frollo and Quasimodo attempted to kidnap Esmeralda, but were intercepted by nearby soldiers, led by the handsome captain Phoebus de Châteaupers. Esmeralda was taken at his gorgeous face and instantly fell in love with him. After imparting her thanks, she fled, and Frollo escaped without being seen, but Quasimodo was captured and sentenced to both a whipping and two hours at the pillory so he could be publicly scorned and beaten. During this punishment, Quasimodo was steadfast and unwavering, not letting the gathered crowd see the terrible pain he was enduring. Despite being unable to hear their derisive shouts and laughter, Quasimodo could still see the hatred on the people's expressions and feel the heavy rocks they hurled at him. Near the end of the two hours, Quasimodo's steadfastness was depleted, and he began to beg for water. He strained against his bonds, but as strong as he was, could not break free. People cruelly laughed at his anguish but soon quieted when Esmeralda ascended the stairs to the pillory. There she gifted Quasimodo with the water he had so desperately needed. This was the only act of true kindness the hunchback had ever known in his life, and he was so overwhelmed with relief and gratitude that a tear tracked down his asymmetrical face.
About two months later, Phoebus, along with his fiancé and her friends, spotted Esmeralda dancing in the square outside of the building they were in. They called her over, the women making fun of her unkempt clothes and foreign name while Phoebus marveled at the girl's overwhelming beauty, complimenting her endlessly. One of the women tried to persuade Esmeralda's goat, Djali, to perform a trick for her. While the other females scorned Esmeralda and told her leave, Djali spelled out "PHOEBUS" in lettered tiles, a trick the lovesick gypsy had taught her to perform over the past months. Thus, Esmeralda's closest companion revealed her greatest secret to the group of hateful women and to Phoebus. In shame, the gypsy fled, only to be followed by the man of her affections. He told her to rendezvous with him at a nearby inn that night, later bragging to a friend about this meeting, not knowing the nearby archdeacon had overheard him.
As Phoebus headed to this inn, Frollo, shrouded in a heavy cloak to avoid recognition, stopped him and said he would pay for the room if Phoebus allowed him to hide in there and watch. The captain accepted Frollo's offer, led him to the room at the inn, and shut him into the closet, later returning with Esmeralda. Phoebus seduced her, though he did not have to try terribly hard, as she was already in love with him. All the while, Frollo watched from the closet, his extreme concurrent desire and hatred for the gypsy warring with each other until he could no longer stand it. He burst forth from the closet and stabbed Phoebus as Esmeralda watched in horror. As she fainted from shock, Frollo kissed her before fleeing out of the window. Esmeralda woke to soldiers carrying a bloodied Phoebus away and placing her under arrest for stabbing him.
One month later, Esmeralda was publicly tried for witchcraft and the murder of Captain Phoebus de Châteaupers. She denied all allegations, only wishing to know if her beloved Phoebus was alive and safe. Not satisfied with her denials, the court sent her to be tortured, after which she immediately confessed, her once joyful spirit swiftly broken. After hearing of her new confession, the court sentenced Esmeralda to be hanged in the town square for all to see. She was locked away in an underground prison with only the sounds of dripping water to keep her company as she waited for her death sentence to be enacted, her perception of time and reality blurred, until one night when Frollo visited her. It was then he declared his love for the gypsy girl and offered to free her so that they could run away and start a life together. He described how his blood raced when he saw her, how her beauty was unlike anything he had ever known, and how he believed she had been sent by the devil to corrupt and destroy him. He confessed to trying to ban her from the city with edicts, ordering Quasimodo to kidnap her, and stabbing Phoebus out of jealousy. All Esmeralda wanted to know, however, was if Phoebus was alive, to which Frollo said he was dead. The gypsy then cursed Frollo and told him not even hell would unite them together.
In actuality, Phoebus had survived the stabbing and had subsequently avoided anything to do with the trial, simply putting the incident in the past behind him. He went to visit his fiancé after he healed from his injury, consequently on the day Esmeralda was to be executed. The two watched the crowd in the square below and witnessed Esmeralda being brought in on a cart, a heavy noose around her neck. She was made to ask for penance in the cathedral before her hanging, where Frollo once more asked her to change her mind. After disgustedly refusing, Esmeralda was led outside of the church and looked up to find Phoebus standing on a balcony not far away. She was overjoyed, but he was not. The captain and his fiancé quickly ducked out of sight, and Esmeralda fainted from the shock. It was then that Quasimodo swept down from the rafters in which he had been hiding, scooped up Esmeralda, leapt into the entryway of Notre-Dame, and raised her above his head, yelling, "Sanctuary!" for all the crowd to hear (Hugo, 1831/1965, p. 344).
