Sara Gruen’s, Water for Elephants, is a story about a a man, Jacob Jankowski, who used to work for “The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth.” He is ninety-three years old and is constantly looking back on his days in the circus. The circus was comprised of all sorts of people. The circus was like it’s own little society and among that society were different social classes. The social classes comprised the “circus hierarchy.” There were different groups to this hierarchy, the top of the hierarchy being the boss, Uncle Al, and managers, like August. Following them were the performers, or “kinkers” as they were called by the low working class men. Those men were the bottom of the hierarchy. They got the short end of the stick. Also to be fit into that social class were the animals. The “circus hierarchy” during the time of the depression does not reflect on social classes of modern times.
The leaders of this hierarchical system were Uncle Al, and August. Uncle Al was the leader of the “The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth.” He made all the big decisions. Decisions that affected those who worked hard for him to earn money. Uncle Al decided who got paid and when they got paid. And he always got paid. Uncle Al had the final decisions for everything. He decided who he wanted to keep and get rid of. If he felt that he had too many people working or were just no longer needed he would “redlight” them. In other words, throw them off a moving train. August, the equestrian director, was also feared by many of the workers. He was an intimidating man who had schizophrenia and would snap at any given moment. He would brutally beat the animals and abuse those around him because no one would say otherwise. Uncle Al and August were at the top of the hierarchy.
Following Uncle Al and August were the performers. The performers, as well as August and Uncle Al, stayed in the trains closest to the back. Uncle Al’s train was just at the caboose. The performers, with the exception of the circus’s downfall, were always paid. They ate their meals at tables draped with picnic tablecloths, silverware, and flowers. They have lavish parties that require tuxedos. Marlena was the performer that got the special treatment. Her act was popular among the crowds. Marlena’s marriage to August may have had some influence on how she was treated. Her and August were the golden couple of the circus. Uncle Al threatened Jacob and eventually redlighted Camel and Kinko because he wanted August and Marlena to get back together.
At the bottom of the “circus hierarchy” were the workingmen and the animals. Both groups endured poor living conditions. Spaces were cramped and workingmen shared sleeping cars with animals. Unlike the performers, Jacob and Kinko stayed in the car closest to the engine. The workingmen were divided by a curtain from the performers and those above them in the kitchen. They did not have silverware or flowers on their tables. These men worked and slaved harder than anyone on the show and were treated with the least respect. When Jacob got lost and tried to find his way back to the lot, he came across a hobo jungle. Boys younger than him were huddled around fires with no money and no home. Some boys tied their shoes to themselves while the slept so no one would take them. One man saw Jacob dressed in a fancy tuxedo and all Jacob could think about was that the tuxedo was the only thing that separated the two. Jacob was just as poor as them because of the poor conditions at the circus. The men who were “redlighted” came back, and caused the large stampede that ended the show for good. Amidst all the chaos, Uncle Al was strangled to death. The workingmen were pushed beyond their limits. The animals were also treated inhumanely. Horses were slaughtered and given to the other animals as food. They were tormented. Rosie, the elephant, got the worst beatings from August. The animals were captive and treated unjustly. Eventually, Rosie got her revenge.
In modern times, elderly people are somewhat like the workingmen and animals. The older Jacob was sent to a nursing home where he had no freedom. When he started “acting out,” he was medicated. Rather than the nurses talking to him to settle things, they made him take more medication. Although he was not able to do things on his own, one lady, Rosemary, treated him very well. She would sneak him real food and was the nicest of the nurses to him. He felt safe with her. Unlike “The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show On Earth,” the circus in the present time did not have older people working. A young teenager was working the ticket booth whereas back then, the old men held that job. The older people get, the less control they have over their lives. The elderly slowly lose place in society, going lower and lower the class system ladder.
Water for Elephants explored the issues of social class during the depression era and how it has evolved in the modern day. During the depression, people were struggling to make a living. They relied on their social class because they shared the same characteristics and status. The “circus hierarchy” during the time left the workingmen at the lowest step of the ladder. The bosses and managers took their power to another level driving those beneath them to rebel. The performers struggled a bit, but not as much as the workingmen. The animals received the worst treatment and were held in captivity. In modern times, the elderly seem to get the short end of the stick. The older a person gets, the less they are capable to do so others must help them and take over. Sara Gruen portrayed the social classes as a hierarchy and showed how it changed from the depression era to modern day.
