Monday, October 6, 2008

Water for Elephants 2 (T/TH D)

Welcome to the discussion

13 comments:

Allison Murray said...

Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen, is a recollection of a 90 year old man in a nursing home. While he was in college at Cornell, his mother and father died in a car accident. He is left with nothing and only has six days left of school. He is so upset and confused that he leaves Cornell and decides to jump on to a passing train. The four men on the compartment take an interest in the boy and try to get Jacob a job at Benzini Bros Most Spectacular Show On Earth. He is hired by the ring leader, Uncle Al, to be the vet for the animals during the Great Depression. The traveling show goes from city to city attracting families who would like some light fun.
Currently Mr. Janikowski is struggling with life in the nursing home. The food is terrible and he can barely walk, let alone be free to go places. The doctors keep giving him new medications, and he is becoming less free.
This book is definitely meeting my expectations. I had heard from Olivia and others that this was a great book. She has been trying to get me to read it since the summer so I figured this would be the perfect time.
Right now I am only on page 90, so not many themes are present. By looking at “Work, Class, and Identity” I can see several instances appearing already. Because this book takes place during the Great Depression, everyone is searching for work. Most will take any job they can get in order to make ends meet. Class can be seen in society as well as on the circus. While the performers are treated to meals with silverware and tablecloths, the workers are sent in the back with crammed tables that are covered in filth.
This book is a “quick read” because it isn’t complicated or boring. It is sort of depressing in the beginning because it shows how bad it is to be old as well as what it is like to lose your parents. Overall I am still really interested in the book.
This book is of social value because it shows how a boy survives during a rough time economically. As we enter another rough period, people may have to start taking what work is available rather than what they want. These sorts of characteristics make it noteworthy for society. As this cycle continues, I can definitely see this book standing the test of time.

dan said...

Water for Elephants is about a 90 year old named Jacob Jankowski. The book takes place in a nursing home where he can barely walk and never gets to eat real food. Jacob reflects on life, specifically when he was 23. At the time he was studying to be a vet at Cornell. With only six days left of school, Jacob learns that his parents were killed in a car crash. Everything they owned went to the bank, so he has doesn't have anything. He decides to leave Cornell and jumps onto a train. He discovers that he is on the train of a traveling circus run by a man named Uncle Al. One of the workers named Camel gets Jacob some work moving manure and controlling the crowds. When he meets with Uncle Al, he gets a paying job as the animal vet. Now he is among the ranks of the performers and not the workers. While in the circus, Jacob encounters many new things. He is learning how to deal with life on the road, and just circus life in general.

I chose to read this book because I heard that it was a very interesting book to read. I heard that it was about circus, and I haven't read any books on circuses before so i said to myself "why not give it a try."

Dan Armagno said...

After Taylor, Allison and I discussed about what the book is about at this point, we realized many differences from our point-of-view to the circus and the main character’s point-of-view.
In the book, the circus is all about acting, and being fake and corrupt. It’s a very unsanitary place to be. The carnies are completely phony and are only in the circus for the money, not the fun and enjoyment of entertainment.
In real-life circuses, there are many more positive descriptions. Taylor, Allison and I have all gone to circuses in the past. When Allison said “when you think circus, what can you first remember?” The first thing that came into all of our heads was how colorful, and fun, and joyful, and extra ordinary the circus is. When I first went to a circus show, I thought that it was unbelievable with how synchronized everyone was to each other. They were all in harmony with each other, which I found very interesting. Taylor and Allison agreed.

Taylor said...

