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Quasimodo hijacked Esmeralda under the instruction of his adoptive father Claude. But when Quasimodo was punished by his crime, kindly Esmeralda forgave him and brought the sweet spring to him. At that time, Quasimodo shed his first drops of tears for the first time in his all life. Just because of this drop of tears, his sleeping humanity and his hazy love were aroused. This sweet spring rekindled his soul. The behavior of Esmeralda highlighted the contrast.
Although Quasimodo and Esmeralda have a long distance of their appearances, their hearts are pure and kindly. So the contrast between beauty and ugliness of their two reaches the acme. It let us think what beauty is and what ugliness is. The beauty and the simple love of Quasimodo and the beauty and kindness of Esmeralda bring out the best in each other.
2.2 The contrast between Esmeralda and Phoebus
Phoebus is the Captain of the King's Archers. After he saves Esmeralda from abduction, she becomes infatuated with him, and he is intrigued by her. Already betrothed to the beautiful but spiteful Fleur-de-Lys, he wants to lie with Esmeralda nonetheless but is prevented when Frollo stabs him. Phoebus survives but Esmeralda is taken to be the attempted assassin by all, including Phoebus himself.
Esmeralda and Phoebus have a beautiful appearance. They are very suitable from this aspect. But Phoebus has a foul, despicable heart under his beautiful look. It becomes a sharp contrast with Esmeralda who is a love of persistent.
Under the beautiful body, Phoebus’s words and deeds are frivolous. He has a promiscuous life. His soul is very dirty. Simple and lively Esmeralda is only an episode of his dissolute life. He despises Esmeralda is a woman wandering entertainer. He refuses to marry her and regards her as a plaything. He keeps on saying how much he loves Esmeralda, but he always cannot remember her name. Compared with Esmeralda’s passionate devotion, his beautiful appearance is so ugly. Such strong contrast between them leaves readers a deep impression.
2.3 The contrast between Esmeralda and Pierre Gringoire
Pierre Gringoire is a struggling poet. He mistakenly finds his way into the "Court of Miracles", the domain of the Truands. In order to preserve the secrecy, Gringoire must either be killed by hanging, or marry a Gypsy. Although Esmeralda does not love him, and in fact believes him a coward rather than a true man — unlike Phoebus, he failed in his attempt to rescue her from Quasimodo — she takes pity on his plight and marries him. But, because she is already in love with Phoebus, much to his disappointment, she will not let him touch her.
Esmeralda and Gringoire, one is a benefactor and another is a ungrateful person. The contrast between them makes us feel that Hugo’s literature pursuit is to confirm the beauty and kindness of humanity and to deny the ugliness and badness.
There is no love between them and Gringoire is unworthy to love her. When Esmeralda is framed by Claude, Gringoire neglects her kindness by saving his life and he is not ready to rescue. Compared with Esmeralda’s behavior of sacrificing herself, Gringoire’s mortally afraid of death and cowardly selfish is such disobliging and impersonal.
2.4 The contrast between Esmeralda and Claude Frollo
Claude Frollo, the novel's main antagonist, is the Archdeacon of Notre Dame. His dour attitude and his alchemical experiments have alienated him from the Parisians, who believe him a sorcerer. His parents having died of plague when he was a young man, he is without family save for Quasimodo, for whom he cares, and his spoiled brother Jehan, whom he attempts to reform towards a better life. In the 1923 movie Jehan is the villain despite Frollo's numerous sins of lechery, failed alchemy and other listed vices. His mad attraction to Esmeralda sets off a chain of events, including her attempted abduction and Frollo almost murdering Phoebus in a jealous rage, leading to Esmeralda's execution. Frollo is killed when Quasimodo pushes him off the cathedral.