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In The Invention of Hugo Cabret, clocks symbolize order and disorder in Hugo’s life. Hugo’s job is to care for the clocks at the train station, which he does to the best of his ability. Because he is in charge of clocks, time is constantly on Hugo’s mind; in fact, he often describes his mind as a complex clock, full of gears and other machinery. When things are going well for Hugo, the clock in his mind is steady and orderly. However, whenever Hugo’s external life is chaotic—such as when the Station Inspector chases him—the clock in his mind is disorderly, and he cannot think straight. Additionally, clocks are the objects that bind Hugo to his father. Before his untimely death, Hugo’s father was a horologist—a clockmaker—an occupation Hugo deeply loves and respects. When Hugo maintains the clocks at the train station, he is doing so with the memory of his father in mind. As such, Hugo does his best to ensure that the clocks are always running well, both so that order can prevail and so that he can make his father proud.
Clocks Quotes in The Invention of Hugo Cabret
The The Invention of Hugo Cabret quotes below all refer to the symbol of Clocks. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Part 1, Chapter 5: Hugo’s Father
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And so Hugo began working all day in the dark on clocks. He had often imagined that his own head was filled with cogs and gears like a machine, and he felt a connection with whatever machinery he touched. He loved learning how the clocks in the station worked, and there as a kind of satisfaction in knowing how to climb through the walls and secretly repair the clocks without anyone seeing him.
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Part 2, Chapter 6: Purpose
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“Before you go home, come with me,” Hugo said, and he helped Isabelle through the nearest air vent into the walls. Between Hugo’s injured hand and Isabelle’s sprained foot, it was extremely difficult for them to get up the staircases and the ladder, but they helped each other and at least they came to the glass clocks that overlooked the city.
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Clocks Symbol Timeline in The Invention of Hugo Cabret
The timeline below shows where the symbol Clocks appears in The Invention of Hugo Cabret. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1, Chapter 1: The Thief
...Paris. As the sun rises, crowds flock to a large, elegant train station with a clock tower and massive stone archways. Among the crowd, a young boy makes his way up...
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...vent, which he opens and crawls through. The vent leads to the backside of a clock, which overlooks a nearby street. The clock is translucent, allowing the boy to spy on...
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Part 1, Chapter 2: The Clocks
...and heads off to work. As it turns out, Hugo’s job is to wind the clocks around the train station. First, he heads to the clocktower, where he winds the large...
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Eventually, Hugo makes his way to a small clock, which allows him to see into the Station Inspector’s office. From behind the clock, Hugo...
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Part 1, Chapter 5: Hugo’s Father
Hugo’s father used to own a clock shop and took care of the clocks in one of Paris’s museums. In a flashback,...
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...this one as well. He also teaches Hugo that some famous magicians started off as clock makers, which provided them the knowledge they needed to build fantastic machines. Magicians often used...
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Like his father, Hugo is talented when it comes to clocks. His father taught him how to fix broken clocks at a young age, and by...
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Claude tells Hugo that he will serve as his apprentice in taking care of the clocks. As Hugo walks, he starts rubbing the notebook in his pocket. Then, he asks Claude...
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When he was very young, Hugo wanted to be a horologist (a clockmaker) like his father. However, after discovering the automaton, he decided he would prefer to be...
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Hugo starts spending his days working on the clocks in the train station. He loves the job and finds it satisfying, but his living...
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...keep the automaton. Not knowing what else to do, Hugo decides to keep maintaining the clocks around the station to make people think his uncle is still around. If Claude never...
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Part 1, Chapter 6: Ashes
It is time for Hugo to check the clocks. At first, he does not want to, and even considers turning himself in to the...
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Hugo starts checking the clocks but has a harder time than usual because his mind is still on the burnt...
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The following morning, Hugo goes around the train station and checks the clocks, as always. When he is finished, he desperately wants a cup of coffee, so he...
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Part 1, Chapter 8: Cards
The next morning, Hugo checks on the clocks and then walks to Georges’s toy shop. Georges puts him to work cleaning and making...
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...movies with his father to see a film where a man hangs from a large clock. He remembers loving spending time at the cinema with his father. Isabelle tells Hugo that...
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Part 1, Chapter 9: The Key
...and gets very little sleep. Whenever he is not at Georges’s shop, he is maintaining clocks, and the rest of his time goes toward working on the automaton. However, when Tuesday...
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After the newsreels, a short cartoon plays. The cartoon is about clocks, which are alive and dancing. Hugo enjoys the cartoon and knows his father would love...
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Part 2, Chapter 3: The Plan
...prevents him from doing his job. Soon, he thinks, the Station Inspector will realize the clocks are out of sync and come looking for him. Hugo lays down in bed and...
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Part 2, Chapter 6: Purpose
While working the toy stand, Hugo looks at the clocks, and worries about when they will stop working. He knows that the Station Inspector will...
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After work, Hugo takes Isabelle up to the top of the train station’s clocktower and they look out over Paris. The city is lit up against the evening sky,...
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Part 2, Chapter 7: The Visit
...money at the toy store to buy medicine for Georges. However, in the meantime, the clocks are starting to function poorly, and Hugo knows it is only a matter of time...
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Part 2, Chapter 9: The Ghost in the Station
...found Claude’s body in the river. They wonder if the station is haunted because the clocks keep running even though Claude is dead. The story shocks Hugo, and he accidentally drops...
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Part 2, Chapter 10: A Train Arrives in the Station
...knows. Hugo explains that Claude is dead, and that he has been tending to the clocks by himself. At first, the Station Inspector does not believe Hugo, but then realizes he...
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