Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Gothic Architecture, History, and Art
Lust, Sin, and Misogyny
Appearances, Alienation, and Hypocrisy
Fate and Predestination
The Supernatural, Rationalism, and Knowledge
Justice, Punishment, and Freedom
Summary
Analysis
Quasimodo disappears from Notre Dame that afternoon. Rumors circulate that the demon Quasimodo has finally carried Frollo’s soul to Hell. Frollo is denied a religious burial. The year after these events, Louis XI also dies. Gringoire goes on to be a successful playwright, though he also dabbles in many other things. Phoebus leads an unhappy life as a result of his unhappy marriage to Fleur-de-Lys.
Quasimodo represents the spirit of the medieval period, which valued Gothic architecture and, therefore, brought life it. The novel is set at the end of the medieval period, around the real, historical death of Louis XI, when Europe began to transition into the Renaissance. Hugo suggests that, when the values of the medieval period—including the power of the Church, which was represented through buildings like Notre Dame—ceased to be important, people lost touch with these buildings and no longer saw them as alive or expressive of cultural values.
Themes
