The One And Only Ivan Summary

I.

The genre of the One and Only Ivan is a biography. A biography is an account of someone that is not written by that person. This is because there really was a gorilla named Ivan who lived in a mall for 27 years after being captured in the jungle. And there really was a public outcry for his living conditions inside his domain. And he actually went to a zoo where he spend the rest of his days.

II.

Even though there is no exact time in the novel, we can predict that it occurs somewhere in the present. This is because there are trucks and there are roads and more commodities from the 20th century. The place where most of the action is a circus themed mall. This is where Ivan’s domain is and his only view is of the empty, treeless parking

Here he finds other gorillas just like himself, Ivan.

III.

The protagonist in The One and Only Ivan is Ivan. He is smart because he said some really big questions in the book like “Humans have many words, yet they have no word for what I am”. He also has a big curiosity, which he uses in his artworks. Ivan does not know as what he qualifies in the world-a man or a gorilla- but we do know a lot about him with the remarks he makes like “I think what is, not what could be”. Another character is Stella. She is a role model for Ivan. We know this because he said, “ Stella is a mountain. I am a rock.”. She is a wise old woman with a big heart. She gives advice to Ivan, lighting the way. When Ruby comes, Stella takes a godmother role, mothering Ruby. Another character is Ruby. She is a new one in town when she is shipped to

He discovers, with his human friend, the artist in him. He always has the urge to create. He thinks about the line between humans and apes. He adapts to the human world in his domain, understanding the human language, a lot of people refer to him as lonely. But his friends always stick with him, so he is never lonely. When he watches TV, he notices a world with natural wonders, which leads him to think that there is a world for him. Meanwhile, Stella, who shouldn’t be performing for the circus anymore because of her injured foot, is forced to because of the financial crisis at the circus. Bob doesn’t trust humans and the only one he trusts is Julia and that is because of his past experiences. Then, Stella (a baby elephant) comes as a plan from Mack to bring more visitors. Ruby asks a lot of questions. She is trained by Mack with a claw stick and forced to perform for him. Stella suffers more leg infections and is soon unable to perform. She soon dies and she wishes that Ivan takes care of Ruby. Ivan then makes a plan to get Ruby out of there and into a better home. He makes a sign that said home with Ruby in a zoo, and then gives it to Julia to spread the message. Then it captures the attention of many people and then protest for the freedom of the innocent animals. Mack then fires George and the protesters are shut down. Ivan and Ruby are relocated to a zoo. There