Essay Questions

Which theme is the most predominant in The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick?

Hugo is the main character in the story who a 12-year-old orphan trying to search for love and a sense of belonging. Therefore, the predominant theme in The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick is family belonging and identity. Hugo is trying to discover who he is and he is doing so by associating himself with others. He runs away from his abusive uncle to search for love. His uncle’s mistreatment is a sign of community rejection and it paints a real picture of how orphans are mistreated in communities. The station inspector treats Hugo inhumanly which is a reflection of how the society treats orphans. However, characters like the shop owner, Georges and Melies show that there are few individuals within the community who value human dignity because they are ready to offer hep to Hugo.

Is a lack of parental guidance and care portrayed as a nuisance to the society by Brian Selznick in The Invention of Hugo Cabret?

The narrator shows that Hugo is an orphan who is ill-treated and neglected by most adults because he is a naughty boy who makes them feel harassed, weary and exasperated. Hugo has no role model because his parents are dead. The only person he is looking up to is his uncle who is abusive and not caring. Therefore, Hugo finds himself in a difficult situation because he has no role model to guide him on what is good or bad. The uncle who should provide parental guidance and care has neglected Hugo which makes the young boy run away. To make matters worse, the society finds Hugo to be stressful because he disrupts their comfort. It is indeed true that Brian Selznick has a point when he is depicting that the lack of parental guidance can result in bad behavior.

How does the irony of society manifest itself in The Invention of Hugo Cabret?

It is beyond the expectation of the readers that society can be cruel and treat an orphan as a lesser human being. Hugo has not chosen to be an orphan. He deserves love, care and better treatment by the society. However, his uncle is abusive and careless. On the other hand, adults are not ready to show Hugo love because they see him as a nuisance who is disrupting their comfort and relaxation. Despite this societal rejection, Hugo has a way of preoccupying himself with his toy. He does not want his childhood to be taken away by the selfish adults who are not happy being around him. He plays with his toy which at last connects him to Melies who becomes his loving caretaker.