The Man Who Laughs - Victor Hugo

Summary

The Man Who Laughs tells the story of Gwynplaine, a young boy abandoned in England during the late 17th century by a band of Comprachicos (child-buying and mutilating gypsies) who have deliberately carved his face into a perpetual, grotesque grin. Adrift in a snowstorm, he discovers and rescues a baby girl, Dea, who is blind. The two orphans are taken in by Ursus, a cynical but kind-hearted philosopher-showman, and his intelligent wolf, Homo.

Gwynplaine and Dea grow up performing in Ursus's traveling fair, with Gwynplaine's disfigured face making him a popular clown, evoking both laughter and pity. Despite his appearance, Gwynplaine and Dea fall deeply in love, their bond forged in shared vulnerability and profound understanding, untouched by his outward deformity.

Their simple, loving life is shattered when Gwynplaine's true identity is revealed: he is the rightful heir, Lord Fermain Clancharlie, abducted and disfigured as a child due to political intrigue orchestrated by King James II. Gwynplaine is thrust into the opulent and corrupt world of the English aristocracy, specifically at the machinations of the manipulative jester Barkilphedro and the capricious, sexually adventurous Duchess Josiana, who becomes fascinated by his monstrous beauty.

Forced to take his place in the House of Lords, Gwynplaine attempts to use his voice to champion the poor and suffering, but his words are met with derision and his grin, once a source of entertainment, now makes him a figure of ridicule among the elite. Feeling alienated and missing Dea and Ursus, he flees the aristocratic world. The novel culminates in a desperate search for his adopted family, a brief, tragic reunion, and the devastating consequences of a life torn between two incompatible worlds.

Book Sections

Section 1: The Comprachicos and the Abandonment

The story begins with a group of Comprachicos, a band of grotesque criminals who abduct and mutilate children to sell them as entertainers or beggars. Fleeing England in a small boat during a severe winter storm, they abandon a young boy named Gwynplaine on the coast. He is left alone with a note describing his parentage and the reasons for his disfigurement. The boy, whose face has been surgically carved into a permanent, horrifying grin, wanders through the desolate landscape. In his desperate journey, he discovers a dead woman clutching a baby girl, who is still alive but blind. Gwynplaine, despite his own terror and suffering, takes the blind infant with him.

Character	Characteristics	Motivations
Gwynplaine	A young boy, around 10 years old, with his face permanently disfigured into a grotesque, perpetual grin. Innocent, brave, empathetic.	Survival, finding shelter, protecting the blind baby girl.
Comprachicos	A criminal syndicate who buy, disfigure, and sell children. Cruel, amoral, opportunistic.	Escaping justice after their crimes, ensuring no witnesses to their last act of abandoning Gwynplaine.
Dea	A baby girl, blind from birth. Helpless, fragile.	(As a baby) Instinctive need for survival and care.

Section 2: Ursus and Homo

Gwynplaine, carrying Dea, eventually stumbles upon a solitary caravan inhabited by Ursus, an eccentric philosopher, misanthrope, and traveling showman. Ursus lives with his only companion, an intelligent and semi-humanized wolf named Homo. Despite his outward cynicism and proclaimed hatred for humanity, Ursus takes pity on the two children. He sees Gwynplaine's disfigurement as a means for a theatrical career and adopts both children, raising them as his own. He becomes a surrogate father, teaching them, providing for them, and integrating them into his small, itinerant show.

Character	Characteristics	Motivations
Ursus	A cynical, philosophical, and eloquent traveling showman. Prickly on the surface but deeply kind-hearted and protective.	Survival through his show, expressing his philosophical views, providing a home and protection for Gwynplaine and Dea.
Homo	Ursus's pet wolf. Exceptionally intelligent, loyal, and almost human-like in his understanding and behavior.	Loyalty to Ursus, Dea, and Gwynplaine; protection of his adopted family.

