Smiling Man

Author: Victor Hugo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: The Man Who Laughs is one of Victor Hugo's important masterpieces. The novel is set against the backdrop of 17th-century British society. The protagonist, Quasimodo, is the descendant of a noble family but falls into the hands of child traffickers and is cruelly mutilated. Later, he is adopted by the traveling performer Ursus and earns a living by performing. He also falls in love with the blind girl Titys, who was also adopted by his foster father. Later, due to accidental factors and the needs of British politics, Quasimodo is restored to his noble status, but he rejects this dirty gift and chooses to return to his sick companions. However, by then, Titys has fallen seriously ill. After Titys leaves the world, Quasimodo also drowns himself. In Hugo's portrayal, Quasimodo and the hunchback Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre-Dame belong to the same type—ugly in appearance but pure at heart. However, Quasimodo is more profound in his resistance. The protagonist, Gwynplaine, is the son of a British peer and the sole heir to both property and nobility. To achieve his hidden purposes, he is sold to child traffickers after his parents' death. The traffickers perform disfiguring surgery on the boy's face, leaving a permanent smile on it. From the age of two, he plays tricks with these people. When he is ten years old, to escape severe legal punishment, the ruthless traffickers abandon him on the coast of Poland. The boy survives through hardships and, in a snowdrift, rescues the blind infant Titys. The tramp Sus, who adopts them, they rely on each other, earning a living by performing and living a nomadic life. In their suffering, the unfortunate Gwynplaine and Titys develop a pure love.