Sunday, February 17, 2008

Water for Elephants Chapters 1-2

The first chapter of Water for Elephants, written by Sara Gruen, is set in present time. The main character, Jacob, is in his early 90's and in a nursing home, his own personal form of hell. Jacob is a widower, and frequently regrets not having his wife with him until he dies. But he also shows some of his selfishness when he says the following: "Although there are times I'd give anything to have her back, I'm glad she went first. Losing her was like bieng cleft down the middle. It was the moment it all ended for me, and I wouldn;t have wanted her to go through that. Being the survivor stinks" (Gruen 13).
Jacob shows us in this quote that he was and still is immensly in love with his wife and would do anything for her at any time. It also shows us that Jacob is literally willing to die for his wife, and the quote may be forshadowing for a story to come later on in the book. This quote can also tell us about Jacob's character; obviously very unselfish, loving, and most of all, heartbroken.

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