JJ’s Comments (group member since Oct 05, 2016)

JJ’s comments from the Reading the Chunksters group.

WOW! It would have been such a happy ending IF Hugo did not write the last chapter "Nay; On High!" Did he really have to write the last 6-7 pages? The ending... It seems so cliche and over-dramatic. It's like Romeo and Juliet. To my knowledge no one can be as fragile as Dea (in real life). Unless, the person is really old or terminally ill (which Dea was not implied to be). It just did not feel convincing. How does everyone else feel about that ending?

Overall, some parts did not interest me (the peerage and the boats). It was nice to get a glimpse into that history, but I find that stuff kinda dull. Like I said before the ending feels cliche. I do love the why Hugo writes fluidly and poetically. So I give it 4 stars.

Duchess Josiana is weird. That's all I really got from this reading. There is a lot of who's who in this part too. I'm not really interested in that part of the book (the ranks and peerage stuff). The wealth of the aristocracy is amazing. It's almost like they live in their own little world away from real world matters. Their money keeps them safe.

I wonder how long Gwynplaine is going to stick around before he comes to his senses.

Poor Ursus. Gwynplaine will undoubtedly be swayed by going from rags to riches. He will probably want to marry the Duchess Josiana right away. I bet he will always love Dea regardless.

If things don't go smoothly I'm sure Barkilphedro will help scheme it along. lol. Hopefully, Gwynplaine will eventually see through Barkilphedro and put him in his place. Personally, I wonder if Hugo will bring Dea, Ursus and Gwynplaine together again.

WOW, that ending of book the fourth was a shocker.

Gwynplaine has Dea on a pedestal. She is like an angel. He does not want to make her earthly by having sexual relations with her. As a man, Gwynplaine does desire to be with a woman in that way, but he does not want it to be Dea.

Then there's that bombshell Duchess. What a love letter she wrote him hahaha.
"You are hideous; I am beautiful. You are a player; I am a duchess. I am the highest; you are the lowest. I desire you! I love you! come!"

Now that Gwynplaine is finding out about his bloodline I wonder how he is going to react to the Duchess. This revelation will change everything.

I don't mind the love story. Like Ursus explains, I believe that Gwynplaine and Dea are "made for each other" as they say. Hugo goes to great lengths with Ursus opinion of their love. He clearly shows us the reason why Dea would not love Gwynplaine if she could see visual. Dea can see inward into people's hearts.

I personally liked this line. Which still holds true today. ""Yes," murmured Gwynplaine sadly, "the paradise of the rich is made out of the hell of the poor."

Just got through this section today. Things have been hectic, but I hope to catch up.

It is interesting how Hugo compares Love and Hate. Chapter IX is titled "Hate Is As Strong As Love." Now, one can argue that Love is strongest of all (and it IS), but Hugo points out a similarity between the two. Passion. Barkilphedro is consumed with a desire or passion to harm Josiana.

"One cannot hate solely for honor; some seasoning is necessary-a man, a woman, somebody, to destroy."

I take the above statement as follows: You can Love unconditionally, in fact, real and true love is unconditional. However, in order to hate you have to have a reason and object of hate.

Barkilphedro's object of hate is rich nobles, specifically Josiana. Why? It goes back to this quote That Dianne posted:

This slime of a good action performed towards
you bedaubs and bespatters you with mud for
ever.

In that whole passage, we can see how Barkilphedro feels to be dependent on rich nobles. It is also mentioned later that as the charity case you are expected to kiss up to the patron on the pedestal, disregarding respect for yourself. That is, or at least part of the reason, why Barkilphedro hates Josiana.

There are so many lovely written passages in this week's reading. Many of them are already posted here. I also liked this passage.

"The ignorant man is in useful darkness, which, suppressing sight, suppresses covetousness: whence innocence. He who reads, thinks; who thinks, reasons. But not to reason is duty; and happiness as well. These truths are incontestable; society is based on them."

Greg wrote: "Diane, all: did anyone find the discovery of the infant as a girl (by the child and by Ursis) described differently as perhaps some kind of cultural thing? ..."

