The first conflict I discovered was in the form of man versus himself. When Claude and La Esmeralda both die, Quasimodo feels he has nothing left to live for because the only ones he loves are them and they are gone. "At that distance he could see her quiver beneath her white robe in the last convulsive agonies of death; he then looked down at the Archdeacon, stretched at the foot of the tower, with scarcely a vestige of the human form about him, and, heaving a deep sigh, he cried, "There is all I ever loved!"" (Hugo 413). Today, many people face the same inner sadness when they lose someone as well. They feel like they can't move on without that special person. Some people deal with this conflict by trying to look on the bright side and carry on with life. But other people, including Quasimodo, choose to end their lives as well.
Another conflict I discovered was in the form of man versus man. La Chantefleurie is reunited with her long lost daughter who just happens to be La Esmeralda. But unfortunately they meet at a time when La Esmeralda is about to be hanged. La Chantefleurie is trying to convince the hangman that La Esmeralda is not with her, and that's when the conflict occurs. ""...A sorceress was given to thee to hold. What hast thou done with her?"... (La Chantefleurie) " If you mean a young girl that I was desired to hold just now, all I can tell you is that she bit me and I let her go."... "Tell me no lies, old scarecrow."" (Hugo 395). La Chantefleurie would do anything to save her child, as would any mother. This bond is proven during this conflict.
The next conflict is in the form of man versus nature. Claude Frollo is hanging off of the side of the Notre Dame and the building is not supporting his weight. There is a two hundred foot drop below and Claude has to fight against nature in order to protect his life. "The perspiration trickled from his bald brow, the blood oozed from his fingers' ends; the skin was rubbed from his knees against the wall. He heard his cassock, which hung by the gutter, crack and rip at every movement that he made. To crown his misery, that gutter terminated in a leaden pipe which bent with his weight." (Hugo 411-412). Claude was very evil in this section. He turned on his child, Quasimodo, in order to obtain La Esmeralda. She would not let him, so he ended up reporting her whereabouts and was the reason she was hung. I think Hugo decided to have Claude killed in this manor because towards the end, the reader really dislikes Claude. Everyone just wants a happy ending and Claude is in the way of that.
A final conflict I discovered was also in the form of man versus man. The friends of La Esmeralda are angry that she is being held in the Notre Dame. They do not know that she is actually really safe in the Notre Dame, but the readers do know this. They decide to attack the Notre Dame and that is when things get ugly. Quasimodo fights back against them and that is when the conflict arises. "Quasimodo saw the Vagabonds scattered by the fall of the beam like ashes before the wind....Quasimodo fell to work in silence to carry stone, rubbish, gravel, and even the bags of tools belonging to the masons, to the edge of the balustrade over which he had already hoisted the beam. As soon as they commenced battering the door, the shower of stones began to fall, and the Vagabonds imagined that the church was tumbling about their ears." (Hugo 336). I feel that this final conflict proves that even though you may be different and can not hear, you can still accomplish whatever you want. Quasimodo loves the Notre Dame as much as a parent loves their child. He would do anything to save it from being destroyed.
I think Hugo chose to put most of the conflicts at the end of the novel because he wanted to end with a bang. After reading the first couple sections, I thought this book was going to describe everything and then have a happy ending with Quasimodo saving the day. But then, when all of these conflicts began to occur and the book became action packed, I was really shocked. This book doesn't end on a happy note at all. When I finished reading my novel I was almost in tears. Quasimodo loved La Esmeralda and so he ended up dying beside her.
Overall this book really exceeded my expectations. I learned that these classic novels deserve to be called classics because their themes can still be applied to today's time. This book is still very relatable even though the writing style is a bit confusing at first.
After this project is over, I will definitely be reading another classic novel and I will probably watch both versions of the movie based on The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
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