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The One And Only Ivan Essay

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The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate is about Ivan, a silverback gorilla who is raised by a human and lives in captivity at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. Ivan is brought to the Exit 8 after being captured and separated from his family while living in the wild. Ivan considers his new habitat a “domain” and refuses to admit that he is living in a cage. However, when Stella, an elephant, dies as a result of neglect, Ivan is forced to accept his situation. Moreover, he has to fight to keep the promise he made to save Ruby, a young elephant, from going down the same path as the rest of them. In her novel, The One and Only Ivan, Applegate uses characterization, setting, and plot to convey Ivan’s determination to become a protector. Applegate uses characterization to foreshadow Ivan’s determination to protect Ruby. Applegate does this by declaring that a silverback is responsible for protecting their troop. However, at the Exit 8, “there is no one to protect” (Applegate 10). Therefore, Ivan does not know if he should identify himself with the silverback gorillas or humans. Nonetheless, when Stella becomes ill and asks Ivan to promise her that he will protect Ruby, Ivan agrees. Now, Ivan has …show more content…

At the beginning, Ivan, “live[s] in a human habitat...because [he] is too much gorilla and not enough human” (Applegate 7). In other words, Ivan is not sure of his true identity (Applegate 143). In fact, Ivan does not think too highly of himself since he believes his parents would be ashamed of what he has become. However, after Ivan sees Mack threaten Ruby with a claw-stick, he realizes that he has to act before it is too late to help Ruby. Therefore, he comes up with a plan to help protect Ruby from suffering the same fate as Stella. In a nutshell, Ivan doubts his purpose in life, yet, his will power helps the animals at Exit 8 live a better

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