Treasure Trove of World Classic Literature -- The Man with a Laughing Face (Youth Edition): Youth Edition

Author: Victor Hugo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-03-01
Features: After the tragic history of Gavroche's childhood was brought to light, he regained his title of nobility but hated the aristocratic society. He strongly condemned the crimes of the aristocracy in the parliament, profoundly exposing the hedonistic lifestyle of the nobles while the common people lived in poverty and hardship. He powerfully criticized the vicious society that ate people alive, and passionately declared the voice of the people: "This society is unreasonable, and a truly classless society will one day come." Gavroche left the life that did not belong to him and returned to the company of his companions, but the poor Tite was already on his deathbed. He eventually left this world. Gavroche, grief-stricken, committed suicide by jumping into the sea, accompanying his beloved to another world.
The protagonist, Gavroche, is the son of a British peer and the sole heir to the property and title. To achieve his hidden purposes, after the death of his parents, the king ordered him to be sold to child traffickers. The child traffickers performed a disfiguring surgery on the child's face, leaving a permanent smile on it. From the age of two, he played tricks with these people. When he was ten years old, to escape severe punishment from the law, the cruel child traffickers abandoned him on the coast of Poland. This child survived through countless hardships and, in a snowdrift, rescued a blind infant girl, Tite. The tramp Soussuto adopted them. Thus, they relied on each other, earning a living by performing on the streets and living a nomadic life. In their suffering, Gavroche and Tite, these unfortunate souls, developed pure love for each other.