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United We
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United We
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Selection Criteria
United
We Read Workshop
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To what extent do the
chapters concerning the elderly Jacob enhance the chapters recounting
the young Jacobâs experiences with the Benzini Brothers circus? In what
ways do the chapters about the young Jacob contribute to a deeper
understanding of the elderly Jacobâs life?
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How does the novelâs
epigraph, the quote from Dr. Seussâs Horton Hatches the Egg, apply
to the novel? What are the roles and importance of faithfulness and
loyalty in Water for
Elephants? In what ways does Gruen contrast the
antagonisms and cruelties of circus life with the equally impressive
loyalties and instances of caring?
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Who did you, upon reading
the prologue, think murdered August? What effect did that opening scene
of chaos and murder have on your reception of the story that
follows?
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In connection with Jacobâs
formal dinner with August and Marlena in their stateroom, Jacob remarks,
âAugust is gracious, charming, and mischievousâ (page 93). To what
extent is this an adequate characterization of August? How would you
expand upon Jacobâs observation? How would you characterize August?
Which situations in the novel reveal his true
character?
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August says of Marlena, âNot
everyone can work with liberty horses. Itâs a God-given talent, a sixth
sense, if you willâ (page 94). Both August and Jacob recognize Marlenaâs
skills, her âsixth sense,â in working with the horses. In what ways does
that sixth sense attract each man? How do August and Jacob differ in
terms of the importance each places on Marlenaâs
abilities?
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After Jacob puts Silver Star
down, August talks with him about the reality of the circus. âThe whole
thingâs illusion, Jacob,â he says, âand there's nothing wrong with that.
Itâs what people want from us. Itâs what they expectâ (page 104). How
does Gruen contrast the worlds of reality and illusion in the novel? Is
there anything wrong with pandering to peopleâs need for illusion? Why
do we crave the illusions that the circus
represents?
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Reflecting on the fact that
his platitudes and stories donât hold his childrenâs interest, the
elderly Jacob notes, âMy real stories are all out of date. So what if I
can speak firsthand about the Spanish flu, the advent of the automobile,
world wars, cold wars, guerrilla wars, and Sputnikâthatâs all ancient
history now. But what else do I have to offer?â (page 110). How might we
learn to appreciate the stories and life lessons of our elders and
encourage people younger than ourselves to appreciate our
own?
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Looking at himself in the
mirror, the old Jacob tries âto see beyond the sagging flesh.â But he
claims, âItâs no good. . . . I canât find myself anymore. When did I
stop being me?â (page 111). How would you answer that question for Jacob
or any individual, or for yourself?
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In what ways and to what
degree do Uncle Alâs maneuvers and practices regarding the defunct Fox
Brothers circus reflect traditional American business practices? How
would you compare his behavior with that of major businessmen and
financiers of today? What alternative actions would you
prefer?
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As he lies on his bedroll,
after his night with Barbara and Nell, Jacob cannot empty his mind of
troubling visions and he reflects that âthe more distressing the memory,
the more persistent its presenceâ (page 143). How might the elderly
Jacobâs memories corroborate or contradict this observation? What have
been your experiences and observations in this
regard?
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In his Carnival of the Animals, Ogden
Nash wrote, âElephants are useful friends.â In what ways is Rosie a
âusefulâ friend? What is Rosieâs role in the events that follow her
acquisition by Uncle Al?
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After Jacob successfully
coaches August in Polish commands for Rosie, he observes, âItâs only
when I catch Rosie actually purring under Augustâs loving
ministrations that my conviction starts to crumble. And what Iâm left
looking at in its place is a terrible thingâ (page 229). What is Jacob
left "looking at," how does it pertain to Augustâs personality and
Jacobâs relationship with August, and what makes it a âterrible
thingâ?
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How did you react to the
redlighting of Walter and Camel, and eight others, off the trestle? How
might we see Uncle Alâs cutthroat behavior as âan indictment of a
lifetime spent feigning emotions to make a buckâ (in the words of one
reviewer)?
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After the collapse of the
Benzini Brothers circus and Uncle Alâs having âdone a runnerâ (page
314), Jacob realizes, âNot only am I unemployed and homeless, but I also
have a pregnant woman, bereaved dog, elephant, and eleven horses to take
care ofâ (page 317). What expectations did you entertain for Jacob and
Marlenaâsâand their menagerieâsâfuture after they leave the Benzini
Brothers circus? How do the elderly Jacobâs memories of Marlena and
their life together confirm or alter those
expectations?
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At the end of the novel,
Jacob exclaims, âSo what if Iâm ninety-three? . . . why the hell
shouldnât I run away with the circus?â (page 331). What would you
project to be the elderly Jacobâs experiences after he runs away with
the circus the second time? How does his decision reflect what we have
learned about his early years?
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Sara Gruen has said that the
âbackboneâ of her novel âparallels the biblical story of Jacob,â in the
book of Genesis. On the first night after his leaving Cornell, for
example, Jacobâas did his biblical namesakeâlies âback on the bank,
resting my head on a flat stoneâ (page 23). In what other ways does
Water for Elephants
parallel the story of the biblical Jacob? How do the names of many of
the characters reflect names of characters in the biblical
account?
- In the words of one
reviewer, Water for
Elephants âexplores . . . the pathetic grandeur of the
Depression-era circus.â In what ways and to what extent do the words
âpathetic grandeurâ describe the world that Gruen creates in her
novel?
These book-group
discussion questions were prepared by Hal Hager, of Hal Hager &
Associates, Somerville, New Jersey. These questions originally appeared in the
paperback edition of Water for
Elephants, published by Algonquin Books of Chapel
Hill.
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