One main similarity between the movie and novel, “Water for Elephants” is the conflict between August (one of the main protagonists) and three other main characters: Rosie the elephant, Marlena (August’s wife), and Jacob. In the novel, as soon as Jacob meets Marlena, he already knows that her relationship with August is violent. Even though her domestic abuse becomes out of control, Marlena keeps it a secret from Jacob and everyone else in the circus because she feels she feels like it is a sensitive subject to talk about. When Marlena and Jacob plan to throw a surprise get together for August, August intervenes thinking they are planning a “postcoital celebration” instead (Gruen, 244). After August catches them together, they yell, “Surprise!” to which August replies, “A surprise, yes...Or so you think” and then he “shoves Marlena so violently she crashes back onto the …show more content…
overturned platters and food...[and] ends up dragging her by the neck as she screams” (Gruen,246). One of the main reasons Marlena never tells anybody about the violence is because she doesn’t want a taboo subject (such as domestic violence) to make August angry and ruin the show. Similarly, in the film, August is very manipulative of Marlena because he does not want her to leave the circus. August knows that if Marlena ever left the circus, his whole show would fall to pieces because she is the “star of the show”. For example, when August invites Jacob over for dinner one night, he gets very drunk and starts to touch and kiss Marlena right in front of Jacob. Marlena reminds him that they have a guest over, but August does not care because he wants both Marlena and Jacob to now that he is in control. Even though August was very controlling and violent towards Marlena, this was most likely his way of taking out his anger and escaping from the hard times of the Depression. Secondly, Rosie the elephant is the newest edition to “The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth”.
But as soon as she enters the circus, she then becomes a new target for August to take out his anger on. For example, when Rosie does not follow August’s orders, he “smacks her from behind...swinging the bull hook and driving the pick end into her shoulder. Rosie whimpers and this time doesn’t move an inch. Even from a distance, [they] can see that she’s trembling” (Gruen 140-141).In this scenario, only Jacob and Marlena are aware of the physical abuse that Rosie undergoes. In the film, Rosie’s abuse is also kept “behind the scenes”. During one of Marlena’s acts, August stands behind Rosie, jabbing her with the bull hook to make sure she doesn’t run out of the menagerie during the act. Nobody in the audience can see what August is doing from behind the giant elephant. In other words, both Marlena and Rosie have to put on false faces and look happy for the spectacle. Therefore, Rosie ,as well as Marlena, both accept oppressive consequences in order to put on a spectacular and illusory
show. The last conflict that is seen in both the film and the novel is between August and Jacob. Jacob falls in love with both Marlena and Rosie instantly when he sees them. Unfortunately, when Jacob tries to form a bond with each of them, August suppresses any real relationship by taking advantage of Marlena and Rosie. For example, in the novel, when August starts beating Marlena in front of him, Jacob becomes very angry and attacks August. As soon as August touches Marlena, Jacob “launches across the open space and tackles him...Marlena is hovering screaming at us to stop...all the rage and pain and frustration of the past few months is channeled into [his] fists’ (Gruen,246-247). Consequently, August is the only person who stands in Jacob’s way of loving Marlena and Rosie which creates conflict between August and Jacob. Likewise, in the movie, Marlena sparks a conflict between August and Jacob when she slaps August across the face. August pounces on Marlena almost immediately which provokes Jacob to start attacking August in order to protect Marlena. Since Marlena didn’t tell anyone about her assaults and continued to pretend to love August, she created a misconception not just for the audience, but also for August and Jacob. Accordingly, all three conflicts occur because there is illusion within each relationship.
The thrilling book The Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls and the movie by Walt Disney are alike in some ways but drastically different in other ways. There were different characters, endings and beginnings, and even different plot organization.
The complication between characters is especially shown in Anna and Sarah’s relationship. In the movie Anna is mad about Sarah coming to stay for a month. However, in the book she says “I wished everything was as perfect as the stone. I wished that Papa and Caleb and I were perfect for Sarah” (21). In the book Anna has no trouble liking Sarah, but in the movie Anna has a hard time letting go of her real mother and will not let Sarah get close to her. It is not until Sarah comforts Anna after a bad dream and tells her “when I was ten my mamma died” (which was not told in the book) that Sarah and Anna have a close relationship. After Sarah and Anna reach an understanding, Sarah tries to help Anna remember her mother by putting her mother’s candlesticks, quilt, a painting, and her picture back into the house. They also put flowers on her grave together. However, Anna and Sarah’s relationship is not the only one that takes a while to develop.
Christopher McCandless and Adam Shepard both did some similar targets in their lives, at the end it lead them to unexpected situations. Christopher McCandless was a young man who didn't believe in society and he chose to get away from that and left everything he had, including his family. He developed important relationships with key people that helped him on his journey into the wild. Similarly Adam Shepard was a young man who left with only $25 and a sleeping bag to go prove his point that the american dream does exist and to see if he can achieve it in a couple of months. Overall comparing McCandless and Shepard, Christopher McCandless had a greater impact in people, motivated many, and was selfish in plenty of good ways.
The first difference between the novel and the movie was the press conference that was held on behalf of Amy the gorilla. In the novel, this press conference never took place. In the novel, the press conference was held to settle a legal debate on whether or not Peter Elliot was abusing Amy and whether or not Amy should be released from Peter’s studies and experiments. However, in the movie, there was no reason stated as to why the press conference was being held.