Section 3: The Traveling Show and Growing Love

Years pass. Gwynplaine, Dea, Ursus, and Homo travel the English countryside, performing their show, "The Green Box." Gwynplaine, with his terrifying grin, is the star, known as "The Laughing Man." His performance, which is a mix of tragedy and comedy, makes audiences both laugh and recoil in horror. Dea, despite her blindness, senses his true self and loves him for who he is, untouched by his physical appearance. Their bond deepens into a pure, innocent, and profound love. They live a simple but fulfilling life, finding happiness and solace in each other and their unconventional family.

Character	Characteristics	Motivations
Gwynplaine	Now a young man, still bearing the carved grin. Deeply in love with Dea, sensitive, kind, and unknowingly aristocratic.	To live a peaceful life with Dea and Ursus, to make a living through his performance, to find happiness despite his disfigurement.
Dea	Now a young woman, beautiful despite her blindness. Pure-hearted, gentle, deeply devoted to Gwynplaine.	To live a life of love and companionship with Gwynplaine, to find beauty and joy through her other senses and heart.

Section 4: The Introduction of the Aristocracy

The narrative shifts to introduce the decadent English aristocracy of the time. We meet Duchess Josiana, a beautiful, wealthy, and dissolute noblewoman, half-sister to Lord David Dirry-Moir. She is bored by conventional beauty and obsessed with the grotesque and unusual. Through her, we are introduced to the scheming and malevolent Barkilphedro, a jester and informant who holds considerable influence over the court due to his cunning and ability to manipulate. Josiana hears tales of "The Laughing Man" and becomes morbidly fascinated by Gwynplaine, seeing his disfigurement as a unique and exciting novelty.

Character	Characteristics	Motivations
Duchess Josiana	A high-ranking noblewoman, immensely wealthy, beautiful, and highly unconventional. Amoral, capricious, seeking novelty and sensation.	To alleviate her boredom, to pursue her unusual desires, to acquire what she finds unique and stimulating, especially Gwynplaine.
Lord David Dirry-Moir	Josiana's half-brother, also a nobleman. dissolute, somewhat melancholic, and initially destined to marry Josiana.	To live a life of aristocratic ease, to escape his emotional turmoil, to eventually take his place in society.
Barkilphedro	A venomous, cunning, and highly intelligent jester and court informant. Driven by resentment, ambition, and a desire for revenge.	To accumulate power and wealth, to destroy those he envies or who stand in his way, to orchestrate complex plots for personal gain.
Queen Anne	The reigning Queen of England. Portrayed as a somewhat weak and easily manipulated monarch.	To maintain her rule, to follow the advice of her counselors (including Barkilphedro), to uphold aristocratic tradition.

Section 5: The Revelation of Identity

Barkilphedro, through his extensive network of spies and his meticulous research, uncovers the true identity of Gwynplaine. He learns that Gwynplaine is, in fact, Lord Fermain Clancharlie, the legitimate son of Lord Linnaeus Clancharlie, a political exile who died after being implicated in a plot against King James II. Gwynplaine was kidnapped and disfigured by the Comprachicos on the orders of King James II himself, to prevent him from claiming his inheritance and title. Barkilphedro orchestrates Gwynplaine's forced removal from Ursus's caravan, having him arrested and taken to a prison known as the "Provost's." This act shatters the peaceful life of Ursus, Dea, and Gwynplaine, as Dea is left heartbroken and Ursus is devastated, believing Gwynplaine to be dead or lost forever.

Section 6: The Peer of England

Gwynplaine is informed of his true identity and is forced to assume his rightful place as Lord Fermain Clancharlie, a Peer of England. He is stripped of his clown's attire and dressed in the luxurious garments of a nobleman. He is presented to Queen Anne and takes his seat in the House of Lords. This new reality is bewildering and horrifying for Gwynplaine. He finds himself surrounded by opulence, hypocrisy, and cynicism, a stark contrast to the simple honesty and love he shared with Dea and Ursus. The world of aristocracy, which once seemed distant and grand, now appears grotesque and empty to him. Josiana, now fully aware of his identity, continues her perverse fascination, seeing him as an even more intriguing possession.