For weeks Esmeralda remained tucked away in Notre-Dame, for if she went one step outside, she would be immediately seized and hanged. Quasimodo tended to her every need as best he could, even apologizing multiple times for his hideousness. He left her alone so that she would not have to bear the sight of him, giving her a whistle with which she could call him with if she ever desired. The gypsy remained repulsed by the ugly hunchback despite his utmost kindness and gratitude for giving him water when he was on the pillory. One day Esmeralda stood on the roof and spotted Phoebus down below. Shouting frantically, she strained to gain his attention. Doing so caused jealousy and pain to erupt in Quasimodo, bringing him nearly to tears. Despite this, he offered to fetch the captain for Esmeralda since she could not leave the cathedral. She begged for him to bring her dear Phoebus to her, claiming she would love the hunchback if he did so. Quasimodo waited outside for Phoebus all day, only encountering him in the dead of night. He implored Phoebus to visit the gypsy girl, but the captain stoutly refused. Knowing the truth would break her heart, Quasimodo told Esmeralda he could not find the captain, to which she angrily sent the hunchback away. He kept his distance after that, only watching over her from afar.
When Quasimodo had rescued Esmeralda, Frollo had not been in Notre-Dame; he had fled to try and process the fact that the person who was both his beloved and hated would be hanged to death that day. When he returned to discover she was alive and within the cathedral, he locked himself away in his chamber for weeks, consistently watching the gypsy girl from his window. One night his lust for her became too much for him to bear, and he attempted to rape Esmeralda. Luckily, she managed to blow the whistle the hunchback had given her, and Quasimodo descended upon her attacker with extreme viciousness. He was about the stab the intruder when moonlight poured through the window, revealing the intruder to be none other than his master. Immediately, he backed away and became submissive, telling Frollo to kill him for what he had done. The archdeacon of Notre-Dame fled, but not before discovering that he was jealous of the ugliest man on Earth.
The gypsies of Paris eventually rallied to save their own from the depths of Notre-Dame, and one night attempted to break in to rescue Esmeralda. Quasimodo misunderstood the mob of people trying to beat down the cathedral's doors, however, and thought they had arrived to kill the gypsy girl. Desperate to protect her, the hunchback hurled wooden beams and heavy stones over the side of the church onto the people below. He even poured molten lead used for repairing the bells into the gargoyle gutters decorating the sides of the church, scorching all those below, to try and stop them from ascending. Phoebus and royal guards eventually managed to quell the gypsies and then began the hunt for the missing girl, for she was no longer protected by the sanctuary of Notre-Dame. During the fray, Frollo kidnapped Esmeralda and took her to the town square where the gallows resided, imploring her one more time to run away with him. She again refused, so the archdeacon had the vicious Sachette look after her while he searched for nearby guards to hang her. During this brief interlude, the Sack Woman, who had despised the gypsy for fifteen years, discovered that Esmeralda was her long-lost daughter. Amidst the short and tearful reunion, the guards came to take Esmeralda away. The Sachette tried desperately to protect her daughter but died in the process. The gypsy girl was then swiftly carried up to the gallows.
Distraught that Esmeralda had been taken, Quasimodo was in the process of searching the nooks and crannies of the cathedral for her when he spotted Frollo climbing up to the roof of Notre-Dame. The hunchback followed his master, looking out over the square below just in time to see Esmeralda be hanged from the gallows. Frollo cackled evilly. Though he could not hear the laugh, Quasimodo could clearly see the heinous expression of glee on the archdeacon's face. In rage and in anguish, Quasimodo pushed his master over the side of the roof. Frollo did not immediately plummet to his death but was able to grab a gargoyle protruding from the outer wall of the cathedral. He was still close enough to the rooftop that Quasimodo could have easily lifted him back up to safety, but the hunchback simply stared at the dying girl in the square, his body motionless but endless tears pouring down one side of his face. Frollo's grip on the gargoyle quickly weakened, and in trying to climb up, broke his only support and was thrust into a rapid descent. He impacted with the roof of a nearby house, still alive, and tried to grip the edge of it; however, that grip too gave out, and the archdeacon tumbled down the remainder of the slanted roof, colliding swiftly with the ground and then moving no more. Seeing the only people he cared about in the world perish before his eyes, Quasimodo exclaimed in agony, "Oh, all that I ever loved!" (Hugo, 1831/1965, p.496).
