Gwen Michelle A.

Poso

BS- Accountancy 2

Water for Elephants Book Review

The story is told in a series of memories from Jacob Jankowski as a 93-year-old man in a
nursing home. At twenty-three-year-old Jacob learns about his parents death in his final semester at
Cornell University. He was about to take his final exam at that time when the accident happened.
This in turn hindered him to complete his degree in Veterinary studies. He then learns that his parents
were deep in debt trying to pay for his Ivy League education. This situations was not unusual during
the time period of The Great Depression in the United States. Distressed, alone and grieving he had
no choice but to board to a slow moving train in the middle of the night to find a possible source of
living. He learns later that the train belonged to the traveling Benzini Bros, the Most Spectacular
Show Circus on Earth. He earns a job in tending animals by deceiving that he is a Cornell graduate.
Jacob develops a risky relationship with the head trainer, August and his wife, Marlena. Jacob
falls in love with Marlena. August, a paranoid schizophrenic, becomes suspicious of their
relationship and beats them both. Marlena refuses to be near August and stays in a hotel while not
performing. This bothers Uncle Al, the owner of the circus and he summons Jacob to his quarters.
There he threatens Jacob with the task of reuniting August and Marlena or having his two best friends
and roommates redlighted. Jacob sleeps with Marlena and they declare their love for each other.
Marlena is afraid of August, so Jacob decides to take matters into his own hands sneaks into Augusts
room with a knife between his teeth. He backs down and returns to his car only to find it empty. He
realizes his roommates have been redlighted and he was supposed to have been too. Subsequently,
Marlena informs Jacob that she is pregnant.
The climax of the story occurs when several redlighted members of the circus return and
let loose the circus animals. In the ensuing stampede, August is killed by Rosie the elephant. Once Al
is found strangled. The circus is shut down and Marlena and Jacob leave with a barrage of circus
animals and start a new life together. The story ends when 93-year-old Jacob uses his walker to get to
the circus outside of his nursing home. The narrative reveals that Jacob and Marlena married with
five children and eventually settled down, with Jacob getting a job at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago.
Jacob acquaintances himself with the manager Charlie and begs him his way into a job at the circus
selling tickets. He finally feels at home.
The book was quite interesting. The author Sara Gruen used a setting that showed how
people coped up at times of the great depression. The 1930s setting in America was the beginning of
the Great Depression. For Americans suffering through the worst economic crisis the country had
ever gone through with little money and food to go around - attending a circus performance would
have seem like a wondrous, desperately needed escape. In the story, having been redlighted means
those moments when the circus security throws unwanted members of the circus off the moving
train to either lessen their monetary problems or to dispatch the members that were useless. This
situations seems cruel and unmerciful and shows how people act at desperate situations and thus

making the book more realistic with the exception of Rosie, the elephant, who loves drinking
alcohol. Naturally elephants drink water which is an irony contrary to the title Water for Elephants
since Rosie would much rather drink gin than water.
Theres just one narrator throughout the story, Jacob who tell two life stories the story of
the most exciting period of his life, when he worked for the circus and fell in love, and the least
exciting period of his life waiting out his final days in the nursing homes and being alone. It is hard
to read the book and not think about a grandparent that may have experienced life in assisted living
in nursing, and how depressing that can be, where structure rules, affection is scarce and family visits
are too few and far between. The story has moments of sadness, love, desire, happiness, anger,
violence, greed and deception that had greatly moved my emotions.

Water for Elephants Movie Review

The best part of Water for Elephants on film is that you really get a sense of what life during
the Depression was likeand circus life. Youll be able to see that the fanfare is in full force along
with all the deceptive tricks, shortcuts, short tempers, and non-negotiable lifestyle. The movie was
enjoyable and the story does not differ so much to the book that it will take away your excitement.
Seeing your imagination when you read the book comes to lifethe beautiful scenes, elaborate
costumes, and of course, Robert Pattinson as Jacob and Reese Witherspoon as Marlena made the
story more realistic.
In the film, even if the character of Uncle Al, the cruel circus owner, is eliminated, and
August is considered to be the owner and operator of the circus, as well as the lead animal trainer the
story was still wholesome and enjoyable to watch. Excluding some unimportant characters from the
book and using only the characters that had the most influence in the story is a smart thing to do.
The title Water for Elephants is ironic. This was used maybe because it served as an
illusion referring to the people at the circus who practiced deception and on how easy their tricks
and how magical their show was. Also carrying water for elephants is a near impossible task since an
elephant drinks tons of water and considering that Rosie, the elephant itself ironically prefers alcohol
than water. The title may also symbolize Jacobs association with circuses. But it may also be
carrying the theme of deceit that forces us to question the truthfulness of Jacobs story. As the
character, rosemary says that sometimes when people gets older, things you think on and wish on
start to seem real and then you believe them is puzzling. It may refer to Jacob considering his age
when he tell the story of his life. It questions the version of Jacobs story of his life, if it is all a clever
illusion or not. Overall, the movie was wonderful. The gorgeous art direction, including the
meticulous costumes, hair, makeup and lighting effects, were very beautiful. Some of the animal
scenes were as mesmerizing as they were heartbreaking. So much care went into the inclusion of the
animals. I truly enjoyed the film.