Editor's Choice
What are the main conflicts in Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants?
Quick answer:
The main conflicts in Water for Elephants include a love triangle between Marlena, her husband August, and Jacob, leading to tensions between fidelity and romance. Jacob's attraction to Marlena creates antagonism with August, his supervisor. Set during the Great Depression, the novel also depicts the struggle between circus workers and their cruel employer, Uncle Al, who mistreats and "red-lights" them. Additionally, there are conflicts between humans and animals, exemplified by Rosie the elephant.
Water for Elephants is a love story, with a triangle at its center. Marlena is married to August, but she and Jacob fall in love. The conflict here is between fidelity and romance. Marlena feels obligated to stay with August, although she knows her heart is with Jacob. He, in turn, feels responsible to his job and to the older man, who is his supervisor.
This conflict is closely associated with that between the two men. August is in charge of the circus animals, powerful within his own sphere and proudly possessive. Jacob is well educated, with an Ivy League degree, but an orphan. Although he did not intend to fall for a married woman, by doing so Jacob has positioned himself in antagonism toward August.
This novel is not simply a love story, however. It takes place during the Great Depression, a time when people had great difficulty in...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
finding and keeping work. This intensifies the conflicts between owners and workers. To make a point that he has power and the workers are dispensable, the circus owner, Uncle Al, has several workers thrown off the moving train where they all live, killing two men. Because the author sets the novel in a circus, some of the characters are not human, so there is also conflict between humans and animals. This latter latter raises important questions about definitions of human nature and the extent of animal cognition, especially regarding the behavior of Rosie, the elephant.
This approach suggests a conflict of man versus himself. August is presented as deeply conflicted and abusive. His irrational actions and the cruelty with which he abuses not only his wife but also the animals under his care suggest mental health issues. The novel’s resolution, in which Rosie apparently shows advanced understanding but also animal brutality, removes August from the action through his death while leaving his internal conflict unresolved. It does, however, end the conflict with Jacob, who can then be with the now-widowed Marlena.
What is the main conflict leading to the climax in Water for Elephants?
Water for Elephants is a narrative of intriguing contradictions in a compelling plot about circus life that is both glamorous and repulsive. The main conflict is that of the employees with their employer Uncle Al who treats people cruelly, not paying them and "red-lighting them," throwing them off the moving train, when they are not performing as expected. Jacob Janokowski as part of the crew is involved in this main conflict.
In Chapter 22, Jacob walks atop the railroad cars in the hope of attacking August with Walter's knife, but instead leaves the knife by the man's pillow as a warning after watching August's face as he sleeps. Upon his return, however, he discovers that Camel and Walter have been among the red-lighted. After learning this, Jacob goes to see Earl, but the shocked Earl tells him that performers do not usually get red-lighted, so someone must have been looking for Jacob since Jacob and Marlena have been having an affair and August has become enraged about it.
Now, Jacob talks with Marlena about the events of the night and the ensuing danger. She wants to return to her car in order to obtain money, but Jacob cautions her not to do so. When she does not return, Jacob knows she has ignored his warning. Then, some of the red-lighted men return to take down Uncle Al since Walter and Camel have died from the redlighting.
In the middle of their meal Jacob and the others hear a particular tune known as the "Disaster March" which denotes trouble. They run toward the big top and find the animals in a stampede. Searching for Marlena, Jacob finds her and August standing in front of Rosie the elephant who stares threateningly at him. But, before Jacob or the others can reach August, Rosie picks up a stake and hit Jacob over the head with it. Marlena is in shock; Jacob grabs her and hurries out of the tent.
With August dead and Uncle Al in hiding, Jacob and Marlena are free to claim Rosie and the horses and the bereaved Jack Russell and to plan their future.