Water for Elephants is by Sara Gruen. It's about a 90 year old man named Jacob Jankowski, who lives in a nursing home. His mother and father both die in a fatal car crash and is left as an orphan with absolutely nothing. He can't eat, sleep, or study. So he decides to leave. He gets on a train and doesn't care where it is going. He finds out that he got on a circus train and the guys on his cart help him try to get a job from Uncle Al who runs it. He was hired as the animal vet and has to adjust to the circus life and always being on the move.
So far this book meets my expectations. I heard from many people in the class that it was a very good read and decided to take their word on it and so far it has been very intriguing.
I’m not extremely far in the book so I have not seen to many themes on work, class, and identity but what I have seen has mostly been a mixture of work and class. The time period of the book is during the Great Depression so everyone is trying to survive and looking for work. This has to do with class and work. Also, in the circus some are treated better than others. The performers are treated to a nice meal whereas the workers were sent in the back with crammed tables covered in filth. Jacob had the luxury of being part of the performers.
I think so far this is a good book and I think it will get even better. It is a fast read and it draws you in so it won’t take me a long time to read it. It’s not just a long boring book.
It shows the struggles and hardships that people faced during the great depression and peoples everyday life on the road.

Dan Armagno said...

This book is meeting my expectations. It's an interesting, and new type of reading for me. I like how it is a fast read.
Work and Class themes are beginning to be visible now. Jacob is now working for the circus and is in a low class with bad living conditions.
This is a good book. I enjoy it a lot still.
So far a lot has happened in the book. I'm on chapter 10 right now where Marlena and Jacob are hanging out a lot. Jacob begins to like Marlena a lot and wants to kiss her. Uncle Al went out at wasted the money they’ve been making irresponsibly.

Allison Murray said...

At this point in his recollection, Jacob has been hired as the vet on the traveling circus he is beginning to earn respect by others. The equestrian director, August, especially takes an interest in him which is both helpful and dangerous to Jacob. Being with August and his wife Marlena makes Jacob realize he has deeper feelings for her which he must control if he wishes to survive the traveling circus. He makes the mistake of kissing Marlena when August isn’t around, but she denies him. Jacob notices this threat when he meets Rex, a toothless lion that bites Jacob’s arm as a “joke” by August.
Jacob who is still considered “the new guy” is taken under the wing of Kinko, his roommate. Kinko leads him to Barbara and another woman who shave Jacob and take away his virginity. Jacob has trouble recollecting this night, but the horrid details come back over time.
Jacob also receives the new challenge of working with an elephant. Uncle Al purchased the elephant from a collapsed circus on a detour from their shows. The elephant is considered by most to be a stupid purchase, for the elephant is dumb and only causes problems for August and Jacob.
In the present day, Mr. Janikowski is slowly giving in to nursing home life. His drugs make it nearly impossible to keep his passion to live. The only moments that keep him going are when the nurse slips some cream into his coffee, or gives him an apple.
As of right now, I am still interested in this book. I feel that the memories of circus life move much quicker than the present day. I think this is because Mr. Janikowski’s present lifestyle is depressing and lonely, whereas his time at the circus is full of adventure and spontaneity. I still enjoy the book overall because it’s like viewing the two parts of one man, past and present.
At the point, Work, Class, and Identity are becoming more present. The longer Jacob is in the circus, the more he sees the social hierarchy of the show, the performers being on top and the workers at the bottom, with a few exceptions in between. Also, this novel takes place during a time when everyone was in search for money. Jobs were important and never too low for a person. I think that by the way our economy looks right now; this type of society will become more reflected in our lives today.

Taylor said...

So far in the book Water for Elephants Jacob is trying to adjust to the circus life. He is in the lower class of the circus right now because he is new and they don’t exactly know what he will be most useful for. The working conditions are really bad right now because he is at the bottom of the pack but he is slowly making his way to higher jobs. Jacob is given a job as the animal vet and later works with an elephant.
Work, class and identity themes are becoming much more visible now that we get farther into the book. We see that there are big differences between the performers and the workers and there are not many people in between. This book was written during the Great depression and everyone was looking for money They didn’t care what it was.
So far I am still enjoying this book. It is a fast read and very interesting. It is remarkable to see the circus really is and to see how the people and animals are actually treated because we see it in a completely different perspective

Allison Murray said...

