Sta.sh
IV
I spend the rest of the evening in a pathetic daze. I don't even notice when Valentine gets called to the floor to be recognized as king. I do see the moment Esmeralda is crowned, though, and I see Phoebus asking her to dance right after. And I see her blush as he does.
My hands curl into fists, and I hide them in my pockets. I have never been one to lose my temper, but I can make no promises tonight. I wish there were some way for me to tear this entire building, this whole event, this vast social structure to the ground; drag Esmeralda from the rubble; and show her the blue sky instead. I would give her wings, raise her up, watch her fly.
Phoebus lifts her in his arms, tosses her just a little, and catches her again. She's such a tiny thing it's no feat for him. She keeps laughing as he mutters in her ear, spinning her around like the charismatic hero in some black-and-white romance. I look for Lily Darling, but she's not here. I wonder how Phoebus convinced her not to attend the dance. Was she sick? Did he make her sick? I wouldn't put it past him.
"Man, I wish I could dance half that well." Peter is at my shoulder, smiling as though all is right in the world, and—who am I kidding?—for him, it probably is. The only person with a problem here is me. Even Valentine is smiling, shuffling from the dance floor back to me with a face that practically glows. The students have not been so cruel as I predicted, and Valentine's ability to laugh at himself has only endeared him to them. Now he's less of a loner. Now he's less dependent on me.
I wonder why this bothers me. Maybe because we're taught from our infancy that it's what's on the inside that counts. Looks don't matter, which is an outright lie. But I can see some truth in the idea now. Valentine could be loved, even though he's ugly, because his heart is high quality. His heart, as I saw the moment I met him, is made of indestructible stuff. Bury it in slop and you can dig it out later, shine it, and watch it sparkle just as it had before you abused it. Mine, on the other hand, is far more organic than his and far, far older. It's been rotting for years. Moldy, putrid, disgusting. If anyone ever managed to touch it, it would disintegrate.
And Esmeralda has come dangerously close.
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But ugh, every time I reach the end of a chapter, it's like... "MOAR!!!"
I can't wait to read the next chapter
So, yeah. Frollo's feelings toward Quasimodo are never blatantly spelled out. Your interpretation is good, and I think most retellings agree with it (after all, Frollo failed to be there for Quasimodo at the pillory). But I interpreted their relationship differently for a few reasons. I hope you don't mind if I share them. Character analysis is my addiction!
Why I Think Claude was a Loving Parent
1. Claude's softness with his brother. Jean is described as Claude's spoiled child. You can see, whenever they get together, how Claude tries to be strict with him, but always ends up giving in. Bad habits like that are difficult to break, so I imagine Claude being soft with Quasimodo, too—especially considering how Quasimodo reminded him so strongly of his beloved little brother.
2. Educating Quasimodo. It would have been a challenge for one man to educate Quasimodo, who would likely never function in a society that feared him. I think a cruel parent wouldn't have bothered with it. But Claude spent hours upon hours teaching him to read and write. He gave him a job (one Quasimodo truly loved), and when Quasimodo went deaf, the two of them developed a sign language so they could communicate. To me, that speaks of a very close relationship.
3. Quasimodo's temper and behavior around Claude. Although loyal to a fault, Quasimodo was not a person who allowed himself to be stepped on by just anyone. He is described as having a violent, powerful temper with those who mistreated him. But for the two people who showed him kindness (Esmeralda and Claude), he was like a puppy dog. Claude must have shown him great kindness for him to be as loyal as he was.
4. Jealousy of Quasimodo. This is where I get the idea that Claude was not only close to Quasimodo, but may also have had a great deal of respect for him. He honestly believed Esmeralda could fall for Quasimodo. There's a line about Frollo in the beginning of the Disney version… I think it's something like, "He saw corruption everywhere except within." But I think it was just the opposite with this character. He believed Esmeralda was a better, more mature person than she was. He believed Pierre was kinder and more loving than he was. He saw potential for his brother's redemption. And he believed Quasimodo capable of obtaining a love he himself could only dream of. To me, Claude's great downfall was not that he was evil and didn't know it; but that, deep down, he believed himself to be evil and had no one to tell him differently.