After that night, Quasimodo was never seen again. Phoebus, on the other hand, lived and married his fiancé. After being killed, Esmeralda's body was dumped in Montfaucon, a place where many, both guilty and innocent, were hanged to death. It was also the place all those executed upon gallows within the city of Paris were haphazardly deposited. Approximately two years after the tragic events, a hunched skeleton was discovered tightly embracing Esmeralda's within Montfaucon. Whenever people tried to separate the two skeletons, the hunchback's bones crumbled to dust.
Containing a diverse cast of complex and tortured characters, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame is ironically not centered around the hunchback himself. The original novel was not called The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, as it is known in English today; the original title was Notre-Dame de Paris, meaning Notre-Dame of Paris (Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008). Victor Hugo wrote this work largely to draw attention to the Gothic architecture in Paris, as much of it was being destroyed around this time to make room for new buildings (Simonovski, 2017). Due to this, numerous lengthy passages of the novel are dedicated to describing the architecture of Notre-Dame and its surrounding area in the utmost of details. These descriptions not only help to visualize the setting, however, but to link certain places to specific characters. For example, Quasimodo represents the great cathedral that is Notre-Dame, and the Sachette personifies the isolated cell in the Tower of Roland where she resides (Joshua, 2011). Within the past decade, evidence from a journal has been discovered, telling about how a hunchbacked stonemason worked on repairs at Notre-Dame around the time Hugo was writing the novel (Nikkhah, 2010). Though there is not concrete proof they knew each other personally, it is highly possible Hugo drew inspiration for Quasimodo's character from this hunched stonemason. Years after its release, the success of the novel helped to usher in a movement to restore Notre-Dame's Gothic architecture in 1844 (Nikkhah, 2010).
Despite the novel not revolving solely around the famous hunchback, Quasimodo still remains regarded as the predominant protagonist, due to more than just his presence in the English title. This is partially because of how horribly he was treated by his master as well as the citizens of Paris. Quasimodo endured years of use and abuse from Frollo while retaining the utmost respect and loyalty to him. Frollo initially adopted the disfigured boy out of pity and compassion, but as time progressed, he became colder and exceedingly closed off from the hunchback and the world around him as he descended into his own personal questionings of God and explorations into alchemy. While described being publicly lashed and abandoned by his master on the pillory, a strong sense of sympathy for Quasimodo is evoked within the reader. Bal and Veltkamp (2013) theorize that this sympathetic reaction might occur because the reader is not responsible for a fictional character, thus relieving any possible feelings of obligation to help. If faced with the situation in real life, however, it is likely the same person would have a completely different reaction when taking in the hideous sight of Quasimodo, especially in a rowdy crowd. The bystander effect would likely come into play, in which each person thinks someone else will help, diffusing the responsibility and/or blame onto the others present. Darley and Latane (1968) theorized that the more people there are present in a crisis situation, the less likely it is for helping behavior to occur. Even if Quasimodo had looked like a normal human being, it is still plausible no one besides Esmeralda would have helped him, each person thinking that someone else would step up. The crowd's behavior was only enforced when the gypsy girl finally did come forward. In addition to the bystander effect, deindividuation within a large group of loathsome people would cause the loss of self-awareness and rationality, shriveling up any feelings of sympathy and replacing them with the crowd's overwhelming anger and hate (Baysinger, 2015). If the reader were to actually see Quasimodo instead of simply imagining his appearance, it is likely disgust and a morbid sense of curiosity would overpower any other emotions.
This is due to his extreme grotesqueness and how humans are simultaneously repulsed and obsessed with those they deem to be hideous. Another famous gothic novel, The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, displays this idea similarly nearly a century after Hugo did so, telling a twisted tale of a disfigured man who stalks an opera house while musically tutoring a young girl and killing any who intervene (Leroux, 1911). A real-world example is the popular presence of freak shows in the nineteenth century in England and the United States (Grande, 2011). Droves of people would gather to examine those with physical defects or odd talents because the so called "freaks" deviated from the norm. Had these shows existed in Quasimodo's time and fictional world, the hunchback likely would have made quite the living by participating in them.
