I originally chose to read Water for Elephants because Mrs. Henning, my english teacher, suggested it for me. I also picked this book because I had saw bits and pieces of the movie previously and remember being fascinated by it. Shortly after starting the novel, I was engulfed in it and continually needed to read more. In fact I finished the entire book over the span of just three days. Sara Gruen, the author of the story, starts the book with a boy named Jacob who is going to college to become a veterinarian and follow in his fathers footsteps. Very unfortunately Jacob's parents get into a car accident which leaves both of them dead. He then finds out that his parents went bankrupt and therefore they left Jacob with not even a penny to his name. As a reader, I automatically felt sympathetic towards Jacob, and wanted to know how he was going to get his life back together. Like in many cases, things get worse before they get better. Jacob begins to deteriorate, as can be expected of an individual who has just lost his whole world. Then, he begins to walk aimlessly, and as fate should have it, he ends up on a circus train. Getting on the train alone was dangerous, and as I read I was worried that he might not make it. Additionally, after he got on the train he was greeted by some very unfriendly men who threatened his life. At this point in the novel I had become very attached to Jacob's character and was curious to see if he would be able to get his life back in order, and serve a purpose. Sara Gruen, the author of the novel, then plunges deeply into a story permeated with drama, love and excitement about Jacob Jankowski's crazy life on the Benzini Brothers circus.
The parts that I will remember most will be the one's in which Jacob seemed to be making all the wrong choices. First of all he decided that it would be a wise idea to fall in love with a married woman, Marlena. Marlena whose husband just so happened to be Jacob's boss. Even though this sounds completely ludicrous, I was cheering for Jacob and Marlena to be together because they both deserved it. Another seemingly thoughtless choice that Mr. Jankowski made was when he started a fist fight with August, Marlena's husband. This fight left both the men very injured, and left Jacob on August's hit list. Although these spur of the moment decisions seemed stupid, deep inside I wanted Jacob to do these things because that was the only way he could get the girl, and ultimately be happy.
The parts that I will remember most will be the one's in which Jacob seemed to be making all the wrong choices. First of all he decided that it would be a wise idea to fall in love with a married woman, Marlena. Marlena whose husband just so happened to be Jacob's boss. Even though this sounds completely ludicrous, I was cheering for Jacob and Marlena to be together because they both deserved it. Another seemingly thoughtless choice that Mr. Jankowski made was when he started a fist fight with August, Marlena's husband. This fight left both the men very injured, and left Jacob on August's hit list. Although these spur of the moment decisions seemed stupid, deep inside I wanted Jacob to do these things because that was the only way he could get the girl, and ultimately be happy.
QUESTIONS AFTER READING:
- Why didn't Jacobs family care about him more once he was put into the nursing home?
- Did Marlena ever reconnect with her family after leaving August?
- Was Kinko ever found alive?
- Were Marlena and Jacob considered a scandalous couple, or was it okay since August such a terrible man?
- Did others know about the type of relationship Marlena and August had?
- Is Mr. McGuinty from the nursing home someone from Jacobs past circus life that he just doesn't remember?