What was Hugo's role in the story?
In the first couple of chapters of Black Swan Green, I thought Hugo was going to be much bigger part of the story, but even though he only shows up briefly, he ends up having a signficant impact on how Jason sees himself and what he thinks he wants to become. Jason introduces Hugo in a way that makes him seem almost perfect, saying that "Hugo would be a cursed name for most kids but on Hugo it's a halo...Luck loves Hugo," (Mitchell 41). This shows not only how much he admires Hugo, but also hints at his jealousy, since everything seems to come easily to Hugo while Jason is constantly held back by Hangman and his stammer. At first, it feels like Hugo is going to be this model of confidence for Jason, someone he can learn from to become more popular and more sure of himself. Jason notices how easily Hugo speaks in situations where he would normally stay quiet, like when Julia is explaining her career choice and Hugo casually says, “Well s...