Described as more beast than human, including one eye completely covered by a wart, teeth protruding like tusks, and a sizeable hump between his arched shoulders, Quasimodo's appearance was designed to be absolutely irredeemable (Hugo, 1831/1965). No one ever looked at him without contempt or disgust due to his monstrous appearance, and that is harshly juxtaposed with how overwhelmingly beautiful Esmeralda is described to be. Likened to a fairy, an angel, and a goddess, the young gypsy mesmerized all those around her with her otherworldly appearance in addition to her artful dancing and singing (Hugo, 1831/1965). Instead of simply celebrated or admired, the gypsy girl was persecuted due to her looks and ultimately condemned to death because of them. While Esmeralda and Quasimodo appear to be polar opposites in appearance and in character, they actually have an incredibly rich literary relationship though they do not personally interact often within the book's text.
Fate represents one of the novel's central overarching themes. One example of this is shown in how Quasimodo and Esmeralda were switched as children and subsequently met later on in life. Despite Esmeralda traveling through the surrounding countries for years and Quasimodo hiding away in Notre-Dame due to his appearance, they met together in Paris, albeit under grim circumstances. Quasimodo's first encounter with the gypsy was when he tried to kidnap her upon Frollo's orders. The hunchback was not described as an exceedingly violent being before this incident, but he typically kept to himself and would not go out of his way to help others, understandably as everyone in Paris had hated him since the day he was left on the steps of Notre-Dame. Doing what he could to cope with their obvious hatred, Quasimodo turned away from them, and "he armed himself with the weapons that had wounded him" (Hugo, 1831, p. 146), embracing his beastly physique. After Esmeralda graciously gave him water on the pillory, however, Quasimodo evolved into an incredibly selfless man. The gypsy's pure beauty had captured his attention, yes, but it was her simple and genuine act of kindness that impacted him, so strongly that "a big tear rolled down from Quasimodo's bloodshot eye, and trickled slowly down his deformed face so long contracted by despair" (Hugo, 1831/1965, p. 228). After this, the hunchback was shown to be nothing but incredibly kind and faithful to both Esmeralda and his master: the only two people he loved in the world.
Despite this positive personality shift though, Quasimodo remained ostracized by all the citizens of Paris, including Esmeralda. After he saved her from being publicly hanged at the gallows, she could not bear to look at him simply because "he was too ugly" (Hugo, 1831/1965, p. 366). She did not even thank him for rescuing her from certain death. Instead, she lashed out at the poor bellringer when he could not convince Phoebus to visit her in Notre-Dame, harshly ordering him to leave her sight. Regardless of the pain of her dismissal, Quasimodo continued to care for Esmeralda from the shadows, providing her with food, removing a sculpture that had scared her, and keeping guard by sleeping outside her door at night. Even with all of his quiet compassionate acts, Esmeralda was relieved when he left her alone and instead fawned over her beloved and backstabbing Phoebus from afar. Where love had made the hunchback kind, love had made the gypsy cruel.
Quasimodo's love was so strong for Esmeralda that he went to be with her in death, voluntarily entering Montfaucon, a gruesome open grave for all those hanged to death in Paris. His love was so overpowering that he died while holding her body, presumably from starvation because he could never bring himself to leave her side again. Essentially, the hunchback of Notre-Dame died of a broken heart. Even though she rejected him multiple times, Quasimodo's complete love for Esmeralda prevailed, and that is ultimately what attracts readers to the story and to his character in general. Within all of the tragedy in the novel, the doomed love of the gypsy and the hunchback, this one beacon of light shining within the grimy streets of Paris, is more than enough for readers to simultaneously marvel and sob. Unrequited love is a major draw of the story, as most humans have experienced at least one instance of it at some point in their lives, enabling them to relate and feel sympathetic towards Quasimodo's situation. The reader wants Quasimodo to succeed and win over Esmeralda in an absolute underdog victory. This hope is thoroughly shattered, and the reader is left to wonder if there is true love in the world at all, for certainly Quasimodo loved the gypsy girl with all of his being, but he was only permitted to outwardly express it when she was dead. Unable to win her affections or save her life, Quasimodo's final act of true love was to die beside Esmeralda, holding her in his arms until the day his hunched skeleton crumbled into dust.
Chronicled over various adaptations in different media platforms, Quasimodo's journey has been retold a multitude of times, but each iteration changes the story, altering its overall emotional impact and takeaway. Each version denies the ultimate tragedy within the novel, displaying altered representations that fail to encompass the full complexity of the characters and the world they live in. Because the events of the novel are so dark and callous, detailing the cruelties of life and how difficult it can be to reach self-actualization, it is the most similar to reality. None of the characters obtained self-actualization, each unable to discover his/her true purpose in life. They never had the opportunity to even try because their physiological, safety, love, and esteem needs were not fulfilled. Quasimodo, Esmeralda, and Frollo all died before realizing what they were meant to do, and Phoebus married his fiancé, to whom he was clearly not devoted. While it is possible the captain discovered his meaning in life after the events of the story, this is improbable considering his behavior and personality within the novel. The finality of death before personal fulfillment is yet another tragic and consequential attribute of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, one that is sorely lost in later versions. Movies and musicals attempt to convey the tale of the hunchback using their own unique forms of storytelling, but in making these modifications, they tarnish the uniquely human tragedy of the original story.
