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Grace Bright
Mrs. Webb
9 Honors Literature and Composition I
October 6 2016
Rosie may have been the one who killed August, but I [Jacob] also wanted him dead,
(Gruen 254). The novel Water for Elephants, written by Sara Gruen, is written about a young
man named Jacob Jankowski, whose life is turned upside down after a tragic accident. As a
result, Jacob begins working for the circus taking care of the animals and befriends a famous,
joyful circus elephant named Rosie. His job seems to be satisfactory until Jacob encounters his
boss, August, a disgruntled main character who is very problematic with the exception of
sporadic kind and apologetic gestures. Since August has chosen to be such a cruel man, he
ultimately ends up alone, while Jacob and Marlena happily run off to another circus together.
Thus for August, the story eventually ends in a tragedy. In the novel, August has a bipolar
personality in which he can be furious one moment and affectionate the next.

As a result of his bipolar personality, August is frequently enraged, which is obvious

when August unjustly diminishes his bosss and the circus animals self-worth. When his
associates actions are not agreeable to August, his negative personality surfaces. He storms in
and slams the doorThat useless son-of-a-bitch paid two thousand for that useless son-of-abitch bull, he says, throwing his hat in the corner and ripping off his jacket (130). Augusts
temper is apparent when Uncle Al purchases a bull, Rosie the circus elephant, which August
feels completely unnecessary. Instead of being able to discuss this situation with Uncle Al,
August belittles his boss with his crude words that diminish Uncle Als actions as well as his
intelligence. August further exemplifies his volatile personality when he unjustly uses the bull

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hook on Rosie, an innocent animal. 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 (138). Because Augusts entire career has been as an equestrian director in the circus,
it would be reasonable to assume that August would be attentive and humane to the animals.
However, this quote shows how violent and short-tempered August is because after Rosie did not
follow his commands he thwacks her with the bull hook. Augusts short fuse causes him to
react negatively toward an innocent animal. As the story unfolds, Augusts bipolar personality
becomes more apparent when he cannot rationally respond to situations and instead responds in
fury, with the exception of a few moments when he is caring.

Due to his unstable personality, Augusts mood shifts dramatically, and in a number of
instances he is caring. In fact, this other side of August has occasional displays of kindness that
others witness. Its hard to reconcile this August with the other one, and to be honest I [Jacob]
dont try very hard. Ive seen flashes of this August beforethis brightness, this conviviality, this
generosity of spiritbut I know what he is capable of, and I wont forget it (229). After Jacob
just recently discovered the language barrier in which Rosie can understand what people are
asking of her, if they speak in Polish, he shared this news with August. Since then August has
been kind to Rosie, and Jacob has observed this more than once when saying, Ive seen flashes
of this August beforethis brightness, this conviviality, this generosity of spirt. Therefore,
August fluctuates emotionally and in various instances he is warm-hearted. Unpredictably,
August has moments in which he is a gentle and sympathetic person.
Augusts personality is extremely complex because of his bipolar temper; thus he has
mood swings in which he can be enraged and then quickly become sympathetic. His mental

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psyche causes him anguish throughout the entire book and results in August becoming a
generally disgruntled, lonely man. He is lonely once Marlena and Jacob run off together to rid
themselves of Augusts verbal and physical abuse. His moments of sincerity could not convince
them to stay or Rosie from retaliating toward him. Augusts life parallels that of Heathcliff, from
Wuthering Heights written by Emily Bronte. Both men express true feelings for a woman while
being hated by those close to them. Their abusive and horrible behavior is their downfall. Both
men die but neither willing to repent their pasts to make it right before death. A quick temper
will make a fool of you soon enough. -Bruce Lee