The hunchbacked protagonist of Victor Hugo's novel 'The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'; can refer to someone treated as an outsider or unfortunate.
From Hugo's 1831 novel; the name means 'almost modified' in Italian/Latin, referring to the character's deformed appearance. Named for the Sunday after Easter (Quasi modo Sunday).
Quasimodo's tragedy is that he's beautiful inside but judged entirely by his appearance—Hugo wrote this novel partly to protest how society treats people with disabilities, making it an early disability rights story!
Quasimodo's narrative centers a disabled male protagonist while Esmeralda is coded as temptress/victim. The framing reduces her to reward and moral test for the male character's redemption arc.
When referencing this narrative, treat Esmeralda's agency and survival as central to the story, not instrumental to Quasimodo's character development.
["the Hunchback and Esmeralda's story","Esmeralda's narrative"]
Esmeralda is a Romani woman navigating persecution and exploitation; her resourcefulness and resistance are often subordinated to Quasimodo's plot. Centering her choices respects her agency.
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