In Water for Elephants, I left off at the point where August is having trouble training the new elephant, Rosie. She has been known to be the world’s stupidest elephant, and so August has taken a violent approach to train her. The crowds favor Rosie to the other animals, so Uncle Al decides to create a show with Marlena and Rosie in the center ring. During the show, Marlena bruises her heels and can’t perform for several weeks. Jacob has to hide his inner concern for Marlena so that August doesn’t realize that he has feelings for her. To make matters worse, Marlena stays in her cabin and therefore Jacob hardly sees her. He becomes instantly distracted when Earl comes to him begging for him to come look at Camel. Camel’s feet have become “floppy” to the point where he can barely walk. According to Walter, he has the Jake Leg, which he got from Jamaican liquor. Jacob sells his father’s watch in order to have a doctor come look at him, but the doctor says there is nothing he can do. Camel becomes worse and is supposed to progress to total paralysis. Because Walter and Jacob can’t keep Camel in their cabin forever, they telegram his son to have him pick him up in Providence. Also, the fat lady Lucinda dies. Uncle Al uses this to draw in a larger audience for their next show by showing public grief. In his current life, Mr. Janikowski is still struggling to be social with the other members of the nursing home. He is still bitter with the man that claimed he carried water for elephants. At one point, Rosemary tells Jacob that he has been talking to himself and he realizes that he is starting to show signs of dimensia and asks to see a doctor.
This book still moves really fast for me. Though the chapters set in the present move slower, I do not have trouble sitting down to read this book. My favorite parts to read are the times when Jacob is with Marlena because I firmly believe that they are meant to be together. I still have a little less than 100 pages to read, so I have plenty more to find out.
Work, class, and identity are still present in this story. At one point, Uncle Al refuses to pay the workers, but only the performers. He claims they will get their money at the end of the season, which is most likely not true. The works also have learned not to ask for it more than a few times or else Uncle Al will throw them of the moving train. Therefore in the hierarchy of the circus, only the well-off get paid, and the poor are left with nothing.

Dan Armagno said...

Uncle Al bought an elephant from a collapsed circus. The elephant is considered to be a stupid purchase, for the elephant is dumb and only causes problems for August and Jacob. The Elephants name is Rosie, and causes a lot of trouble for August to train her. Later on in the shows, the crowds tend to like Rosie and so Uncle Al made a show just for her and Marlena. Marlena gets hurt (that was shocking) and the show had to stop. Then, Camel get’s to a point where he can’t walk anymore. Jacob went out and got a doctor to look at Camel, in the process he sacrificed his father’s watch. Disappointingly, the doctor said that it was too late to do anything and that Camel will soon be in total paralysis.
It’s hard to describe how this book works. It’s an easy and fast read, but the chapters are long and slow. It’s been taking me a while to actually sit down and read the book but in the end I do it. One of the motives for me to keep reading this book is with how dramatic it sometimes gets. It becomes a good page turner.
The theme still reflects with work and class. It takes place during a depression in employment, and so anyone was willing to take any job they can, just as long as they got paid. All though, in the end, only they well employed get paid and the poor get nothing.

Allison Murray said...

In class, our group chose to speak about Marlena. We all think that she is one of the most interesting characters as well as one of the most likable. From the beginning Jacob has been attracted to her because of her performance and her resemblance to a girl from Cornell. We discussed if we thought she really loved August, Taylor and I said yes because she always defends him and he is always kind to her. Dan said no because he thinks that she is in love with Jacob because he isn’t like August. We also discussed whether or not we think Marlena and Jacob will end up together. We all said yes because Jacob has and will always love her, if only August wasn’t around. We think the relationship between these two characters is probably the most interesting part of the book.

Allison Murray said...

Life is rough on the Benzini Bros. Most Extravagant Show on Earth. All Rosie does is eat and stand there. Money is tight because of this new expense leaving everyone is a bad mood, especially August. Jacob is not only struggling with his relationship with August, but also his relationship with Marlena. She doesn’t to see him anymore because she feels guilty for betraying August. From what I’ve just read, I learned how August and Marlena met. She was seventeen and went to see the show while trying to avoid her impending engagement. While at the show she met August, shortly after he proposed. After this talk, Jacob feels down because he can’t be with Marlena and decides to take some whiskey to Rosie. While he is visiting her, he realizes that she understands Polish commands. When August is informed, he is elated and begins to create a new act for Rosie and Marlena. Everyone is excited with the new popularity of the show, mainly because of Marlena and Rosie. August gives all the credit for the show’s salvation to Jacob, who feels more and more guilty.
This book is still moving at a fast pace for me. I notice that I pay less attention during the nursing home scenes, but I do find it interesting to notice the personality change between Jacob as a vet and Jacob as an old man. He has grown much more harsh and up-front, in contrast to his gentle and quiet youth.
The themes of Work, Class, and Identity are ever present in this book. Most recently Jacob discovers that because he works with August and is “a first of May” some of the older workers don’t respect him. The class division within the circus is comparable to whites and African Americans before the Civil Rights movement.