Section 7: The House of Lords

In the House of Lords, Gwynplaine, despite his noble status, is still perceived as a monster due to his permanent grin. He attempts to deliver a passionate speech, pleading for the poor and suffering, speaking from the heart about the injustices of society. He hopes to be a voice for the voiceless. However, his earnest words are met with laughter and ridicule from the jaded Peers, who see him only as a comical figure. His attempt to bridge the gap between his past life and his new one, to bring humanity to the heart of power, utterly fails. He realizes that his disfigurement, which made him a successful clown, now renders him an ineffective and mocked nobleman.

Section 8: Separation and Reunion

Heartbroken and disillusioned, Gwynplaine rejects the aristocratic world. He escapes the confines of his new life, longing for the genuine love and acceptance he found with Dea and Ursus. Meanwhile, Dea, believing Gwynplaine dead, falls into a deep despair. Ursus, having also lost Gwynplaine and believing Dea is dying of a broken heart, is reduced to abject poverty and despair. Gwynplaine searches desperately for his family. He eventually finds Ursus and Homo, and together they locate Dea, who is weak and dying.

Section 9: The Final Tragedies

Gwynplaine and Dea are briefly reunited, but the trauma of separation and the shock of his changed identity prove too much for Dea. She is too fragile to comprehend the complexities of his new status and is ultimately overwhelmed by the world that has taken Gwynplaine from her. In a heart-wrenching scene, Dea dies in Gwynplaine's arms, her last moments filled with the pure love she always held for him. Utterly devastated by Dea's death, Gwynplaine cannot bear to live without her. He commits suicide by drowning himself in the sea, his body carried away by the waves, leaving Ursus and Homo to mourn their beloved companions.

Genre

Historical Novel, Romanticism, Social Commentary, Tragedy.

Author Facts

• Victor Marie Hugo (1802–1885) was a French poet, novelist, and dramatist of the Romantic movement.
• He is considered one of the greatest and best-known French writers.
• His most famous works include the novels Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.
• Hugo was also a political figure, serving as a Peer of France and a member of the National Assembly. He was an outspoken advocate for social justice, republicanism, and the abolition of the death penalty.
• He spent many years in exile (1851-1870) due to his opposition to Napoleon III's coup d'état, during which he wrote some of his most significant works, including The Man Who Laughs.

Morale

The central morale of The Man Who Laughs is a powerful critique of societal superficiality and the hypocrisy of the aristocracy. It highlights that true humanity, love, and virtue often reside in the marginalized and disfigured, while cruelty, vanity, and corruption thrive among the privileged. The book argues that outward appearances are deceptive, and true worth lies in one's character and capacity for empathy. It also underscores the idea that a society that laughs at suffering and ignores injustice is inherently flawed and morally bankrupt. Love and innocence, though powerful, are often tragically vulnerable in the face of such a world.

Curiosities

• Inspiration for Joker: Many literary critics and fans believe that Gwynplaine's permanent, grotesque grin in The Man Who Laughs served as a significant inspiration for the creation of the Batman villain, The Joker, particularly in early comic book depictions.
• Film Adaptations: The novel was famously adapted into a highly influential silent film in 1928, starring Conrad Veidt as Gwynplaine. This film's iconic imagery of Veidt's grin is often cited as a direct visual influence on The Joker.
• Political Allegory: Beyond the tragic love story, the novel is a scathing political allegory, reflecting Hugo's deep distrust of aristocratic power and his passionate advocacy for the poor and oppressed. The Comprachicos, though fictional, represent the historical abuses of power and exploitation of the vulnerable.
• Setting: The story is set in late 17th and early 18th century England, a period of political turmoil and social contrast, allowing Hugo to comment on historical injustices and the enduring struggles of class.
• Exile Literature: The Man Who Laughs was written during Hugo's 19-year exile from France. His experiences of political disillusionment and his observations of various societies deeply informed the novel's themes of social critique and alienation.