![]() ![]() The man’s notes contain detailed descriptions of his surroundings ranging from his time in imprisonment to even physical features of his cell.Īs despondency begins to set in at the prospect of his death being reduced to a mere show of entertainment for the crowd, the prisoner’s story is a reminder by its author of the world’s raging cruelty and serves as a poster-child for Hugo’s staunch opposition to the merciless guillotine.Īs we continue with some of Victor Hugo’s early short stories, Claude Gueux was published in 1834 and was described as another example of the author’s thoughts on the social injustice faced by the poor and uneducated people of France. ![]() In the final days leading up to his imminent death, he writes down his innermost thoughts and fears. The reader is not informed of the prisoner’s crime, yet there is a hint of murder. We are introduced to a man with no name as he is condemned to die by execution in 19th century France. ![]() The Last Day of a Condemned Man, first published in 1829, perfectly encapsulates Hugo’s stance on the matter by portraying a tale void of compassion for a prisoner trapped in a hopeless situation. In his eyes, the guillotine was a tool of barbaric cruelty, one that had been turned into a public spectacle. Victor Hugo was a lifelong proponent for the complete abolition of the death penalty. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |