The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Book 4, Chapter 3 summary
Book 4, Chapter 3 of 60 · 11 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 3, Quasimodo grows into his role as Notre-Dame’s bell ringer, making the cathedral his home and its bells his closest companions. The narrator connects his isolation and hostility to public cruelty and deafness, while showing how his presence seems to give the building life.
What happens
- Claude Frollo secures Quasimodo’s position as bell ringer, and Notre-Dame becomes the center of Quasimodo’s life.
- The bells make Quasimodo deaf at fourteen, and fear of ridicule leads him to avoid speaking around others.
- Rejected and mocked by people, Quasimodo turns toward the cathedral’s statues for companionship.
- He cherishes all fifteen bells, especially Marie, and rides the great bell as it swings.
- People imagine that Quasimodo animates the cathedral, while the narrator describes him as its soul.
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In this chapter
What to notice
The sentence sums up the bond between Quasimodo and Notre-Dame. Against public fears of a demon, the narrator presents him as the source of the cathedral’s apparent life.
Quick check
Why does Quasimodo usually stop speaking around other people?
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