Water For Elephants Summary

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen The title is significant to this novel because it refers to an incident that influenced the main character, Jacob, to share his story. In the story, the circus is in town and an elderly Jacob is parked in his wheelchair at a dining table with Joseph McGuinty and a few women. The women are reminiscing about the circus and sharing stories when suddenly McGuinty claims that he used to carry water for the elephants.
Jacob, being a retired circus veterinarian, knows that anybody that was involved with the circus would know that you don’t take the water to the elephant; you bring the elephant to the water and that elephants would rather drink alcohol anyways. Jacob accuses McGuinty of lying and causes an uproar