I Survived the Hindenburg Disaster, 1937

The novel’s final chapters escalate the plot from rising action to climax, culminating in a historical catastrophe that provides resolution for the main narrative threads. The theme of Acting Courageously in the Face of Fear finds expression in Hugo’s character arc. His decision in the airship’s interior is a calculated choice rooted in empathy and bravery despite terrible consequences. Confronted with the danger to Mr. Singer, Hugo feels “small and helpless,” a feeling he connects to his inability to help Gertie. This connection reframes his action as an attempt to succeed where he previously felt powerless. His inspiration comes from witnessing the one-eared baboon outwit a hippo in Kenya, continuing the motif of wild animals being used as corollaries for people. By creating a distraction, like the baboon, Hugo weaponizes his vulnerability, turning his status as a boy with his dog into a cover that the menacing Colonel Kohl cannot penetrate. Hugo maintains his calm when Kohl, again, like an animal, sniffs him to see if he can smell his fear. The action further characterizes Kohl as a predator with primal instincts.

The narrative structure in these chapters uses pacing and dramatic irony to amplify suspense as the climax approaches. The confrontation in Chapter 12 is a moment of high tension, but Chapter 13 provides a false denouement. Kohl is thwarted, and Hugo’s thought that “[n]othing more could go wrong” (67) functions as potent dramatic irony, as the reader’s historical knowledge creates a sense of impending doom. The subsequent chapter stretches this tension through a series of weather delays near the landing, showing how close they came to averting disaster and, at the same time, making the eventual catastrophe feel inevitable. The narrative pace then accelerates when Kohl appears to confront Mr. Singer just at the moment of the explosion. Chaotic sensory details—the “violent jerk” and “thundering whoosh” (74, 76)—immerse the reader in the disorienting violence of the event. This structural shift from drawn-out suspense to rapid-fire crisis mirrors the reality of the disaster, which turned a symbol of progress into a historic tragedy. 

By bringing the Nazi soldiers into the moment of the explosion, the story parallels the political threat of Colonel Kohl and the swastika to the ultimate destruction that comes from the hydrogen—an elemental force linked to postwar tensions between the Allies and Germany. However, the narrative establishes fire as the ultimate terror when Hugo observes the flames, a sight he deems “more terrifying than a cobra coiled in his bed or even a Nazi with a pistol” (76). This comparison subordinates the political threat to the indiscriminate, destructive power of fire, which symbolizes the complete dissolution of the Hindenburg’s world and the technological hubris it represents. In killing Kohl, the fire also foreshadows the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

These concluding chapters reinforce the theme of Childhood Innocence as a Moral Compass, showing how Hugo’s sense of loyalty can confound the cynical adult world. Colonel Kohl, representing the menacing authority of the Nazi regime, is ultimately defeated by Hugo’s simple cover story. Kohl’s assertion that he can smell a lie—that “[a] liar’s sweat gives off a stench, like rotting flesh” (65)—is steeped in an arrogant belief in his own intuition. The irony is that his method fails him completely. He cannot detect Hugo’s deception because its motivation isn’t political, like the people Kohl is used to questioning. Hugo’s lie is protective, a quality outside the corrupt framework through which Kohl views the world. During the crash, Kohl’s only concern is retrieving the secret papers, not saving himself or his men. Kohl’s death by a falling beam serves as narrative justice, pausing the political subplot and allowing the focus to remain on the human struggle for survival.

The final chapters center on The Protective Power of Family Bonds. The narrative acknowledges the Hindenburg’s real-world death toll but filters the event through the Ballard family’s survival, framing the story as one of traumatic triumph. The final chapter in the hospital re-establishes familial stability and highlights the positive outcomes born from the tragedy. Gertie is cured, which allows Hugo to reframe the horrific experience as the thing that “had helped save her” (90). This is a coming-of-age moment for Hugo, demonstrating a mature ability to find purpose within a catastrophe. His resolution to remember both the good and the bad signifies a healthy journey toward healing. He does not erase the horror but chooses to place it alongside moments of wonder, refusing to let the disaster nullify his family’s entire experience.