Symbolism In Hugo

1. Out of all the objects Hugo could have taken from his house, he chose the automaton, and fixing it became his obsession. Use examples from the movie to suggest why he may have chosen the automaton, and what it represented to Hugo.

Hugo chose the automaton out of everything he could've chosen because it was the one thing that he and his father were working on before he died. He made it his objective to finish what both him and his father started. The automaton meant the most to Hugo because it was his most meaningful thing that related to his father and himself. Early on in the film, it flashes back to when Hugo and his father were working on the machine. It seems that most of his time was focused on fixing the machine. He eventually fixed the machine in hope to recieve a message from his father and also to feel like he managed to accomplish rebuilding the machine that both he and his father were fixing. When he did manage to fix the machine and it drew a picture, he and Isabelle decided to look further into what the picture was and why it was signed by George Milies.

2. For George the automaton represented something else entirely. He didn’t allow the machine to be destroyed during the war, however he tried to prevent Hugo from repairing it. What do you think the automaton represented to him? Use examples from the film to justify your response.

For George Milies, the automaton represents his past before the war. He didn't bring himself to destroy the machine along with everything else because it was the only thing left from his past and because he spent so much time and put so much thought into creating the automaton. It was something that he loved but still did not want to keep it, and that is why he did not want to destroy the machine but instead sent it off to the museum to either go on display or go to someone else who wanted it. That is how it came into Hugo and his father's possession. However, he does not want Hugo to repair the automaton because he had been trying to forget his past for so long and he didn't want to have things that would remind him of it.

3. The key that makes the automaton work is another object that is more than it seems. Hugo has managed to repair the entire automaton yet he is unable to make it work as he does not have the key, and it seems he was unable to make one himself. In fact, the only way to get the automaton to work was to use Isabelle’s key. Using examples from the film, suggest why this is so.

Even though Hugo worked really hard to fix the automaton, he still needs to key that is in Isabelle's possession. Hugo is an expert at picking locks, but is still unable to unlock it to get the automaton working. The key has multiple representations that can be seen from several perspectives. One of these can be that the key is the soul of the automaton. Without the key it is unable to function, it's just a motionless piece of junk that is empty. However, with that key it is able to do what it's supposed to do. It can also be seen as a key that is the only thing able to unlock the past of George Milies. It is impossible to discover who George used to be if the key wasn't there. The key is in Isabelle's hands though, which shows that he still wants to keep his past close, but trying to forget it at the same time.

4. The shape of the key is also very significant. Unlike and ordinary key, the key to the automaton is heart shaped. Considering what the automaton does in the story, explain why the film would use a heat shape key to make the automaton work.

The heart shaped key could support both things that I mentioned in my previous answer. It could mean that it is the heart of the automaton since it is the shape of a heart. It is the missing element in the automaton, it is the life of the machine. George Milies also explains that he poured his heart and soul into the machine, so giving it to Mama Jaunne was like giving his heart and soul to her. So also if the key represents the George's past, it could also mean that his past was where his heart really was, that's what he enjoyed the most but it has all been locked away in his past life.

5. Once the automaton is working, it draws a picture of the man in the moon with a rocket ship in his eyes. What is the reason the automaton draws this particular scene instead of any other image from the movies George has made?

If it didn't draw that particular image, it wouldn't have linked to when Hugo's father told Hugo the first movie that he saw. It was also the first movie that George created, and he had the idea in his mind before he even became a movie director/actor/writer. I'm pretty sure that the image was also the most iconic scene from all of his movies. If the image was of any other movie, it would've been harder for both of the kids to find and it wouldn't of been as cool because there wouldn't be a link to Hugo.