The Invention of Hugo Cabret: Why Prometheus?

We're reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick for our final read aloud (http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/index.htm).  There are a few references to Prometheus in the book, and today we had a conversation about why, given all of the various mythological characters there are, Selznick might have invited Prometheus into his novel.  One of the Common Core Standards (which are, for the most part, exquisite) is that students will, "Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone."  In fourth grade, that means students will, "Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g. Herculean).  These are the notes I took during the conversation about Selznick's choice: