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
It is dark when Gringoire storms out of the palace and begins to tramp through the city. He has nowhere to stay because he owes his landlord six months’ rent. He had promised to pay him with his wages from the play, which he has not received. Gringoire knows he must spend the night on the street and decides to make his way to a sheltered doorway that he has seen before, which he thinks looks cozy.
Gringoire is very poor and essentially becomes homeless because he cannot afford his rent. Hugo includes Gringoire’s story in his novel because, he suggests, this was a very common experience for people in the medieval period—and in 19th-century France—and one that is worthy of being portrayed in art. Gringoire does not have much control over his fate. His wages are paid based on the whims of nobles, who commission his plays but do not always pay him for his work. Even though Gringoire tries to play by the rules of his oppressive, elitist society, he still can’t afford even a place to live.
Themes
On his way, Gringoire comes across the “fool’s pope” procession and hastily avoids them. He stumbles into a dark street and comes out opposite the river Seine and the “ferryman’s hut,” which once occupied an island in the center of the river. Gringoire spends a peaceful moment looking at the little hut but he is startled when the ferryman lets off a firework. Irritated, Gringoire decides to go to the bonfire in the Place de Grève, where he might warm up.
Hugo’s novel is full of historical detail about the layout of medieval Paris. This emphasis on the city itself underscores Hugo’s central point that physical environments shape people’s lives profoundly; the city is a vital aspect of the characters’ experiences.
Themes
