Characters

There are many characters in Water for Elephants. Almost all of them have interesting pasts and are complex on their own. When they are all thrown together in the novel, the result is an explosion of emotions, events, etc.  

Jacob Jankowski

The novel’s protagonist; a resident in a nursing home who is reminiscing on the time he spent as a circus vet during the 1930’s. Both the elderly Jacob and young Jacob tell the story. Jacob’s parents are killed in a car crash before he writes his veterinary exams. (pg. 21)  He then inadvertently runs away with the circus, becoming their vet and falling in love with one of the performers, Marlena.

Marlena Rosenbluth

The woman that our protagonist falls in love with... She is married to the equestrian director, an abusive man who is a paranoid schizophrenic. The fact that he is such a brutal man leads to many issues and problems that Jacob must overcome. Marlena marries August when she was just a mere 17 years of age, after she ran away with the circus. Marlena cares for all of the animals on the show, but shows a particular liking to not only Rosie, the elephant, but her horses as well. When her star horse must be put down, “She doesn’t even try to wipe the tears that slide down her cheeks, just stands hugging her arms with shoulders heaving, gasping for breath. She looks like she’s going to collapse in on herself.” (pg. 128) She is a genuine person who deeply cares for people and animals.

August Rosenbluth

The paranoid schizophrenic that I’ve mentioned a few times before… He abuses animals and other people. He cares about the show, and making it perfect, however he doesn’t much care for the beings that are hurt in the process of striving for perfection.

Alan Bunkel (Uncle Al)

The owner of the circus… He runs everything. He does anything to get what he wants. And when he runs out of meat to feed his tigers, lions and other large cats, he shoots his horses to feed them. He knows his priorities, and people are not high on his list. He also red lights people when he can’t pay them.

Walter (Kinko)

A small person with whom Jacob bunks with on the train... His best friend is his dog, Queenie. At first, when he is forced to bunk with Jacob, he hates him, but as the story progresses they become very good friends. Kinko is “red lighted” towards the end of the novel. *note: to be red lighted means to be thrown from the train while it is moving, either because of lack of money to pay people or because the person is an inconvenience to the circus. The fact that he is re lighted enrages Jacob, because they become such great friends. Kinko is fond of practical jokes as he is a clown on the circus. To pay Jacob back for going through his things, Kinko paints his face like a clown, dresses him in a dress and shaves his hair on a night where Jacob gets incredibly drunk. The reason he is on the circus is because his mother sold him to it when he was younger.

Camel

The first man that Jacob meets when he jumps the circus train... He takes Jacob under his wing and gets him a job with the circus. It is because of Camel that Jacob survives and finds Marlena and has a successful life. Camel is an alcoholic that his family disowned, hence why he himself is on the circus train.

Rosie

Quite possibly the most important character… She is the show’s elephant. At first she is thought to be utterly useless and stupid because she doesn’t respond to English. She was taught to listen to Polish, and Jacob discovers this partway through the novel. When August learns this he starts to treat her better and she becomes the star of the show with Marlena. She is very important because she shows everyone else's true colours, if you will. Because Jacob is a caring man, he treats her with respect and would never harm her. Because August is a harsh man, he abuses her, yells at her, etc.

Charlie O’Brien

A small role, yet very important… He is the manager of the circus that is in town when Jacob is in the nursing home, remembering his past. Jacob tells him everything about his story and the collapse of his circus. Charlie decides to let Jacob “come home” again, and work for his circus. The circus has been Jacob’s home for years and Charlie realizes that.

Rosemary

One of the nurses at the nursing home in which Jacob stays... She treats him like an equal, rather than a child who must be disciplined. She understands his frustration with never getting proper food and not having a choice in anything, for example, whether his blinds are open or not. (pg. 136)