Smiling Man

Author: Victor Hugo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: The Man with the Smiling Face is set against the backdrop of late 17th-century British society, offering a sharp critique of aristocratic privileges. The main character, Quasimodo, is a descendant of the nobility who falls into the hands of child traffickers as a child. He is disfigured and abused, always appearing as if he is smiling grotesquely. Later, he is adopted by the traveling performer Scarrans. Before meeting Scarrans, Quasimodo also saves a baby girl in the snow, the blind girl Toto, and the kind-hearted Scarrans adopts her as well. The three of them wander the world, earning a living by performing. Later, due to chance 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 companions in hardship. However, by then, Toto has fallen seriously ill. After the blind girl passes away, Quasimodo is filled with grief and takes his own life by drowning.