Being written with a third-person omniscient point of view, as reader it is easy to pick-up the thoughts and ideas of all characters. Originally it is thought that in the beginning of the book that Mud will be the only main/dynamic character, but upon reading further into the book, Tall-Time (closest thing to Mud’s love interest), Torrent (Tall-Time’s best friend), and Date Bed (Mud’s best friend), all will be discussed and their development into complex characters will be another focal point. The author is very creative in her way of developing characters. She almost tries to dedicate each chapter to one character, or another chapter to the relationship that certain elephants share with one another. The dictionary and family tree that she creates within the prologue also add a certain sense of knowledge for the reader; those tools make the reader feel as if they already know things about the characters and their situation. This makes the use of elephants as the main characters, not as farfetched as...
Two people could be living two very different lifestyles, yet they could be very similar in the way they act and react in the same situation. Charlotte from “The Metaphor” by Budge Wilson and the Mother character from “Borders” by Thomas King live very different lives but the way they deal with the problems they are faced with is very similar. Both protagonists have to deal with trying to be forced to be something they are not by society and their families, but Charlotte from “The Metaphor” has been challenged by her strenuous home, she must face her organized mother and orderly home; the Mother from “Borders” must stand up for what she believes in and fight for what she wants.
“Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities […] because it is the quality that guarantees all others” (Winston Churchill). This quote attests to the importance of the courage portrayed in The Help and Water for Elephants and emphasizes why courage is a defining trait of the characters. In both novels, the characters are confined and put through pain and suffering but in the end demonstrate tremendous amounts of courage in order to overcome their oppression. In The Help, the coloured help are confined to living life in an era full of racism, they are put through pain and suffering by the way they are treated by their employers and the members of their community. The characters demonstrate
In Sara Gruen’s novel Water for Elephants, the theme of love being a driving force in the characters’ decision making is displayed through the use of characterization and conflict throughout the novel. Jacob’s love for Marlena causes him to make unexpected and often foolish decisions. When Jacob suddenly kissed Marlena, her reaction caused him to realize “‘[he] shouldn’t have done that,’” (Gruen, 2006, p. 153). Jacob was unable to conceal his love for Marlena, which, in turn, caused him to suddenly kiss her. Jacob’s character is extremely love driven, which is demonstrated by his romantic outbursts. Without thinking of the results, Jacob decided to keep Rosie because of his love for her. When Jacob told Marlena they were keeping Rosie, his reasoning was “‘I love that bull.
Love is a very powerful emotion which is achieved by overcoming many hurdles and acting with courage. This bravery can be shown towards anything and anyone, including humans and animals. In Sara Gruen’s Water For Elephants, courage is a key aspect for characters that portray their love for other individuals and the animals. The characters, Jacob and Marlena love each other bravely, despite knowing the consequences for their actions. Not only does Marlena love Jacob, she also portrays affection for her horses as she protects them heroically. However, she is not the only one that admires the animals. Jacob is also fond of the animals in the circus and portrays it with valour.
I absolutely loved reading Water for Elephants; it is probably one of the best novels that I have read in my life time thus far. I would say that this novel is one for all ages but it contains some foul language and some content that’s more appropriate for a mature reader. One thing that I liked is that each chapter had a different photo from many different circuses. For example, one of the photos is an elephant, or the entertainers or pictures of the big circus tent (Gruen 238, 70, 48). Another thing that I utterly enjoyed about Gruen’s novel was her transitions; every few chapters she would flip- flop back and forth between twenty-three year old Jacob and ninety-three year old Jacob. Here’s an example of this, “I give up on rage, which at this point has become a formality, and make a mental note to get angry again in the morning. Then I let myself drift, because there’s really no fighting it. The train groans, straining against the increasing resistance of air breaks. After several minutes and a final, prolonged shriek, the great iron beast shudders to a stop and ...
Some people think that if they could only change one aspect of their lives, it would be perfect. They do not realize that anything that is changed could come with unintended consequences. “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs and “The Third Wish” by Joan Aiken both illustrate this theme. They demonstrate this by granting the main character three wishes, but with each wish that is granted, brings undesirable consequences. The main idea of this essay is to compare and contrast “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish.” Although the “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish” are both fantasies and have similar themes, they have different main characters, wishes, and resolutions.
"Cat In The Rain" is set in an Italian hotel where we meet an American
Living in two different cultures definitely has its pros and cons. Although my mother and I was born in the united states, My father comes from a strict Arab country called morocco located in north Africa .my mother is a full Christian American , while my father is a Muslim Moroccan . My American culture is a mixture of different cultures and more free. My Moroccan culture, on the other hand had its own culture and values. Growing up I definitely learned fast how to basically be two different people being that my dad left when I was two so I always had to travel back and forth between the United States and Morocco. Of course both cultures want better for their children but I had to figure out how to balance two different
Kipling's "White Man's Burden," was written after the end of the Spanish-American War as pro-colonization propaganda. The Spanish-American War was fought over colonies like the Philippines, where the poem takes place. The piece glorifies the struggles of a white man, colonizing indigenous people. In George Orwell's piece, "Shooting the Elephant," the main character is a sub-divisional police officer, stationed in Burma. It is about his experience with the Burmese people, as a white man in authority. Both works describe the "white man's" experience with colonization but the complexity in "Shooting an Elephant," details
It sickened me-twisted my stomach- but I tried to convince myself these weren’t the elephants I was about to see and The Ringling Brothers weren’t their abusers. But my sorrow continued. I mean of course I knew that elephants don’t naturally balance their two ton bodies on pedestals and lions don’t typically jump through rings of fire. But I thought that because they were performing they didn’t mind. It never occurred to me that behind the vivacious tent filled with bright lights, sparkles and families, was an industry that was thriving on the pain and suffering of captive animals.