The Invention of Hugo Cabret Analysis

Oh Paris! Is there really any better place in which to set a story about magic? Just to set the scene, Selznick gives us some lovely images of the Eiffel Tower in the opening sequence (I1.1.3), and...

Most of the story is told from a third-person perspective; that is, the story doesn’t seem like it’s told by someone who is involved, but the person still knows what’s going on in Hugo’s he...

This is a book that centers on kids and their adventures. Sure, Papa Georges plays a big role, but this book is really all about Hugo and Isabelle and what they end up achieving. Those kids are all...

Hugo’s story may be told quite straightforwardly, but that doesn’t mean that the tone lacks in pizazz or fun. Even when confronting a lot of dark, dark issues (you know, being orphaned, having...

The writing style in The Invention of Hugo Cabret is simple and easy to follow, but there’s also a little bit of fairy dust sprinkled over the whole thing to make it magical. The book itself is w...

Wait a second. The automaton was originally Georges Méliès’ invention, so shouldn’t the title be The Invention of Georges Méliès? It would certainly make sense, because Méliès is the real...

The book’s last chapter opens up with this intriguing statement: Time can play all sorts of tricks on you. (2.12.1) And indeed, the end of the book does play around with time. First, we see it sk...

Sure, the sheer size of this beast is more than a little daunting, but never fear, this isn’t a tough read at all. First of all, there are over 100 pictures to give you a break from all that read...

Homeless HugoOkay. So in a lot of ways, Hugo isn't exactly homeless. He has a (train station) roof over his head and, with some creative theft, he manages to make due. But you have to admit, things...

Will the real Hugo please stand up? The character of Hugo may be fictional, but that doesn’t mean that Selznick didn’t need a little help envisioning him. He found a real live boy named Garrett...

This is not the kind of book where anything remotely sexy even happens. In fact, if you said the word “sexy” to either Hugo or Isabelle, they’d probably just look at you and shout “yuck!”...

One obvious recurring figure who shows up in the book is the famed Georges Méliès (yes, that’s Papa Georges to you!). Georges Méliès was an actual filmmaker back in the day. You can see a lis...