The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick: An Historical Fiction Imagine losing everything you have ever known--your family, home, and friends. The only connection to your past is a broken machine, which you are sure holds a secret message from your father that will help guide you back to a normal life. This is the story of The Invention of Hugo Cabret. This is an historical fiction, which means that even though it's made-up, it's based on a real time and place in history. This story is set in Paris at the turn of the 20th century, when Paris was the epicenter of technology and film, and it tells the fictional story of a young boy named Hugo. It also features a real historical figure, Georges Méliès, a pioneer of filmmaking at the time. Summary Hugo's father was killed in a fire. He goes to live with his uncle, who takes care of the clocks in the train station. One day, Hugo's uncle disappears, and Hugo is left to take care of the clocks and himself, with no money or friends to help. Before his father's death, Hugo and his father were restoring an automaton - a wind-up mechanical man - that his father had found in the museum where he worked. Hugo thought both his father and the automaton were lost in the museum fire, but then he found the automaton in the ashes. An example of an automaton, a wind-up mechanical man
Hugo has his father's notebook to help him repair the automaton, and he's hoping the machine will carry a message from his father. Meeting Georges One day, while trying to steal the pieces he needs to repair the automaton from a toymaker in the train station, he is caught and meets Georges Méliès, the owner of the toy booth. Georges takes Hugo's notebook and refuses to give it back. Hugo returns later and tries unsuccessfully to get the notebook back. But Georges does offer Hugo a job, and Hugo accepts in the hopes that someday he may be able to get the notebook back. While working for Georges, Hugo meets Isabel, Georges' goddaughter. Georges immediately recognizes Hugo's skills with clockwork toys, and Georges and Hugo become friends. While Georges doesn't return the notebook, he teaches Hugo the art of the trade, and with time, Hugo starts to realize how pieces from the toys will fit perfectly within the automaton. And so it turns out he doesn't need the notebook at all. Winding the Automaton Eventually, Hugo finishes the automaton and notices a key around Isabel's neck that will wind it. He uses his magician skills to steal Isabel's key. Isabel follows Hugo back to his apartment in the walls of the train station. She watches as Hugo uses the key to start the automaton, hoping to learn its secret. The automaton starts to draw, and Hugo recognizes a drawing of a scene from his dad's favorite movie, A Trip to the Moon. As the automaton finishes, both Isabel and Hugo are shocked when the automaton signs a name to the drawing: Georges Méliès. The automaton draws a scene from A Trip to the Moon.
Uncovering the Truth Hugo and Isabel go to Isabel's godmother to figure out the connection between Georges and the automaton. She refuses to tell them anything, so they investigate on their own. They find out that Georges used to be a magician-turned-filmmaker at the very beginning of the age of filmmaking. People think that Georges has died, but Isabel and Hugo convince a film teacher that he's alive and well. They invite the teacher to Isabel's apartment to prove it. Georges Melies Georges becomes ill from the stress of having his sad past brought back to his memory. But then the teacher shows him one of his old films, and Georges recovers and confesses that he used to be a magician and a filmmaker. He also admits to being the original creator of the automaton, which he used in his magic acts. The Méliès family decides to adopt Hugo, and Georges is honored at the film school for his accomplishments and contributions to the field. Hugo continues developing his magician skills with the help of Georges, and at last he finds his place in the world.
Characters & Quotes: From train stations to machines and movies to magic, Hugo's life is changed when he meets Isabelle in The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. In this lesson, we'll look at some of the captivating characters and quotes in this magical story. Secret Life What would you do if you were invisible? Play a trick on someone? Sneak in to an important meeting or event? It might sound exciting to live under the radar, but that's not the case for Hugo! In The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, Hugo is forced to try and be invisible so that he can go on living in a train station in Paris. But once his secret life is revealed, a whole cast of quirky characters enter the scene. Let's learn more about these characters and some of their most important quotes. Main Characters Hugo Cabret: The main character, Hugo, is a 12-year-old boy who is an orphan. Hugo lives in a train station and is great at fixing mechanical things, like a toy mouse. He is on a mission to fix his dead father's automaton, or robot. Georges Méliès: Georges is an old man who owns a toy shop. He takes care of his godchild, Isabelle, though he does it grumpily. He is an incredible filmmaker and artist. Even though Georges doesn't like Hugo, he saves Hugo from the station inspector and allows Hugo to live with him. Isabelle: Georges Méliès' godchild, Isabelle, is also an orphan, but she lives with Georges Méliès and Mama Jeanne. Mama Jeanne Méliès: Mama Jeanne is married to Georges Méliès. She is kind to Isabelle and Hugo, even after they have stolen. Jeanne is in charge of the key for the automaton until Isabelle takes it.
Hugo and Isabelle Supporting Characters The station inspector: The station inspector tries to have Hugo put in jail for living at the train station. He is the antagonist, or enemy, throughout the story. Etienne (pronounced ay-tee-ann): Etienne is an older boy who enjoys films as much as Hugo and Isabelle. He sneaks Isabelle into movies and helps the two younger kids out when they need it. Rene Tabard: Rene is another movie fanatic who helps to remind Georges Méliès about why movies are so great. Hugo's Uncle Claude: Claude is a terrible caregiver and abandons Hugo after treating him poorly.
Quotes Let's take a look at some memorable quotes from the book and what they mean: Hugo's father had stepped into a dark room and, on a white screen, he had seen a rocket fly into the eye of the man in the moon. Father said he had never experienced anything like it. It had been like seeing his dreams in the middle of the day. Hugo's father loved the movies. In this quote, Hugo remembers this story that his father told him, describing the first movie Hugo's father saw as a young boy: A Trip to the Moon. The scene being described here is what the automaton draws once it is fixed, and the movie is by none other than Georges Méliès. I like to imagine that the world is one big machine. You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and type of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too.... If you lose your purpose... it's like you're broken. In this quote, Hugo talks to Isabelle about how humans have purpose, just like machines do. They go on to wonder how they can help Georges find his purpose in life again. Even if all the clocks in the station break down... time won't stop. Not even if you really want it to. Like now. Hugo thinks this thought while he and Isabelle are staring up at the stars and moon at the train station at night. It is the perfect moment, and Hugo wants to stop time so it lasts forever. Time can play all sorts of tricks on you. In the blink of an eye, babies appear in carriages, coffins disappear into the ground, wars are won and lost, and children transform, like butterflies, into adults. That's what happened to me. Hugo sums up his adventure throughout the story and how it helped him grow up. study.com, Instructor: Lindsey Hays Lindsey has taught Elementary Education, Spanish immersion, and ESL. She has a MS in Elementary Education with a BA in Spanish.