2018 Beyond the Classics discussion

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In Brian Selznick’s book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, this proves to be true. One hundred and fifty eight different pictures are worth much more than a thousand words. As one of my final books in Beyond the Classics, I chose to revisit this book because it was one of my favorite books from my childhood. Hugo Cabret is a book that readers of all ages can enjoy. Although the over five hundred pages look daunting, this book was an easy read. Selznick’s inclusion of illustrations allow the reader to use their imagination to complete the story. Reading this book as a senior in high school, I found that I interpreted the book much differently than I had when I was younger. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is definitely a book that people of all ages should have the chance to read at least once in their life.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a book like no other. It is about the story of a young boy whose parents have passed and is forced to leave school to tend to the clocks in a busy train station. Hugo Cabret’s entire life is a secret. He lives in the constant fear that somebody will discover that he, a 12 year old boy, is living alone within the walls of the train station. When the condition of the only item he has left of his dad is put in jeopardy, Hugo will stop at nothing to get it back. Although he makes some ‘friends’ along the way, Hugo is hesitant to trust those around him. After getting caught while trying to steal clock parts, Hugo must work for a mean and old man who has something of Hugo’s that is of extreme value. Selznick not only describes each scene with great detail, but then draws out most of the scenes. The vivid illustrations allow the reader to not only understand what the author is trying to say, but also see the characters, setting, and emotions the same way as the author. Although The Invention of Hugo Cabret is an easy book to read, the illustrations allow the reader to imagine whatever they would like. This book is typically directed towards kids, however, I think that it is a good book for people of all ages. I think that a book such as Hugo Cabret is important for adults to read because it challenges the mind and allows the reader to use their imagination. In my opinion, there is such a large lack of imagination as we grow up. Society views imagination as being childlike, when in reality, it makes one unique. One’s imagination is put to the test from the very first page.

The detail given by Selznick about his characters strengthens the story as a whole. Each character is present with a large amount of background information. This allows the reader to feel like they’ve known the character for a good deal of time. This also allows the bonds between characters to be stronger because it is made to seem as though the characters have also known each other for a long period of time. However, there are secondary characters that are underdeveloped that would strengthen the story if they had been given more detail when being described. For example, Hugo’s father means a lot to Hugo. His father is the main reason Hugo enjoys the things he does and why Hugo is so invested in particular things in his life. However, the reader is not provided with a large amount of detail about the father. By adding more exerinces between Hugo and his father, the reader would be able to see why Hugo’s dad means so much to him. Although the underdevelopment of secondary characters would positively change the book, Hugo Cabret is a greatly written book on its own.

I was very excited to read this book in Beyond the Classics. The Invention of Hugo Cabret was not only a book from my childhood, but also a movie I enjoyed watching growing up. I strongly prefer the book rather than the movie because when reading the book, the reader is able to use their imagination and creativity when looking at the detailed illustrations. When watching the movie, everything is already assumed for the audience, taking away the element of imagination. I would recommend The Invention of Hugo Cabret to anyone who wants to revisit a piece of their childhood and enjoy a book that is not like most books written in the present.