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#7 Overcoming Pain

  • Writer: Christian D'Andre
    Christian D'Andre
  • Nov 12, 2024
  • 4 min read

Updated: Feb 14

One of the defining moments of the movie is the finale, when Quasimodo is rescued by his “on-again, off-again” friend Phoebus. They have their fights because of their mutual friend, Esmerelda, and by this point in the movie, Quasimodo has every right to be mad at Phoebus. You see, both characters catch feelings for Esmerelda. But it’s Phoebus who winds up stealing her heart, and their first kiss, right in front of poor Quasimodo. Ouch!


Like anyone with any shred of humanity, Quasimodo is heartbroken. But in the heat of the moment, he decides to continue helping his friends in their plans to escape Frollo’s clutches. A riot eventually breaks out below the bell tower. And Frollo winds up climbing those sacred stairs with hopes of killing Quasi. In the heat of their fight, Frollo slips off the ledge of the high bell tower, plummeting to his doom. And because he’s just worn out from the fight, Quasimodo slips as well. But instead of falling to his fiery death alongside his former master, he is rescued by Phoebus. and Esmerelda, watching the whole thing unfold, rushes down with a sigh of joyful relief to see that her friend is OK. 


And it’s what happens next that has my brain tickled. You see, shortly after Quasimodo gets up and everyone revels in the joys of not being dead, Quasimodo offers Esmerelda’s hand to Phoebus. This is meant as a sign that he is alright with them being in love, despite him not getting what he wants. I find this moment most peculiar indeed. 


I’ll be honest: I have a million interpretations of that moment, and all of them suck. I could say something like “it’s actually a sad story: Quasimodo goes through hell and back for this girl, only to find himself in the friend zone!” or something like “how crappy a story is this! Every good hero should get the girl, right?!?” Stuff like that pops up in my head, and I still can’t quite shake that feeling from my gut. But a part of me wants to entertain the idea that this is a sign of true maturity. That maybe there’s actually something truly remarkable going on in this scene that paints a picture that is being missed at first glance.


I have always wrestled with this idea because I think the idea of sacrificial love can be harmful when taken to its extremes. You can become a doormat, a victim, or otherwise worse-off if you don’t tend to your own needs. And, I mean, come on! Poor Quasi has every right to hide away in his bell tower for the rest of his days, locking the door and throwing away the key. So we have to ask: 


Why doesn’t he?


I know I sure would. Not even out of spite or anything, but out of sheer pain. Does he simply not feel the pain of a broken heart? Or is there something deeper that has blossomed within this man that has yet to be seen by the naked eye? 


We could spout off simple answers like “he cares so much about his friends,” or “he sees the value of human life,” or even “he just cares for others more than himself.” But I reject all of those answers! They don’t seem to fit for me. My gut is telling me that there’s something in between the lines that we are not seeing. Something more, something really tangible that we aren’t getting at that may even change the course of our very lives. 


The very best way to describe the change in Quasimodo is acceptance. He goes through the story, avoiding pain and suffering, wishing only to return to his precious bell tower. And every time he does leave, he does so with more resentment than an introvert being forced to go to a party. But this moment is the completion of his transformation. In this moment, instead of clinging to his bitterness, disappointment and brokenness, he decides to rise up. But not just for the heck of it, but with his eyes fixated on the happiness that is found in everyone else’s. And that’s something worth celebrating. In short, he learns to accept that life is full of pain, suffering, and disappointment. 


I think we all need to reach for this point. But this is not to say that the pain won’t sting anymore. It’s more like we know it will sting, but we move through it with purpose. At the end of the day, the truth is that scars come with real living. I think if we learned to accept that, then we might be able to truly reach for greater heights in our own lives. 


But, like I have said over and over, we need that space to keep the hurt at bay. Maybe the Esmerelda’s and the Phoebus’s need to be met outside the bell tower. Maybe you don’t let everyone in on everything in your life. That’s perfectly fine! But we can’t run and hide from all of our hurts. Because the truth is that running from the hurt not only makes it hurt more, but it also makes us feel guilty about all the bridges we have burned. You can’t run from the pain forever, so you might as well face it.


So face your pain! Accept that you are made of something stronger than it. But what is that something? Tune in next time to find out!

Until next time

May Peace be your Guide

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