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Part 1, Chapter 2: The Clocks
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 approaches the old man as he is closing up his shop. He knows he will only have a few minutes to talk to the old man before the Station Inspector shows up. The old man asks Hugo his name. Hugo hesitates, but then gives his full name: Hugo Cabret. In response, the old man tells Hugo to go away, or he will call the Station Inspector.
Here, a shift occurs in Hugo, as he decides to put his trust in the old man and give him his full name. However, that trust is not rewarded, as the old man simply sends him away again. The old man knows what invoking the Station Inspector’s name means to Hugo and uses it to his advantage.
Themes
Hugo asks for his notebook back. The old man refuses, and says he is planning to burn it instead. Then, the old man finishes closing his shop and walks out into the Paris streets as snow falls lightly around him. Even though he hasn’t left the train station in a long time and isn’t dressed for the weather, Hugo immediately follows the old man. When Hugo catches him, he begs him not to destroy the notebook. The old man says that he will do what he wants and then tells Hugo to stop walking so loudly. The old man hates loud footsteps and hopes that soon the snow will silence them all.
Hugo’s willingness to follow and question the old man—even in the cold—demonstrates how much he cares for the notebook. At this point he is desperate and is willing to risk his physical safety if it means getting the notebook back. Meanwhile, the old man continues to want nothing to do with Hugo. Additionally, his hatred of footsteps is an important detail to pay attention to, as the story will explain its full significance later on.
Themes
Hugo continues following the old man through the streets of Paris. Although it is nighttime, there are bright streetlights all over, making the city visible. The old man turns onto a road with a cemetery. Across from the cemetery is a decaying apartment building with chipped paint. The old man walks up to the apartment building and uses a key to open a door. Before stepping inside, the old man warns Hugo to stop walking so noisily because loud steps can summon ghosts. Then, he slams the door in Hugo’s face.
This scene is saturated with images of death: the building is decaying, a cemetery is present, and the old man mentions ghosts. Symbolically, these images suggest that something is dying—or has already died—within the old man, which is why he acts like he does. Meanwhile, for the moment, it seems that all of Hugo’s hard work was for nothing; he ends the chapter with a door in his face.
Themes
