The Great Sower, Notre Dame
Written By Grace Rhee
When I learned that Victor Hugo originally intended his seminal novel to be titled “Notre Dame,” and that the “Hunchback of” was actually an unwanted addition, I felt forced to reconsider the whole novel as a study on Notre Dame as a teacher. This made the story more about how different people interact with Notre Dame–how different people pose themselves as a learner to this great teacher.
And as I thought of the different responses, I thought about the different responses Christ once gave through the parable of the sower.
In many ways, Notre Dame is the kind of teacher that our Lord paints a picture of in this parable: a sower who scatters seed, similar to the way a cathedral might simply present its wisdom, and leaving the rest to the freedom of the listener.
Slowly, the characters I met through the novel seemed to align themselves to the four examples of soil.
The first seeds in the parable miss the mark completely—birds snatch them from the ground—which Jesus explains as not understanding and the evil one snatching away the word. We see this in Claude Frollo, a man who was surrounded by the beauty of Notre Dame but unable to understand the depth of its grace and beauty as anything beyond a code to be cracked for selfish gain. Any wisdom that could have been imparted through the cathedral was lost, snatched up by his egocentric desire for knowledge. We see his character progress from a strict young man, still capable of good, to an almost demonically characterized antagonist who is completely enslaved to lust.
The second seeds fall on rocky soil, symbolizing souls that hear the word and receive it joyfully, but it is not deeply rooted. These are depicted in the vagabonds, Gringoire being the most representative. Gringoire is someone who appreciates beauty and philosophy—we met him agonizing over the distracted reception at the debut of his play. But he settles for a more shallow beauty, one that is merely secular instead of supernatural. This is symbolized aptly in his infatuation with Esmeralda that ends, comically, with his attachment toward her goat Djali.
The third seeds fall among thorns. They do actually sprout and grow, but the cares and troubles of the world choke it, preventing them from true fruitfulness. We see this in Esmeralda—a poor soul who longs for goodness and purity. Although her life is full of misfortune, it is not the suffering itself that causes her ultimate “downfall,” so to say. In fact, it leads her straight into the arms of Notre Dame. Notre Dame and its keeper, Quasimodo, do all they can to protect her. But ultimately, it is her attachment to Phoebus that ensnares her. In the most critical moment of her escape, it is her attachment to him, her inability to be free from this misdirected love, that delivers her into her pursuers’ hands.
The fourth and final group of seeds are those that are planted in good soil. This soil represents the hearts of those who both receive the Word of God and understand it—yielding crops upwards to a hundredfold of what was sown. It is in this category that we place our dear Quasimodo. Hugo, in writing this character as deaf, seems to be drawing attention to the important difference of hearing and understanding. Quasimodo—the one character who was unable to hear—was the one who received the teachings of Notre Dame most clearly because he used the most important receptacle: his heart. His love, concretized in his affections for Esmeralda, was the only love that bore the truest fruit: he loved unto death.
In considering the parable of the sower alongside the teaching of Notre Dame, I can see more clearly how the sower teaches in the way of Notre Dame. He, like the cathedral, scatters His teaching to all. There is something so frustratingly un-forceful and patient in the way that Notre Dame teaches that reflects the way our Great Sower teaches us sometimes. Infinitely knowledgeable, and yet he chooses his words carefully and sparingly, leaving a baffling amount of respect and consideration of the learner’s experience.
And my hope is that I can receive from Christ my great teacher the way Quasimodo received Notre Dame: with the humility of a wide open heart and a life that loves unto death.
About Grace Rhee
Grace lives outside Chicago with her husband and four children. She is grateful for the rich community that surrounds her family, and for the particular way that Well-Read Mom has brought her love of books back into her life amidst the joyful chaos of motherhood.
About Well-Read Mom
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