"When there is no struggle there is no strength." Oprah Winfrey. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick portrays the lifestyle of an orphan living in the walls of a Paris train station. Hugo Cabret is an orphan, but his unique qualities separate him from the rest; he is an orphan, a clock keeper, and a thief. Hugo has an astounding story behind him. He is an only child raised by his dad, who worked the night-shift at a museum in the heart of Paris. One night, his dad went through storage and found a broken automaton, a machine that writes a specified message when wound up. One night, his father attempted to repair the automaton when the museum mysteriously caught on fire. Hugo's father perished in the uncontrollable blaze. He never came home. The automaton was left behind in the ruins, and Hugo made it his mission to reveal what his dad's "message" was through the automaton. Throughout the book, Hugo taught himself the mechanics of clockworks and gears and little toys that wind up. He may be a homeless orphan, but his characteristics set him apart from the rest.
Hugo was singly raised by his father who died in a museum fire. Hugo’s father was a big part of his life, he only had his dad. “Soon Hugo’s father had filled several notebooks with drawings of the automaton. He opened the automaton up and carefully disassembled it. He drew detailed pictures of all it’s parts, then he cleaned them and patiently put it back together. On Hugo’s birthday, his father took him to the movies as usually done, and gave him one of the notebooks as a present.” Meanwhile, Hugo’s father grew obsessed with getting the automaton to work. He brought Hugo back to the museum a few more times and explained how the mechanisms worked. "One night, the old guard in the museum forgot that Hugo’s father was up in the attic, and he locked the door trapping him inside. Hugo had no way of knowing what happened, the museum set fire." Hugo was depressed and deeply shook by this event. He loved his father so much and this was the worst that callus ever happen to him. Most orphans go through this point in their lives but Hugo has many characteristics and personalities that makes him a unique orphan.
Hugo was a mental genius when it came to clockwork and gears. From here on Hugo was taken in by his alcoholic Uncle Claude being his only live relative. “‘Pack your things quickly, Nephew,’ Uncle Claude had said, his breath smelling of alcohol as usual.” Uncle Claude took Hugo to his hidden room in the walls of a Paris train station. His uncle’s job was to fix all the clocks around the station daily. Hugo caught up quickly and had to take over his uncle’s job, because he was always hungover and drunk. “A few weeks later, Uncle Claude was out late and never came home. He was found dead in a river not too far from a bar downtown.” Hugo had to keep on doing daily rounds around the station fixing the clocks so there wouldn't be a problem, and have the station guards realize Claude was dead. This eventually became a huge part of Hugo’s life. He felt close to his father when he spent time working with little mechanical toys and gears. All these events made Hugo strong, this helped him carry out tasks throughout the book.
As an orphan, there is a lack of food, and money With living in a crowded Paris train station, thats the perfect opportunity to steal and hide from guards. Hugo’s “morning routine” would be to take a fresh bottle of milk and a croissant. “Hugo slowly crept to the lower level of the station, the cafe bakery. He snatched a bottle of milk from the bottom shelf and took a cellophane wrapped croissant. He dashed off hoping Madame Emile didn't catch him.” Hugo only ate a croissant and drank a bottle a day. He had many struggles that other orphans never had. Orphans usually run away to a shelter or another family member, Hugo would've done the same. But, his main focus is to repair the automaton to see what his father’s message was. Every day Hugo would have the same nightmare, the station inspector chased him back to the time keepers room, where he stayed. The station inspector catches homeless kids using the station as a “shelter” and takes them to an orphanage. “At that moment, Hugo accidentally dropped the ice and the bottle of milk, which shattered loudly on the stone floor. As Madame Emile spun around and spotted him, she yelled, “My milk! So you’re the one who’s been stealing from me!” Madame Emile was talking to the station inspector when this happened, Hugo was chased by the station inspector. He ran into the walls of the station and the inspector soon followed. He chased Hugo throughout the whole interior of the station until he lost him. Hugo was hiding in the highest clock in the station. The clock at the top of the station.
In conclusion, Hugo is a unique orphan, his characteristics set him apart from the rest. His struggles as a young timekeeper and thief, leave him restless. All these events made Hugo strong, this helped him carry out tasks throughout the book. "When there is no struggle there is no strength." Oprah Winfrey.
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