Hugo Cabret

For Hugo Cabret, my role was critical response. Below is an excerpt from my paper that mainly focused on the power struggles throughout the book between different characters. These power struggles were based on class, gender, and age.
By calling Hugo a thief, people are relating him to someone who is poor and cannot support themselves (homeless). This incident now places the power with the rich rather than the poor due to the old toy booth man’s demanding words, “It is no longer your notebook. It is mine, and I will do with it what I want…Perhaps I will burn it” (Selznick 60). Even though there are differences between the rich and the poor i.e. the toy booth man (Georges) vs. Hugo, Hugo still holds power because he owns the “notebook”. Georges is somehow threatened by the fact that Hugo has this notebook and quickly takes it from him because of the power that he holds over Hugo, not only because of his higher status (booth owner vs. homeless boy), but because of his age as well. There is not only a power struggle between Georges and Hugo because of social class, but also between other characters in the book. For example, on page 338, “you are too small and too dirty, and you must be accompanied by an adult” (Selznick).
Throughout the beginning of the book, the reader will also notice the power struggle between Hugo and Isabella (Georges goddaughter). On page 103, the power is in the hands of Isabella because she has the ability to get the notebook back that Georges has already stolen. However, her power changes on page 165 when Hugo states, “you better not look inside…he had to keep secrets” (Selznick). Because Hugo is keeping this secret from Isabella and demanding that she does not look within his notebook, she is being subordinate to his demands.
Finally, one moment that stood out the most dealing with the ability to make someone’s life a better one came within the character Georges. George’s parents wanted him to work in the shoe factory, but he hated shoes. He dreamed about getting away and becoming a magician because he knew it would entail a better life than the factory would offer him. I connected his wants to become a magician rather than a shoemaker to the issue of power. Even though Georges would not hold ultimate power, he would receive a better life being a magician rather than do what his parents expected him to do. This shows the differences between social classes and how the differences in power and money can change the opinion about what a person wants to pursue for a career.
In conclusion, there were many examples of the struggles of power between several characters within the book. Children will have the ability to see this through the differences in class and gender. However, I believe that the whole book is tied around one quote that has nothing to do with the struggle of power. This quote can really teach children to focus on what they want, even though it may not bring them all of the power. “If you lose your purpose…it’s like your broken” (Selznick 374). If children focus on their dreams, rather than their fight for power and money, they will learn to be a happier person.