By: Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Carnivorous Carnival
*This post contains spoilers for The Carnivorous Carnival and A Series of Unfortunate Events
For a discussion on the first eight books in the series, see the linked posts bellow:
Overview:
When we last left our protagonists, they were fleeing the burning Heimlich hospital in the trunk of Count Olaf’s car.
“The Carnivorous Carnival” is the ninth book in the series “A Series of Unfortunate Events” by Lemony Snicket. The story follows the Baudelaire orphans, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, as they arrive at a mysterious carnival after narrowly escaping from Count Olaf’s clutches yet again. The siblings hope to find answers about a hidden V.F.D. member, and they go undercover by joining the carnival troupe. As they explore the peculiar carnival attractions, they encounter various eccentric individuals, encounter dangerous situations, and ultimately uncover more secrets about their own origins, as well as the dark secrets hidden within the carnival. The book delves into themes of deceit, disguise, and the constant pursuit of the truth in a perilous world.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo is the main source of literary references for this entry in the series.
Esmeralda
In Snicket’s book, there is a character named Madame Lulu who runs the House of Freaks at the carnival. This character alludes to Esmeralda, one of the main characters in Hugo’s novel, who also performs at a carnival as a dancer. Unfortunately, Madame Lulu meets the same fate as Esmeralda and is publicly executed. However, instead of being hung Lulu is fed to a pair of very hungry lions.
There is also the relationship between Olaf and Lulu that slightly mimics Frollo and Esmeralda. Lulu entertains Olaf’s attraction to her because her motto is “give people what they want”. Much like Esmeralda, she uses what she has to survive and make a living. Olaf doesn’t have as large of an obsession as Frollo but he does continually go back to see her time and time again. He is also responsible for her death.
Hugo
One of the members of the Freaks is a hunchback named Hugo. A very direct reference to Victor Hugo, the author. It would probably be way too spot on to name him Quasimodo so Hugo is the next best thing.
Mob mentality
Just like in The Vile Village, the visitors to the carnival are subject to mob mentality. The audience actively participates in laughing at the performers and taunting them. Most likely they would not feel comfortable doing this outside of this setting and if they were by themselves. They hide behind the group to mock the Freaks. Also, they are willing and excited to see people be fed to hungry lions. If this occurred in everyday life they would be horrified but because it is in the confines of a performance they believe it to be acceptable.
The troupe of performers is not immune to this either. When presented with the proposal to join Olaf’s troupe, Hugo, Colette and Kevin are willing to murder Madame Lulu. They will do anything to fit into the crowd and not stand out for once in their lives.
Overall,
I wished that the carnival setting was explored more. The main focus was on the troupe of freaks and Madame Lulu. It would have been nice to have the siblings utilize the entire carnival.
The book also takes place in a very short amount of time, just a few days. The time frame was barely enough to establish meaningful relationships. I mean, why wouldn’t the other Freaks out their needs above the Baudelaires’. They have been suffering together for probably years. It would have been an interesting dynamic to see them build a relationship and have that choice to join count Olaf still be made.
Rating: 3/5 stars
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