In Sarah Gruen’s novel, Water for Elephants, the character “Uncle Al” plays a very
minor yet significant role. Uncle Al’s character is truly the backbone of the Benzeni Brothers and
essentially, the embodiment of American capitalism. This essay will illustrate how Uncle Al’s
character is reflective of the American capitalism ideology by examining the indifferent
relationship he shares with the workers and animals, his unregulated business tactics and the
social stratification of his circus.
To begin with, Uncle Al’s main priorities are for the Benzini Brothers Most
Spectacular Show On Earth to attract as many ‘rubes’ as possible, to outdo The Ringling
Brothers and for his performers and animals to take the stage at all costs. Uncle Al
attempts to make his circus “the most spectacular show on earth” by creating elaborate
and ostentatious acts with the hope of running out of tickets and overflowing the
bleachers with rubes. Uncle Al’s behavior is largely characterized by a capitalist
mentality. One of the main goals of capitalism is to create commodities at affordable
prices for people to buy. Similarly, the performers and animals in Uncle Al’s circus can
be identified as commodities because their skills are being sold in exchange for
entertainment and profit.
The Ringling Brothers are also seen as the leaders of the circus world and represent
strong competition for Uncle Al’s Benzini Brothers. For instance, before Jacob is first
introduced to Uncle Al, Camel warns, “Whatever you do, don’t mention Ringling in front
of Uncle Al” (Gruen, 2006, p. 52). Uncle Al has an unyielding desire for the Benzini
Brothers to be the greatest circus on the planet, hence the title of his circus: “The Benzini
Brother’s Most Specta...
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...s.
In the words of Uncle Al, “After all....the show must go on.”
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Rings' would be a nice idea for a report. It is interesting to see the
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Exploring Fantasy Films ‘One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring