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A Day At The Circus Chicago Analysis

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Plot
- Jacob is a man who currently resides at a residential home where he leads a miserable life
- One afternoon, Jacob looks out the window and spots a circus and he couldn’t believe his eyes – “In the park at the end of the block is a enormous canvas tent – My ticker lurches so hard I clutch a fist to my chest” (Gruen, 7)
- This brings back memories of his adventurous past and the time he spent at the circus
- One night during dinner, a resident called Mr. McGuinty manages to infuriate Jacob by saying he used to carry water for elephants
- Jacob accuses him for lying and causes a scene, he was eventually sent to his room by a nurse called Rosemary
- On the next day Jacob is expecting a visit from his family to bring him to the circus, while he waits he dreams about his past
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- In his dream he recalls how he was informed of his parents death during a lecture at Cornell University
- He returns to his hometown to retrieve his will, only to find that the bank will take everything due to the dept his family was in
- Realizing this dept was caused by his ivy league tuition, he becomes filled with grief and fails to finish his final examinations
- Jacob ends up getting lost while contemplating his life and ends up joining a circus
- The ringmaster of the circus, Uncle Al, was thrilled that Jacob studied to be a vet at Cornell University and hires him right away
- This was the start of a new life for Jacob as the vet for the Benzini Brother’s circus
- During his time at the circus he falls in love with a performer called Marlena
- She is the wife of August, his boss
- Jacob grows to hate August due to August’s abusive personality
- Uncle Al’s ambition of having the best circus in the world causes him to buy an elephant named Rosie and a train car to hold her, spending all the money the circus

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