Allison Murray said...

A lot happened in the last 100 pages of Water for Elephants. The downfall of the plot begins when August walks in on Marlena, Rosie, and Jacob preparing a surprise party for August. He is in one of his moods and doesn’t believe that the party is for him. August and Jacob fight until Jacob is knocked out, and August also hits Marlena. It is at this point that Jacob realizes that he needs to take Marlena to a hotel away from August. At the hotel, they have sex and pronounce their love for each other. Jacob plans to take Marlena away from the circus and August once they reach Providence. His plans change when Uncle Al threatens to red light Walter and Camel if Jacob doesn’t get August and Marlena together. He tries to buy time by saying that Marlena will need a few weeks in order to forgive him. It is at this time that Jacob learns that Marlena is pregnant with their child. Jacob decides to kill August but changes his mind at the last minute. When he returns to his car he finds it empty and learns that Walter and Camel had been red lighted, most likely because the murderer was in search of Jacob. The day they are planning to leave, Jacob learns that the workers are going to take down Uncle Al. This plan is put into action when the animals form a stampede destroying everything in sight. Rosie even kills August with a pole. After the stampede another circus comes to pick up the pieces, taking everything but Bobo, Rosie, and Marlena’s horses. Uncle Al is killed by the workers and the Benzini Bros. Most Extravagent Show on Earth closes for good. Marlena and Jacob decide to join the Ringling Brothers show and grow old together.
In the present day, Jacob waits for his family to take him to the circus. When he realizes they aren’t coming, he decides to go on his own without telling Rosemary. While at the circus, Jacob encounters a man named Charlie who wants to hear about his summer on the circus. Jacob decides to join the circus, for that is truly his home.
I really enjoyed this book. I felt like it moved slowly at times, but now that I look back on it there was never a point where I wanted to stop reading. My favorite part of the book was Jacob’s memories, especially at the end when he lives happily ever after with Marlena.

Dan Armagno said...

This book was very enjoyable and very dramatic. A basic summary of the ending is that the “Most Extravagant Show on Earth” was closed for good. It was ridiculous with how dramatic everything became. It starts with Augusts’ surprise birthday party. He walks in on Rosie, Marlena and Jacob planning it. He didn’t believe it was for him or anything and so he fought Jacob and knocked him out and hit Marlena. When Jacob recovered he took Marlena to a hotel to stay away from August. They basically got it on and told each other that they love each other. After that, everything went downhill. Uncle Al threatens to red light Camel and Walter if Jacob doesn’t get Marlena and August back together. Unfortunately, Jacob finds out that Marlena is pregnant with their child. Walter and Camel were red lighted. The workers plan to kill Uncle Al the day Jacob is leaving. It started with a stampede destroying everything in its way. Then, workers and the Benzini Bros. kill Uncle Al. The stampede is taken over by surrounding circuses; they stole the “Most Extravagant Show on Earth.” Marlena and Jacob join the Ringling Bros. show.
Moving all the way back to present day, Jacob is in a Nursing home waiting for his family to pick him up and take him to the circus. They never came and because of Jacobs craving for circuses, he walks all the way to it as a 90 year old man. It obviously took him forever to get there but when he arrived he began to tell his summer in the circus to a man named Charlie. In the end he decides to join the circus because that’s his pursuit for happiness.
This book was very good. It was out of the ordinary from what I normally read but I liked it. I would recommend anyone who likes dramatic books to read this.