Two_Species_-_One_Life

Water for Elephants is a novel filled with eccentric characters that represent the many different themes that Sara Gruen artistically weaves throughout the story. The setting of a circus alone leads to an onslaught of radical themes, but once you dive into the characters, ones original idea of a spectacular show turns into something completely dynamic. Witnessing a man's love that is divided between two different people, that's complicated. Factor in an elephant named Rosie and the woman, Marlena, who so happens to married to the boss, well, that becomes a whole different twist. Not to mention the story is smack dab in the middle of the depression, leaving everyone feeling that they have nothing else to turn to, but still having the desire to please the masses. Regardless of the fact that Marlena despises the abuse that Rosie receives, they both aim to please. Rosie digs her heels in and refuses to walk in the parade. Once the wagon pulls up, "August opens the door and whacks Rosie until she enters." (Gruen 162) Once they return to the menagerie and she is secured in her spot, she turns on her charm. Receiving treats from the onlookers, she entertains them. "One man is brave enough to lean forward and dump a box of Cracker Jack into her open mouth. She rewards him by removing his hat, placing it on her head, and then posing with her trunk circled in the air. The crowd roars and she calmly hands the delighted patron his hat."(Gruen 163) Marlena does the same just moments later as she is on top of Rosie entering the big top "... Marlena under goes a change that defies belief. One moment she is askew on Rosie's head lying flat. The next, she yanks herself upright, turns on a smile, and thrusts an arm in the air."(Gruen 164) Where the difference lies, besides the obvious, is Rosie, in one way or another gets her way. Marlena on the other hand continues to sacrifice herself in the aim please. After Rosie storms out of the big top, Marlena is left dangling from the top pole. At one point she is "breathing hard, with eyes closed and head down." (Gruen 165) Holding true to her desire to please, she performs an acrobatic sort of dismount and then "She looks at her feet, straightens up, and thrusts both arms into the air." (Gruen 165) It isn't until she is out of the tent and in Jacobs' clutch that she "Then lifts her head and wails." (Gruen 165) Rosie however, she proceeds to reward herself by helping herself to a neighborhood garden full of fresh vegetables, which is a luxury compared to what she normally receives. When Jacob arrives to retrieve her "Rosie pops the red globe in her mouth and smiles as she chews it." (Gruen 167) The passion that consumes Marlena and Rosie does not go unnoticed. Marlena craftily displays hers when she is performing in the big top, while she leads her horses through a spectacular that has everyone captivated. Marlena softly bleeds her passion for animals every chance she gets. Marlena shows up to the train car with Queenie, Walter's beloved dog which he thought that he had lost, and informs them that "I saw her from the window and sent Auggie out." (Gruen 210). When she goes to leave Jacob stops her to tell her thank you and "You have no idea what this means to him. To us, really." (Gruen 211) She then looks at Jacob and over to her horses and says "Yes. Yes. I think I do." (Gruen 211) . Due to the lack of understanding between Rosie and August, she becomes stubborn by not taking command, but we witness her slightly give in when something tickles her fancy. In the garden when two men arrive, one to distract the frantic lady, the other holds a bucket, "She is rapt. Her truck hovers over its top, sniffing and trying to squirm it was around his arm to the clear liquid." (Gruen 168) Rosie allowed her passion for booze takeover and followed the bucket peacefully back to the menagerie. While Marlena passions for animals is generally rewarded, Rosie passion leaves her with the hands of her confused, angry handler. Given the economical condition under which they are working, none of the animals receive the amount or quality of water that they require, so Rosie figures out how to retrieve herself some lemonade. When the missing lemonade "has hit the roustabouts where it hurts" (Gruen 213) and Uncle Al is informed that it was indeed Rosie, he tells August "I'm taking it from your pay."(Gruen 214). August then retrieves his top hat and the ever daunting bull hook. Marlena sees his actions through a mirror and asks him what his intentions are and August replies "I'm not the only one who's going to pay for the lemonade." (Gruen 215). Marlena begs and pleads with him to stop, but to no prevail. Both of these characters have a pull on Jacob, whether they know it or not. When Rosie was on display and entertaining the crowd, Jacob watched "in awe as she is rushed by children and adults alike." (Gruen 163) He then realized that Rosie was actually entertaining and that she knows what is going on to some extent. Marlena has the same hold on him while he watches her perform with the horses for the first time. At the end of Browning 4 Marlenas' show Jacob is "filled to overflowing, bursting with love.(Gruen 202) Rosie and Marlena have a strong enough pull on his heart to cause Jacob the realization that he hates August. While Marlena fills his heart with love, she knows it. After an awkward exchange, Jacob resolved that he was "not involved with Barbara" (Gruen 194), then the conversation turned to Marlena admitting that she hasn't "been able to stop thinking"(Gruen 195) about him. He stuttered and stammered and then she asked him to leave, and so he did although he did not want to. Even after, Marlena and Jacob have their brief intimate moments when they lock eyes for a brief second and then quickly look away. Rosie on the other hand, well, she is an elephant. During a time of a cruel depression and adversity at every turn, love is not lost. Even though we as human are faced with adversities, animals go through the same, feel the same however express it differently. Man, woman or elephant we all share common threads, the pull on ones' heart, passion for life, and the desire to please. Marlena and Rosie, two different species, yet they lead the same life. Works Sited Gruen, Sara. Water for Elephants. Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2006.