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Part 1, Chapter 10: The Notebook
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Magic, Cinema, and Imagination
Friendship, Honesty, and Vulnerability
Meaning and Purpose
Hardship and Maturity
Summary
Analysis
Hugo returns to his room in the train station with tears in his eyes. He lights some candles and gets the automaton out of its hiding place. Over the past week, Hugo made a good deal of progress on the automaton. Many of its broken pieces are now fixed and oiled. Hugo even sewed it an outfit. Additionally, it is fitted with a new pen so it can write. Hugo holds a candle up to the automaton’s back where there is a heart-shaped hole.
The tears in Hugo’s eyes are from a mix of happiness and sadness. He worries that he has burned a bridge with Isabelle and Georges, but he is happy that the automaton is almost fully functional. Hugo’s ability to fix the automaton is incredibly impressive given that most adults would not be able to do the same.
Themes
Hugo unclenches his hand, which is holding the key Isabelle was wearing around her neck. He stole it from her when he gave her a hug back at the toy shop. He managed to pull off this trick because he has been practicing magic and sleight-of-hand from the book Etienne bought him. Since buying the book, Hugo is surprised just how much he can do with sleight-of-hand. After all, he managed to steal Isabelle’s key without her noticing.
The heart-shaped key and hole both reinforce the idea that the automaton is a proxy for the relationship between Hugo and his father. Hearts traditionally represent love, and Hugo thinks that the automaton will help him feel his father’s love once again. Unfortunately, to get that chance at love, Hugo has had to steal once again to satisfy his desires—this time from a friend.
Themes
