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More handpicked essays just for you.
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“August strikes her with the bull hook. This sends her flying through the back end of the big top,” (Gruen #) The quote in the story Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen, portrays how an elephant, named Rosie, gets abused by the ringmaster of the circus, August. This story is in the point of view of one of the workers in the circus, Jacob, who sees the aggressive side of the ring master. August does not trust people easily which causes him to act out. He takes his anger out on the animals as well as his wife, Marlena. August’s behavior displayed throughout the novel is abusive, cruel and aggressive. August proves to be abusive towards Rosie throughout the novel. For example, he is always beating Rosie, in a very harsh matter, when she does not follow directions. “’Move!’ he screams, waving the bull hook around her face. She swings her trunk and blinks. ‘I said move!’ He steps behind her and thwacks her in the back of the leg. …show more content…
For instance, he knowingly causes pain and distress towards Rosie. "August smacks her from behind, and Rosie hurries a few steps forward. When August catches up, he whacks her again, this time hard enough that she raises her trunk, bellows, and scampers sideways. August lets loose a long string of curses and runs up beside her, swinging the bull hook and driving the pick end into her shoulder. Rosie whimpers and this time doesn’t move an inch. Even from this distance, we can see that she's trembling" (140-141). Jacob observes how August is extremely harmful to Rosie. So, in effect, throughout the novel she is petrified of him and she is in distress. When the story states, "she raises her trunk, bellows, and scampers sideways" and "Rosie whimpers and this time doesn’t move an inch." The text is trying to show the pain and anxiety she has developed because of what August does to her. August's cruelty makes him ruthless and causes Rosie to suffer because of
In Sara Gruen’s novel Water for Elephants, the theme of love being a driving force in the characters’ decision making is displayed through the use of characterization and conflict throughout the novel. Jacob’s love for Marlena causes him to make unexpected and often foolish decisions. When Jacob suddenly kissed Marlena, her reaction caused him to realize “‘[he] shouldn’t have done that,’” (Gruen, 2006, p. 153). Jacob was unable to conceal his love for Marlena, which, in turn, caused him to suddenly kiss her. Jacob’s character is extremely love driven, which is demonstrated by his romantic outbursts. Without thinking of the results, Jacob decided to keep Rosie because of his love for her. When Jacob told Marlena they were keeping Rosie, his reasoning was “‘I love that bull.
It’s seldom that a movie is ever as good as the book, but after reading Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, and seeing the film, I’d say they came pretty close. The book was filled with love, action, drama and the circus from the first page to the last. Of course, the movie couldn't possibly include all of the vivid descriptions and every little detail that the book does, or else it’d be seven hours long. But what I enjoyed about the movie was that it picked up on a lot of the great history of circuses in the 1930’s and truly captured the personalities of the characters that Sara Gruen wrote about in the book.
In the book, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, power is held by those who use intimidation, violence, and have a high standing title at the circus. The Ringmaster, Uncle Al, is a very powerful character at the circus who uses his authority to blackmail and intimidate others in order to get what he wants. When August and Marlena split up, Uncle Al wanted Jacob to convince Marlena to come back to August; however, when Jacob refused, Uncle Al threatened : “If you want a job to go back to, you will sit back down” (Gruen, 2006, pg 266). By using this method of intimidation, Uncle Al validates that he has power over Jacob and that if Jacob goes against what he is told, there will be consequences for him and his friends. Furthermore, it’s people
In the book The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, the character Dinah is given a new life, and becomes more than the side note that she is in the Bible. The book starts with Dinah the memories of her mother and aunts, which are stories that have been passed down to her. Throughout the book it becomes clear that the stories and memories of the women in her family have a strong impact on Dinah, and it seems as though she expects her life to follow in a similar path to the lives of her “mothers.” When Dinah falls in love with a man, she expects that she will be able to marry him and live the rest of her life with him. Things are not so simple, as her brothers do not approve of the man she falls in love with and murder
From her point of view the reader learns more about August and his troubles at home because she’s his sister and has a very good understanding of him and through her version a lot is learnt about August’s troubles at home and his appearance, this is important because she knows the most about August because she grew up with him and they trust each other. On page 85 the author wrote, “There were so many words I could use to describe the looks on peoples faces. And for a long time I didn’t get it. I’d just get mad. Mad when people stared. Mad when they looked away. What the heck are you looking at I’d say to people even grown-ups.” This tells us that Via is very caring and protective towards
room…” Lyddia`s friend, betsy, got sick from the dusty air.“ she began to lie awake
One main similarity between the movie and novel, “Water for Elephants” is the conflict between August (one of the main protagonists) and three other main characters: Rosie the elephant, Marlena (August’s wife), and Jacob. In the novel, as soon as Jacob meets Marlena, he already knows that her relationship with August is violent. Even though her domestic abuse becomes out of control, Marlena keeps it a secret from Jacob and everyone else in the circus because she feels she feels like it is a sensitive subject to talk about. When Marlena and Jacob plan to throw a surprise get together for August, August intervenes thinking they are planning a “postcoital celebration” instead (Gruen, 244). After August catches them together, they yell, “Surprise!” to which August replies, “A surprise, yes...Or so you think” and then he “shoves Marlena so violently she crashes back onto the
