Esmeralda’s shoe is a symbol of her innocence throughout the novel. Esmeralda was separated from her mother when she was stolen by gypsies as a baby. Her baby shoe is all that she has left to connect her to her parents and she wears it as an amulet, which she considers magical and protective. Esmeralda’s shoe is also associated with her dancing and her lightness on her feet. Before her persecution, Esmeralda is associated with lightness, joy, and freedom, which are symbolized by her profession as a dancer. She is compared to things that fly—a dragonfly, a bird, and a wasp—and this suggests that, like the baby shoe which has never touched the ground, Esmeralda is almost unearthly in her innocence, virtue, and beauty. When Esmeralda’s shoe is taken from her—when she is reunited with her mother, Sister Gudule, at the novel’s end—this represents the end of her innocence and her imminent death, which happens almost immediately after. Throughout the novel, Esmeralda’s shoe represents her attempts to flee from the powers of darkness that pursue her, as well as her desire to be joyful and free.
Esmeralda’s Shoe Symbol Timeline in The Hunchback of Notre Dame
