"The Man Who Laughs" by Victor Hugo, summary Automatic translate

Victor Hugo’s historical novel, completed in 1869, transports readers to England in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The author conceived this work as the first part of a trilogy about European political regimes, the following being "Monarchy" and "Ninety-Three," but only the first and third parts of the planned series were published. The central narrative thread is the stark contrast between the poverty of the common people and the arrogant tyranny of the English aristocracy.

The work has been adapted for the screen several times. The most famous adaptation was the 1928 American silent film directed by Paul Leni, in which Conrad Veidt’s portrayal of the title character inspired the creation of the famous comic book character, the Joker.

The Wandering Philosopher and the Child Buyers

The plot begins with a description of a traveling physician, poet, and misanthrope named Ursus, who travels the roads of England in a wooden cart with a trained wolf named Homo. Ursus sells potions, performs for audiences, and constantly delivers philosophical monologues. Beneath his outward rudeness and grumpiness lies a rare kindness.

The author details the history of the Comprachicos, a criminal organization that flourished in the 17th century. These people purchased small children and surgically transformed them into deformities, then sold them for the amusement of the nobility or for use at fairs.

The Isle of Portland Tragedy

In late January 1690, on the rugged coast of the Portland Peninsula, a gang of fugitives hastily boarded the Biscayan sloop Matutina. Fearing the changing English laws, they abandoned a ten-year-old barefoot boy on the snowy shore. The sloop sailed out to sea, where it soon became caught in a fierce snowstorm and foundered on the reefs.

A lonely, freezing child wandered across a white desert. Along the way, he passed a gallows with a corpse and stumbled upon a dead beggar woman in a snowdrift. A still-living one-year-old girl lay on the dead mother’s chest. The boy took off his only warm jacket, wrapped the baby in it, and continued on. Braving the cold, he reached the outskirts of Weymouth, where Ursus gave him shelter.

Ursus warmed and rescued the children. It soon became clear that the boy’s face had been distorted by an operation that had imprinted the fatal grimace of eternal laughter, and the rescued girl was blind. Ursus named the boy Gwynplaine and the girl Dea.

The Green Box and success in Southwark

Fifteen years passed. In 1705, the grown-up Gwynplaine and Dea developed a deep love for each other. Blind Dea couldn’t see Gwynplaine’s disfigured face and perceived him as a pure angel and savior. Gwynplaine, meanwhile, saw Dea as his only source of light and spiritual joy.

Ursus built a new large van, dubbed the "Green Box." They arrived in the London suburb of Southwark and set up camp in the courtyard of the Tedcaster Inn. Ursus wrote a dramatic interlude, "Chaos Conquered," featuring Gwynplaine, Dea, and Homo. Gwynplaine’s appearance on stage brought uncontrollable laughter from the common audience, while Dea’s arrival evoked a sense of celestial harmony. The performances brought in considerable income. A handsome sailor named Tom-Jim-Jack became a regular patron of their performances.

Barkilphedro’s plans

Meanwhile, events unfolded at court. Lord Linnaeus Clancharlie, a staunch republican, died in Swiss exile. His illegitimate son, Lord David Derry-Moir, made a brilliant career. The illegitimate son received the Clancharlie family’s vast estates under his control, on the condition that he marry Duchess Josiana, the illegitimate daughter of King James II.

Barkilphedro, a former servant who, thanks to Josiana, has obtained a position as an ocean bottle opener at the Admiralty, is plotting at court. Driven by secret envy, he dreams of humiliating his benefactress. One day, Josiana attends a performance of "The Green Box." Struck by Gwynplaine’s ugliness, the jaded aristocrat feels a perverse attraction to the actor and sends him a letter of confession.

Unraveling the Mystery and the House of Lords

Soon, the coastguard finds a bottle discarded from the sinking of the Matutina in 1690. The parchment contained within contains a confession by the Comprachicos and the surgeon Hardquanon. It is revealed that Gwynplaine is the legitimate son of Lord Linnaeus Clancharlie, kidnapped at the age of two by order of King James II.

Barkilphedro reports his discovery to Queen Anne. The Queen decides to reinstate Lord Fermain Clancharlie and force Josiana to marry him instead of Lord David.

A police officer arrests Gwynplaine and takes him to the dungeons of Southwark Prison. There, he confronts the tortured Hardquanon, who recognizes Gwynplaine as his victim and dies. Gwynplaine is taken to Corleone Lodge in Windsor, where his true titles and vast wealth are revealed.

Josiana attempts to seduce Gwynplaine, seeing him as an ugly buffoon. But as soon as Queen Anne’s decree for their official marriage arrives, her lust gives way to revulsion: the comedian has become her legal equal. Soon, Lord David Derry-Moir, operating under the name of the sailor Tom-Jim-Jack, appears. Upon learning of what has happened and deciding that Gwynplaine has insulted his mother’s memory, David slaps him and challenges him to a duel.

Gwynplaine is dressed in a Perov robe and ushered into the House of Lords. He takes the oath. During the debate on the bill for the stipend of Prince George of Denmark, Gwynplaine takes the floor. He delivers a fiery speech in defense of the oppressed people, describing hunger, disease, and the disenfranchisement of the poor. However, his disfigured face involuntarily breaks into a grimace of laughter. The assembled aristocrats erupt in deafening laughter, drowning out all his pleas for mercy in their mockery.

Return and death

Shocked and devastated by the peers’ mockery, Gwynplaine renounces his titles and wealth. He flees Westminster Palace and rushes to Southwark, hoping to return to his former, pure life.

Arriving at Tarynsfield, he finds the fairground deserted. The Tedcaster Inn is boarded up, and the Green Box has been removed by order of the authorities. A desperate Gwynplaine goes to the Thames embankment and prepares to jump into the water. At the last moment, the wolf Homo finds him and leads him to the pier.

The Dutch schooner Vograat lies on the riverbank, ready to sail for Rotterdam. On deck are Ursus, Dea, and Homo, ordered by the authorities to leave England. Ursus believes Gwynplaine is dead and tries to hide this from Dea by imitating the boy’s voice. However, the blind girl senses the truth. Exhausted by fever and grief, Dea fades away.

Gwynplaine runs to her and falls to his knees. Dea hears his voice, realizes her beloved is near, and prophetically pronounces that she sees the light again. Overwhelmed by happiness and physical exhaustion, the girl’s heart gives out, and she dies in Gwynplaine’s arms.

Ursus faints from grief. Gwynplaine, without uttering a word of complaint, rises, looks at the dark sky, and says he’s following her. He walks step by step across the deck to the open side of the ship and steps into the nighttime depths of the Thames.