In 2015 there was a ban on the use of wild animals in the circus in England. However, Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen takes place in a circus during the dirty thirties therefore; there has not yet been a ban for the use of wild animals. The poor economic conditions at the time everyone was going broke and few had jobs. Due to Jacob Jankowski receiving life changing information leaving him with absolutely nothing. Jacob then decides to run away and hop on a circus train going past him. This circus is run poorly with no laws to keep people and animals safe. One of the many themes in the novel is, life is not always easy, but hard work pays off in the end. This is evident due to the hard and unsatisfying lifestyle, improper care, and abuse
In the “Hills Like White Elephants,” by Ernest Hemingway, the pregnant girl, Jig, that drinks alcohol tells her boyfriend, American, that she is going to aborts the fetus. In a sense she just tells him this to get him to shut up because he is nagging at her to get an abortion. Jig and the American, her boyfriend talks about her having an operation and he emphasizes how much he cares for her and how much he loves her. The man tells Jig that the best thing she could do is have the operation. Jig wants to drink different types of alcoholic beverages and have a baby too. She has not come to reality that she is hurting the fetus. The man knows she is hurting the fetus by drinking alcohol that is why he wants her to have the operation to have
Although the world is plagued with disease, inequality, poverty, and crime, one of the most destructive aspects in society is selfishness. It is often in an individual’s human nature to fend for themselves, disregarding the effect their decisions will have on other societal members. As a result, selfish decisions are made, leading these individuals closer towards failure. In the short stories “The Elephant” by Slawomir Mrozek and “Bluffing” by Gail Helgason, the characters each experience a negative outcome as a result of their self-centered decisions. Firstly, both characters are initially in a situation where their decisions will have a great impact on others as well as themselves. However, they both make selfish choices which only seem to
Jack feels bad for August being deformed and going to middle school. He feels bad because when he went for ice cream with his little brother Jamie they saw August for the first time and this is what Jack said “It was because when I heard Jamie talking about how he had run away from August. I suddenly felt really bad. The thing is, there are always going to be kids like Julian who are jerks.”“But if a little kid like Jamie, who’s usually nice enough kid, can be that
This is largely seen in Water for Elephants, as animals are used as characters that interact with the human personalities in the novel. Sara Gruen uses animals to highlight the growing love between Jacob and Marlena. When speaking of August, Jacob says, “I hate that I’m in love with his wife and something damned close to that with the elephant” (171). Jacob’s words show that Gruen uses the relationship between Jacob and Rosie the elephant to represent the growing intimacy between Jacob and Marlena. Next, Gruen uses Rosie the elephant to aid in expressing the characters emotions. On page 268, Jacob describes Rosie’s reaction to her abuse by August when saying, “I turn back to Rosie. She stares at me, a look of unspeakable sadness on her face. Her amber eyes fill with tears.” Rosie’s emotions at that time in the novel are also those of Jacob. Jacob is heartbroken by the sight of Rosie being abused and Gruen uses Rosie to graphically describe the emotions of Jacob without attributing weakness to his character. Last, Gruen uses her signature subject of animals to draw the main characters together. As Jacob’s relationship with Marlena is slowing evolving, Rosie is used to let the readers know that their relationship should be encouraged and will last. As Marlena and Jacob are dancing, Jacob states, “As we twirl, I catch sight of Rosie’s raised trunk and smiling face” (129). Rosie’s actions are proof that Sara Gruen’s placing
Ashlynn stated, “‘Everyone wants a reputation for being a hard-core mofo,’ said a girl named Ashlynn who was friends with Jasmine. ‘For being bad. You don't want anyone to think you’re a softie’” (Bazelon 137). By saying this Ashlynn gives the reader a look straight into the mind of teens. It proves the “stay on top” culture that has taken over the halls at Woodrow Wilson Middle School, which is what Bazelon is working to explain. Ashlynn also gives the reader a taste of her own perspective which in turn, is helpful in achieving the author's purpose. Bazelon also followed the story of another middle schooler named Jacob. Jacob was a gay male that was bullied daily by a boy named Aaron. Again, instead of marking Jacob the victim and shaming Aaron, Bazelon looked into the story so she could hopefully find out more about bullying culture.. She spoke with Aaron and he stated, “’Look, you don’t go to school with a bunch of farmer kids in the country, put makeup on, and expect to have nothing happen you,’ Aaron said. He sighed. ‘Just act like normal people’” (Bazelon 72). By taking a look at Aaron's perspective the reader can gain a greater sense
The story “Royal Beatings” is a beautiful representation of a young girl’s view of the world around her. Munro uses vivid details to create a story and characters that feel real. She draws the reader in and allows the reader to understand Rose through her poignant words about her life. Then, in the end, enables the reader to make the connections that Rose perhaps misses. “Royal Beatings” is not about any particular moment in Rose’s life or any certain action related to the reader. The story is, in fact, not about plot at all. It is instead about creating characters with a sense of verisimilitude and humanity while revealing “all their helplessness and rage and rancor.”
The summer Alison turned thirteen, many significant events imbricated in the Bechdel family as well as throughout our country. First of all, Alison’s “father’s secret almost surfaced” (153). He started seeing a psychiatrist, which Alison realized as an adult, was probably to stop cheating on his wife with underage boys. Alison’s diary plays an important role in this chapter specifically because as Alison explains, “There was a lot going on that summer. I’m glad I was taking notes” (154). The Watergate scandal was also unfolding during this time in Alison’s life. It seemed to occur with what she perceived as the loss of her childlike innocence as she explains, “It was only one of many heavy-handed plot devices to befall my family during those strange, hot months” (155).