Essay on Water for Elephants

In Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants, a variety of topics involving love, loyalty, alcohol, and violence are discussed. The most prominent theme that is evident throughout the novel is social classicism. Individuals or groups are assigned into classes based on their status within the workforce, politics, and community. Jacob, the narrator and main character of the story, witnesses and is subject to social classicism during his time with the Benzini Brothers’ Circus and at a nursing home. Jacob’s narrative documents how presumptions become engraved in individuals and the negative effects they have on those who are judged.

Jacob first encounters with social classicism are evident during his time in the Benzini Brothers’ circus, which was owned by Uncle Al. Consequently, Uncle Al developed a hierarchy within the circus that was determined by the value he placed on individuals. Performers and bosses of the circus received better treatment because they contributed to Uncle Al’s financial gains. Meanwhile, the workers were viewed as inferior because they set up and cleaned up before and after the circus shows. Uncle Al considered the workers to be cheap and expendable and often referred to them as “little shits”. Jacob observed that performers and bosses had better accommodations while traveling by train. The workers’ cars were at the end of the train. These cars were not suited for humans or animals, but instead were intended as freight cars that would carry cargo. One can only imagine the discomfort and pain that was felt during the trip. The negative class distinction between the workers and the performers and bosses was evident during meal times and pay periods. Jacob describes the blue and orange flag being raised to signal mealtime. The entire staff, with the exception of Uncle Al, would congregate in the cook house. However, once inside, a drape would segregate the area for the workers and the rest of the circus staff. During pay periods, the rest of the circus staff were guaranteed pay, meanwhile workers rarely received financial compensations for their duties. On the contrary, if there were financial losses, Uncle Al would order workers to be thrown off the train while it was still moving. The distinctions between the workers and the rest of the circus staff paralleled the Great Depression. During this time there was a large gap between the really poor and the really rich. Yet, only the rich had the power to influence decisions that affected everyone.

Parts of the story focus on Jacob during his elder years in a nursing home. A social class distinction is clearly present between the younger nurses and the elderly residents. Jacob is subjected to nurses that are unsympathetic to his thoughts, behavior, or actions. For example, the nurse with the horse face ignores Jacob’s request for a walker. Instead, she thought it was best for him to remain in the wheelchair because she assumed he was not strong enough for the walker. In the end, Jacob was given his walker, much to the dismay of the nurse. Her actions suggest that she had a presumption of Jacob, perhaps she viewed him as an old, grumpy, and dependent person. Another instance of ageism can be exemplified when Jacob was irritated with the food that was being served to him. Though he and the rest of the residents were feeble, he felt that they should choose their own meals. In disdain, Jacob tipped the plate over the table and caused it to break. The nursing home staff disregarded Jacob’s feelings of powerlessness. Instead, they diagnosed him as depressive and put him on medication. Jacob did not take the medication but unknowingly was injected with an antidepressant. The actions of the nursing home staff reflect their disregard of elders, thus they treated them as children rather than adults.

Water for Elephants discusses the social classism that is placed upon Jacob and his peers during his time in the Benzini Brothers’ Circus and in a nursing home. Consequently, these assumptions were instilled in individuals and resulted into negative consequences on those that were being viewed critically. The majority of events narrated by Jacob were a reflection of the Depression Era. However, one could argue that the class distinctions that occurred in the Benzini circus are transferable to any neighborhood, school, and/or corporation in the present.