Theme Of Abuse In Water For Elephants

Mr.Badrigan
11-2-11 Per.3
Say No to Abuse! “Until we have the courage to recognize cruelty for what it is- whether its victim is human or animal- we cannot expect things to be much better in this world.”- Rachel Carson. In the novel Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, there is a charismatic but twisted animal trainer named August. You may think his name reminds you of the month August so, therefore, he has a sunny disposition. Don’t let that fool you for one second! While his name suggests otherwise, he is a dark
An abuser doesn’t “play fair”. Abusers use fear, guilt, shame and intimidation to wear you down and keep you under his or her thumb. This novel is set in the Depression and that made it easier for August to maintain control over his wife. She married him at a young age and her parents disowned her for her action. Marlena only had her horses and August during these rough times of the Depression. She often made excuses for his rather wicked fits of anger because half of the time he was as sweet as honey to her. Despite what many people believe, domestic violence and abuse is not due to the abuser’s loss of control over his or her behavior. In fact, abusive behavior and violence is a deliberate choice made by the abuser in order to control you. August has a position of power (head animal trainer) and that clearly went to his head. An example of this is when he ran wild eyed into the animal tent with a whip and started hitting Rosie, the elephant. Marlena is the elephant girl and she adore Rosie. He had to feel like he was in control of Marlena