The 1923 American silent film portrays a truly hideous hunchback, but changes the main antagonist of the story, transforming the powerful archdeacon of Notre-Dame into nothing more than a simple background character and instead inserting his younger brother Jehan into the villainous role of the hunchback's master (Laemmle, 1923). It is Jehan that lusts after Esmeralda, and in his pursuit of her, uses Quasimodo to try and abduct her, jealously stabs Phoebus, and forces himself upon the gypsy. The movie focuses mostly on Phoebus and Esmeralda, turning the middle of the story into something akin to Romeo and Juliet, a classic but vastly different type of tragedy. In the end, Quasimodo throws Jehan from the roof of Notre-Dame, but not before receiving a fatal stab wound from his cruel master. Esmeralda and Phoebus are successfully and lovingly reunited, and Quasimodo dies alone beneath the bells. The absence of Frollo as the antagonist greatly takes away from the misfortune and complexity of the story as well as Quasimodo's individual character. Seen with little attachment to Jehan in the film, his development and actions are overly simplified, and his lonely death holds less emotional impact for the viewer.
The animated Disney movie understandably lightens the story as it is a movie targeted toward a young audience, altering nearly all of the events and personalities within the original story. In this version, Esmeralda survives and becomes friends with Quasimodo, and Phoebus legitimately falls in love with her (Hahn, 1996). Frollo still dies, but the townsfolk grow to welcome Quasimodo despite his hideousness, filling the story with a sense of optimism and hope that is blatantly absent in the source material. This movie adaptation aims to teach a lesson about beauty and acceptance to its young viewers, but in doing so, simplifies the characters into mere shadows of their original selves, transforming them into one dimensional beings who undergo great revelations incongruent to their respective experiences. The encouraging lesson also teaches an unrealistic representation of self-actualization and human behavior, portraying love and friendship conquering all, when reality is much harsher and unforgiving.
A 2014 stage musical adaptation based upon this Disney version draws more inspiration from the original book (Schwartz, 2016). It darkens the events and the characters of the movie, remaking them to into flawed human beings. In this version, Quasimodo is actually the son of Jehan and is therefore Frollo's nephew. The archdeacon adopts the hunchback as a baby because Jehan falls ill and dies after eloping with a gypsy. This is where Frollo's hatred for gypsies stems from, as he blames them for stealing away and ultimately killing his brother. This story change helps to humanize his character and his later actions. Events largely follow the Disney version while inserting more mature themes and developing the characters to show the imperfections within the facets of their personalities. The most significant difference between this version and its Disney predecessor is that Esmeralda dies at the end. The hunchback heroically saves her from being burned at the stake and takes her into Notre-Dame, where, after declaring Quasimodo a good friend, she dies in his arms. Despite this, the musical retains the heartening and uplifting ending of the Disney movie, with the people of Paris coming to accept Quasimodo for who he is. While it is closer in tone to the source material, the musical still significantly alters most events, as well as the characters' personalities: Frollo has understandable motivation for hating gypsies, Phoebus is brave and faithful, and Esmeralda is always kind to those around her, especially Quasimodo. The musical strikes a midpoint between the unrealistic optimism of the Disney movie and the merciless cruelties of the novel, conveying the underlying moral of love and hope in a much more overt fashion.
Notre-Dame's hunched bellringer remains as an iconic literary character today, even for those who have not read the book. Portrayed in numerous different ways in various movie and musical adaptations, the Quasimodo from the original novel was nearly more beast than man but expressed more compassion than all of the other characters combined. Where his appearance creates an initial shock value, his kindness is largely what makes his character so intriguing. His dreadful circumstances and treatment tug on the reader's heartstrings and evoke feelings of sympathy, ensuring ultimate emotional investment in his character. While he never achieved the true self-actualization every human innately strives for, he found meaning in his love for the beautiful gypsy girl: a pure and true love cruelly denied by the unforgiving world around him. A poor and tortured soul, Quasimodo remains a famous and continuously studied literary character because of the suffering he endured, his monstrous appearance, and his absolute and unrequited love for Esmeralda.