I took it just as his way of describing things, it's part of Ursis's character. The way he talked to the kids the whole time was kinda funny. I think it was adorable at the end how he adopts them and says that Homo is an uncle now. Also, the boy has a permanent laughing face. WOW. It is very interesting, especially when Ursis said he thought that practice was done away with ages ago (the Comprachicos) It's also cool how he just writes it off and basically won't delve deeper into the subject. Obviously, the boy has no idea about it himself.

Last week was really busy and this week going to be busy with holiday stuff. It's all taking a toll on my reading plans. Such is life. Anyway...

It's astonishing that none of the sailors knew how to swim. They had at least 2 people on board who had some navigating experience, but sailors that can't swim? Obviously, the women and other men who were not seamen wouldn't be able to swim. I mean, it just seems like a really important thing know considering it can be a matter of life or death.

The doctor was an interesting person. He probably has an interesting background story and plays an important part to some event in the past or future. The skipper was debating whether or not he was a madman. I remember someone said he was the "soul" of the crew.

When they had to lighten the ship and through stuff overboard one lady was disappointed about the really nice and expensive clothes she would lose. Also, some of these people who sign their names sound like they come from important and high-status backgrounds. Although, there was one person who signed with an X, interesting. Hhhmmmm. Why would these people be fleeing? What do they have to do with the comprachicos? They are taking the appearance of poor travelers to escape.

I like how Hugo compares and contrasts things. For example, when they wanted the storm to stop but then they would have been better off if it continued. They would have had more of a chance to wash up on a shore rather than being stuck in the sinking ship. Another comparison is when the women would not go below deck. Hugo makes closed spaces compared to a coffin.

"the women had obstinately refused to go below again. No one, however hopeless, but wishes, if shipwreck be inevitable, to meet it in the open air. When so near death, a ceiling above one's head seems like the first outline of a coffin."

Ami wrote: Could Hugo have beaten this already dead horse into even more of a pulp? I think so, at least it felt like it to me here.

Hahaha, I agree. It seemed over the top with the detail and description. Although I really like the way he writes. This is the first book I am reading by Hugo.

Chapter VII
"If he could have fled from all things, he would have done so. But children know nothing of that breaking from prison which is called suicide"

Reading that quote made me shudder. It shows how scared the child was. How fear and dread can grip a person. How misfortune, wrongful acts and unlucky events can wear a person down to such a level. Yet this boy is only ten. We don't know anything about his past. Where he was born. How he got where he is.

On another note. I found this quote interesting too.

Chapter I

"There were eight of them, and there were seemingly among them one or two women, hard to recognize under the rags and tatters in which the group was attired-clothes which were no longer man's or woman's. Rags have no sex."

Hugo seems rather vague as to who these people are, but he basically tells us they are are most likely comprachicos.
The quote also shows how poor they were. Although they are capable of fleeing the country.

Well, I ordered the book a week or so ago, but it's coming from the UK, so it probably won't get here for another week. However, I did get a PDF off the web. Plus, I got a little behind my own reading schedule, so I've only read the preliminary chapters so far.

There is something I found interesting. It's a big paragraph actually so I'm only going to include parts of it. If you want the full text, it's the second paragraph from the end of the 1st preliminary chapter.


"His great business was to hate the human race. He was implacable in that hate. Having made it clear that human life is a dreadful thing... the plague on the war, famine on the plague, folly on everything...existence having recognized that death is a deliverance-When they brought him a sick man he cured him... "There, you are on your paws once more; may you walk long in this valley of tears!"... "live on, you wretch! eat! last a long time! It is not I who would shorten your penal servitude." After which, he would rub his hands and say, "I do men all the harm I can""

The book does not mention whether or not he is religious, but it did mention about him trying the occult. Ursus's view of life is fascinating. You can clearly see how he thinks of death as deliverance from life. Yet, its kinda dark to think that by helping people who are sick or in need he is actually being mean and harmful to them. It's pretty twisted in my opinion.

I plan on joining! I have not read anything by Victor Hugo. So, I am certainly looking forward to reading it.