The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

BOOK NINTH.
1. DELIRIUM.
2. HUNCHBACKED, ONE EYED, LAME.
3. DEAF.
4. EARTHENWARE AND CRYSTAL.
5. THE KEY TO THE RED DOOR.
6. CONTINUATION OF THE KEY TO THE RED DOOR.

BOOK TENTH.
1. GRINGOIRE HAS MANY GOOD IDEAS IN SUCCESSION.--RUE DES BERNARDINS.
2. TURN VAGABOND.
3. LONG LIVE MIRTH.
4. AN AWKWARD FRIEND.
5. THE RETREAT IN WHICH MONSIEUR LOUIS OF FRANCE SAYS HIS PRAYERS.
6. LITTLE SWORD IN POCKET.
7. CHATEAUPERS TO THE RESCUE

I am having a hard time understanding Pierre Gringoire. He seems to go whichever way the wind may blow. Nothing much upsets him. I suppose he is the comic relief in the novel. It is puzzling that he has more feelings for the goat than he does La Esmeralda. Even though I have finished reading the novel, I am not sure who or what Gringoire is supposed to symbolize. Any thoughts?

Seeuuder wrote: "I am having a hard time understanding Pierre Gringoire. He seems to go whichever way the wind may blow. Nothing much upsets him. I suppose he is the comic relief in the novel. It is puzzling that ..."

Interesting you should bring that up becasue one of the thoughts I was going to post on this section related to that very issue. One of the things which struck me most in these chapters was the way in which Gringoire seemed to care more about the goat than he did Esmeralda.

I found myself a bit disappointed in him because though I am not certain just what he could have done to help save her, I kept waiting for him to at least try and do something. But both literally and figuratively he was not willing to truly stick his neck out for her in spite of his claims of love for her.

It seems that he does share a certain "kinship" with the goat. Goats being often portrayed as devilish animals. Gringore himself is impish, and mischievous and though he lusts after Esmeralda his feelings for her do not run very deep. And he does put his own self-love/self-interest above anyone else.

And thinking about the position of Gringore in relation to Esmeralda, made me reflect upon the way it seems her tragedy did come from the way in which she was the center of these different schemes of misguided love.

As mentioned above there was Gringoire whom claimed to love her, and yet at the same time his love proved rather impotent in the way in which he was not willing to truly move himself to go out of his way to aid her.

Than there was her own love for Phoebus whom she viewed as her hero and the man whom could save her, but he himself thought her only as a flirtation, and an amusement with no intent or designs upon truly committing himself to her. And for him out of sight out of mind proved the rule and he was willing to leave her to her fate even though she was being put to death for his own alleged death. He was unwilling to go through the trouble and possible embarrassment to himself of stepping forward to save her in the end.

Poor Quasimodo whom had perhaps the trust and most genuine love for her and proved to be her unlikely hero, torn between the love and loyalty of his master, and that of Esmeralda. But though she once been able to show him compassion when others scorned and spurned him and forgave him for the offence which he had caused her at seeing him in misery, she was unable to overcome her revulsion at his grotesqueness. And though grateful and well meaning, she could never be able to love him back, particuarly blinded as she was by Phoebus.

And Frollo whose obsessed desire for her twisted itself into something vile and sinister and drove him to seek to have her destroyed if he himself could never have her for his own.

Silver wrote: "And thinking about the position of Gringore in relation to Esmeralda, made me reflect upon the way it seems her tragedy did come from the way in which she was the center of these different schemes of misguided love...."

Silver, I agree that there's lots of misguided love in this novel. In fact it's misguided and distorted. I'm not sure whether anyone really loves anyone as a person as opposed to an ideal, or a symbol. The men who love (or in Phoebus' case, want) Esmeralda largely do so for her beauty, although her kindness is part of the reason for Quasimodo. They don't know her as a person. In loving Phoebus, Esmeralda also loves an ideal - she doesn't know him at all and her idea of what he is like is totally wrong. Even the love Gudule expresses for her lost child seems to me to have more to do with the idea of loss than it does with the child herself.

And as for Gringoire - it does seem that the best he can do is feel attached to the goat. He doesn't love anyone, with the possible exception of himself. I agree with Seeunder that he is the comic relief in a novel that doesn't have very many laughs!

Up until this section, Jehan's scenes offered some light relief from the drama too. It was tragic and unexpected when he joined the Vagabonds on their raid. I was repulsed by the detail of Q's defense of ND.

Sorry so late in finishing the book.
I think Gringoire may be my favorite character in the book. He doesn't exactly fit the definition of picaresque but he is definitely a bit of a rogue, self-serving, a survivor who can talk himself out of just about any situation. Some of his lines were just hilarious!
Bad things just keep happening to him, through no fault of his own, but he manages to get out of it alive.
Wait. I guess he does fit the definition of picaresque after all.