I just finished reading "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" by Victor Hugo. There is a reason why some books become classic and never lose their relevance. Victor Hugo is a great and timeless writer and one of my favorites. Some might already know the story of this book, but what is great about reading it is the characterization and the way they all interact. It is so rich and effects you in the deepest way. La Esmeralda is beautiful inside and out. Phoebus is handsome on the outside, but so empty on the inside. Quasimodo is ugly on the outside but a good person inside. Maybe he would be smarter if he was not deaf! I like the sense of justice he gives the reader at the end of the book. Claude Frollo is the evil priest! Ugly on the outside and inside. However, one of the characters that touched me a lot is Jehan Frollo, son of a richman who run through his fortune and the younger brother of the evil priest. He chooses to become a tramp and confesses: "I am a tramp to my heart's core, a con man in my soul, a born crook." I don't think it is a good thing to become or want to be a tramp, not even Jehan who grew up under the pressure from his family. This sentence touched me because of the people who are born into a body with a soul or desires that don't match. For those who have to endure arranged marriages and are born into families with complete different view of looking at life. Or to live in a body that they don't recognize and don't feel at home in. My respect goes to the individuals who choose their own way and have the courage to live life the way they want to, even if they have to make difficult decisions to get there. Even if they have to decide between their vision and family.
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